Lead With Love

 So… now what?

Now there will be more Truth Wars: bickering over numbers, over photos, over rationale.

Was it thousands or millions? Was it 5 million or 12 million? Different media will share different versions for different motives.

Were the photos altered? What was left out of the photos? Were they from yesterday or another event? Different media will want to tell different stories so they can maintain the narrative.

Did people come because they believed in cause or because they were paid? Will political interests aim to divide coalitions? Will a few unsavory characters defeat a cause? The media profit from a story.

Pause now. Ask yourself what you know in your core of cores.

I know that yesterday matters.

I also know that yesterday alone won’t be enough.

I know we need to stay humane and that we need to find what unites us.

I know we need to keep showing up and standing up. We need to add our voices in any way we can.

For some, it will be a word of encouragement. If that’s all you can offer, even quietly, offer it.

For some, it will be a song. We had 11 new faces show up at our Open Minds Open Mic Night last night. Just hearing a newcomer sing Molly Tuttle’s song about a crooked tree and individuality gave me more strength.

For some it will be a phone call or a letter. When I visit my friends at my parents’ continuing care community, many of them aren’t as mobile as I am. But they have more time to write letters and more gravitas in their voices when they call legislators.

For some it will be going to the street, going to their representatives’ offices, or going to DC. For some it will mean setting up sound systems at events or creating websites. For some it will be strategizing or offering legal services. For some it will be translating or offering transportation.

There is a lot to be done. We cannot do it all alone. But together we can reclaim our democracy.

When you look at the real photos of the streets of Philly yesterday, or even smaller marches, it’s sometimes hard to make out any one person. And yet, in the countryside, the visibility rallies sometimes had one person standing alone, mile after mile, holding signs supporting a united vision.

We need strength in numbers. We also need individual strength.

So…. What will you do next?

I’m leading a choir at my parents’ community. We end each time with Melanie deMore’s song:

“Put one foot in front of the other and lead with love.”

Go lead with love, however you choose. There is hope, and there is more work to be done.