An American woman thinks about humanizing one another.

Through and through, that’s me. A regular American.

So, why is a neighbor on Facebook saying I should get out of my own country because I have a different political leaning? Why did someone laughingly say they’d be happy to see harm come to me because I don’t vote like them? Why are some saying I don’t belong here if I’m not like them? The rhetoric surrounding politics can easily get offensive and abusive. Oh, I know you don’t think you’re talking about me. It’s just people “like” me. But it is about me…just not written or said specifically with me in mind. Maybe if you could see my face, exchange smiles, and look me in the eyes, you’d see something of who I really am.

Let’s just assume I don’t vote like you. It’s a safe bet that it’s true with close to half of you. And, folks from both ends of the spectrum are equally guilty of dehumanizing those with whom they disagree. If you are belittling the people who aren’t making the same selection as you, there’s a decent chance it’s me you’re talking about. But I am a regular American woman, doing what I need to each day to get by like everyone else. Over the years, I have tried to learn what I can, vote responsibly, pay my taxes, treat people well, enjoy being part of our community, contribute to the overall good.

I was born in the middle of the country in the good ole state of Oklahoma to my parents who were living at Fort Sill where my dad was stationed in the Army. My family comes from North Carolina and Virginia, where I spent most of my years. In elementary school, I loved recess and snack time. In middle school, I went to my first school dance, where we all bore the awkwardness that is a dance with no dancers—No one brave enough to risk embarrassment. In high school, I went to my first concert, singing along and making a fool of myself over Rick Springfield. Yes, I am aware that ages me. I loved biology and hated dressing out for gym, loved walking home with my best friend and hated being bullied by some girl who hardly knew me. American girlhood.

My family went to church where I sang in the youth choir, helped teach Bible school, and spent a huge portion of my time. I’ve been committed to following Jesus since I was twelve and it is still central to who I am.

I’ve been married to a great man for long time. We’ve managed through early days on tight finances, learned the hard way about bouncing checks and using credit cards when you can’t pay them off right away. A lot has been fun, but often it involves hard work. When we brought our first child home, we learned how to grow into parenthood like every parent does. And we wanted to get everything right. How long did it take before we weren’t perfect at it? About as long as it takes anyone else. Our lives have been full… meeting the school bus on dark winter mornings, fixing meals after long days at work, getting everyone clean and in bed to do it all over the next day. We’ve managed leaking pipes, power outages, barfing kids, car trouble, teenage drivers, insurance for teenage drivers… You get the point. It’s been a normal, regular life in America.

Generalizing can allow people to say harsh, cruel things about people they rub elbows with everyday. People they need. People they actually appreciate, but don’t know that’s who they are putting down. People they’re insulting and demonizing without realizing who the face and heart is on the other end of their sneer. It’s sad. It hurts feelings and can make people feel unwelcome in their own neighborhood, hometown, and country. That should never happen. Really. It just shouldn’t.

Honestly, I imagine I’ve said some things that made others feel judged or less accepted without even recognizing it. If it was you, I’m sorry. We can all carelessly blast out our cruel words, strong opinions, and even threats and wishes for hardship so easily when we aren’t face-to-face.

Maybe each of us can take a moment before we spout off or post quick insults and think about the people we meet each day who make life work. Those who provide medical care, fix our food, handle our money, share our roads. They get up and go to bed the same way as everyone else. They don’t have to all vote or think the same to belong here. They are real people—we shop at their store, buy gas at their station, greet them at the counter with a smile, come to them for service, cheer on sports teams with them… we’re in this thing called life together.

What if we commit not to dehumanize people? Please don’t dehumanize me. I’ll try to remember you’re a regular person, too. Regular Americans who agree or don’t agree, but still regular Americans. And, this is home—a place to behold.

Loving Mother Earth

This beautiful earth … it is breathtakingly gorgeous, unbelievably resilient, & yet so fragile. The wondrous creatures with whom we share our planet are fascinating, intelligent in ways we are just beginning to discover, & are to be cherished.

Just this week, I watched two fawns casually munching grass & leaves in my front yard & enjoyed hummingbirds at the feeder with their non-stop competition to rule the roost. The humidity has dropped & being outside in the shade is about heavenly, signaling that we are on the edge of a change of seasons. We had some much-needed rain, so I listened with my windows open to the breeze & the sound of the drops falling on the trees & ground. The cicadas at home have mostly stopped their song, as have the summer frogs. I wait eagerly for these to begin singing each spring so I can listen as I go to sleep each night. Thankfully, the crickets have a song to sing as well & they are still performing. Two young hawks have been circling overhead practicing their calls.

There was something going on with the Crepe Myrtles this year. Maybe you noticed it, too. They were fuller & richer & brighter than they usually are, with rows of them blooming together creating an ongoing show of pink that reached right out & grabbed my attention. I don’t know what I was talking or daydreaming about when they came into view. But, wow, did they stop everything else & demand my admiring gaze. Sometimes the rising moon catches me by surprise, which causes me to gasp &/or holler out. My husband enjoys the moon. He is less enamored with my hollering out that causes him to think something is about to run in front of our car or something is wrong. Once I explain & he has a second to recover, he is happy to drive around to find a good gazing spot.

Yes, it’s the smell of grass or wet, pine woods, the sounds of babbling water, & wind carrying a storm towards me. It is the layered long-distance mountain view & a sunrise on the horizon at the oceanfront. And, it is the way the wind feels on my skin & what it feels like to walk barefoot on the mossy earth. So, so many treasures to enjoy & behold. I love nature. I love living on this planet.

The Creator loves the earth more than I do. The Creator loves the earth more than the combined love of all people everywhere ever. Maybe that’s because the Designer takes great pride in how it all turned out. Our world is a window into the creative flair & genius, meticulous attention to detail, and communal nature of the Designer. It is shared with us, humankind, as a gift to treasure and a means of revealing the Source.

I want to be aware as I move through life, taking notice of beauty around me. I want to make decisions that represent my appreciation & care for the overwhelming gifts I enjoy. This will include getting outside so I nurture the relationship I have with nature, how I use resources, & from whom I purchase. It affects how I vote, because we need decision-makers to focus intensely on working stateside, as well as with every country & their leaders to reverse the processes & practices currently in place that are damaging this matrix of life.

The natural world is strained, weighted with the mistreatment that has been layered on over decades of ignorance & injury. Mother Earth needs our love, attention, gratitude, & yes, our vote. Show your love for her when you select leaders, by your deep gratitude, & in the ways you live & move through life.