To Mask or Not To Mask... That is the Question

It's been a heavy time across our nation and world. I haven't shared my words with you since the beginning of April when we were a few weeks into a pandemic in the states and stay-at-home orders were in place here in Pittsburgh. The world had changed.

It's been a challenging time, as I continued to work as Operations Manager of Dignity Home Care Professionals, a senior in-home care company in Pittsburgh. My job was deemed essential so I continued on with the day-to-day business of providing caregivers to families in need. Sometimes, I ventured in to my lonely office in Bellevue and other times, I forwarded the phones and worked from home. We lost some clients (none from COVID-19) and we gained new ones. We kept our employees busy and we added new faces to the team. My heroes... those willing to brave the risk and offer their care to housebound elderly clients. 

It's been a sad time. The murder of George Floyd caused more than just rage and protest. It caused a deep sadness inside of me. It also awakened a need in me to push aside my comfortable silence and to speak out. I undoubtedly lost friends in the process, but that's okay. If you are a racist, you don't deserve my friendship. Not at all.

It's also been an infuriating and frustrating time. And this is the focus of this post: to mask or not to mask. It really shouldn't be a question. I continually hide 'friends' from my Facebook feed over this issue... those proudly proclaiming their "constitutional right" not to cover their faces. GIVE ME A BREAK! Those who take this stand continue to hide behind their excuses of "liberty." Sadly, most of the ones I've heard bemoan the masks also proclaim their status as "Christians." Again, give me a break. Where, pray tell, in Scripture does it instruct us to hold our rights and liberty above the good of others? Where? Show it to me. 

No, rather, the Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the church at Philippi: 

"Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others." (Phillipians 2:3-4 NASB)

Let me paraphrase: 

"Do nothing from selfishness or a desire for your own liberty, but humble yourself, realizing that you could be an asymptomatic carrier of COVID-19, which puts others at risk for a disease that, while it may be mild, could also KILL that person or cause lifelong problems for them."

As Christians, and, yes, I count myself as a devout follower of Christ, we have a moral obligation to do what we can to protect others from harm. Whether that means standing up for the rights of people of other races, seeking justice, socially distancing ourselves, fighting against the evils of Bayer/Monsanto and other companies who are poisoning us, or wearing a danged mask while in public and honoring the request of businesses and churches who ask this of us, that's what we have to do. It is NOT about liberty and constitutional rights... it's about kindness. It's "regarding one another as more important" than ourselves.

And for those of you buying into the myth of the dangers of breathing in your own CO2, read up on the facts. You would have to breathe in extremely high levels of the gas... more than say, a surgeon or their surgical team who are masked for hours during an operation -- how would you feel as a patient if they decided it was their "right" not to wear a mask?

I, personally, hate wearing masks. But, because I care about you, you better believe I'll be donning mine. I can only hope you care enough about me to do the same.

Sharing my heart,

Make kindness a priority in 2016

Have you ever read one of my suggestions and thought, "That's easy for you to say. We don't have that kind of money (or time or resources)?" I understand. But today's 2016 resolution doesn't have to cost you a cent.

Image by Anna YanovaCattoon

In 2016, I'm challenging you to let go of any of the cynicism that prevents you from being kind. Cynicism that says:

• He's too lazy to work
• She shouldn't keep having all those kids
• That cashier won't even smile
• He'll probably just blow the money on booze
• My neighbor's never been nice to me
• If she'd manage her money properly, she wouldn't be in this mess
• She's such a grump, it's no wonder she's all alone
• He probably won't appreciate it anyway
• They'll just bleed me dry if I let them

The list could go on and on, but I'm sure you get the idea. The thing is, this world needs more kindness. And it's up to us to teach our kids and grandkids what it means to be kind, even to the most undeserving. 

Kindness doesn't have to cost us anything, but if you have extra money, sharing it teaches kids to share.

Kindness can be as simple as helping someone to the car with their groceries, or returning the cart for them.

Kindness can be handing a tangerine to someone on the street or at the tollbooth as you pay your toll.

Kindness can be giving the stressed out mama at the grocery store a $4 bouquet of daisies.

Kindness can be sending someone a note to let them know you're praying for them.

Kindness can be offering to babysit for a single mom so she can run errands without getting kids in and out of car seats. 

Kindness can be as simple as a smile. 

Kindness is contagious. 

As the old song says, "It only takes a spark to get a fire going. And soon all those around will warm up in the glowing..." (Pass It On by Kurt Kaiser)

Let's spread some sparks in 2016. You and I can change the world, one kind gesture at a time.

Won't you join me?

In memory of a kindness hero

It seems like there are an awful lot of 'takers' out there. People who would suck you dry if you let them. We live in a society, here in the U.S., of people who expect things...who want things handed to them...who feel entitled for one reason or another.

Sometimes it gets discouraging.

But if you look around, you also see folks out there who are willing to give you the shirt off their back if you need it. Everywhere you look, actually, you can pick up on random acts of kindness offered to family, friends and strangers alike. Organizations such as The Kindness Cure, founded by CJ Scarlet, exist to foster kindness in a world that too often is harsh and unyielding. Just reading some of the stories on their website (http://www.thekindnesscure.org/) is inspiring and uplifting.

I believe acts of kindness are acts of heroism and awards should be given out to honor those heroes.

I'd like to start the process by honoring a couple who went beyond the call of duty back when my second husband and I got married. Since we were blending families with four girls, a honeymoon was not an option. However, a couple at our church insisted we get away for at least a weekend and volunteered to take in and care for my daughters so we could do just that. The remarkable thing about this was that they already had a whole slew of young children occupying their very small home. At that point there were seven or eight people living there, but my girls just squeezed in beside them. The Moffats opened their home and their hearts to us...a new family trying to navigate the very stormy waters of becoming a blended family.

I just learned tonight that Mike Moffat died on August 5th of this year. We missed the funeral. We missed sending our condolences. And we missed what so many of us miss everyday...the opportunity to tell someone they've made a difference in your life. Mike was a good man, a godly man, a man who loved and cared for his wife and seven children. Mary Jane was forced into joining the club none of us wants to join -- The Widow's Club. She's been thrust into single parenthood...not something she ever dreamed of as she and Mike continued to add to their family. They started with two, and then added seven children, one by one, until there were nine in the family. And now there's eight.

My heart breaks for them tonight, as I remember, all too well, the weight of widowhood and single parenting. I remember the questions that churned just below the surface that were never stilled by an answer. Jesus told the storm to be still and the winds stopped. But in the face of this kind of loss, Jesus often seems to be silent, as if calming these storms would somehow throw the earth off its axis.

Tonight I offer a prayer for comfort for the Moffat family and a sacrifice of praise for these heroes in my life. Acts of kindness...they practiced them daily. Thank you Mike....thank you Mary Jane...the way you made us feel will always be remembered.

Parents...grandparents...spouses...children: Listen up as I once again remind you LIFE IS SHORT. Treasure those around you.

Hold these words, by Maya Angelou, close to your heart:

"People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

Hana