You know, Catherine Pugh, Esq., you had me. I was engaged, I was hooked. I really wanted to hear what you had to say. Especially in the hopes that it would help me express what I believe Jesus wants us to understand.

Several of your words were over my head. I could have stopped to look them up, but I did not, I felt I was getting enough meaning from the whole context.

I did not understand your paragraph about "curate" though. Perhaps because I am not so familiar with that term. Even after I looked it up I did not understand what was the message of that paragraph.

I really enjoyed the read, agreed with some, enlightened by others, thought "always, never, and everyone are those kinds of terms that do not serve humanity well, because of their obvious inaccuracy".

I disagreed with the idea that rape (and the human psyche can be raped in many ways) is isolated to any color. Though you expressed the thoughts of the perpetrator just as I suspect they are.

"Let me do this and you just smile and tell the world everything's hunky-dory. I am not at fault, you are."

My father told me when I was an adult "I have repented, now you need to." That was as close to an apology I ever got from him for the molesting he did of me and anything that got near him, from my personal observation, when I was about eight to ten years old.

I am grateful that you wrote this so that I could hear what you had to say.

It was when I got to your closing remarks that I felt sucker-punched.

As a lawyer, you had two other people review what you said? To me, that suggests two things. One, that what you really wanted to say, maybe did not come out and two, that you are filled with fear at self expression.

That breaks my heart and is something that you could take responsibility for and let go of through faith.

Now I do not know if you are a person of faith and I am not preaching religion here. Please, live your life as you see fit.

But in my language, if you could step into the Atonement, the way Jesus offers it in A Course In Miracles. (Not the governmental-propagandized traditions found in Biblical interpretations.) You would have a perception on the world "that all that you do and are is granted by the Creator and that anything that is not of the Creator is not real or lasting."

Now, do not get me wrong here, you will feel pain at any injustice as any consciousness of Creation does, but you will be able to forgive because you know the only reason it could occur is because "that part of Creation has denied its own connection with the Creator".

And that does not mean that the offender does not face consequences, severe enough for the offense given, it does mean that compassion enters the heart of the offended and mercy is offered in recognizing our unity rather than shunning the offender as an outcast. Because ultimately there is no Separation. There is only One Child of the Creator and we are each a part of that Child.

That last word that you used was very revealing. Homey, did I spell that right? Homie?

I am not sure if this was to draw us non-white ally's (as in non-ally's, not to be confused with black or people of color) into your bosom or if it was to mock by using a language which has been chosen to be "acceptable" only among a chosen few. Only among the ones who deserve to use the language, in other words, the ones "privileged" enough to use the language.

The word, from an outsider looking in, suggests one is looked after, protected, valued. Which by its very existence, if that is the correct interpretation, suggests that "there are those" who are not to be looked after, protected, valued.

That may be a harsh statement, but it needs to be said.

One of my daughters is with a very handsome Latino fellow and he uses these terms. Last Thanksgiving I became unabashedly aware that he preferred other company than mine. Communicated a thousand ways, without words was the understanding that my presence was very distasteful.

Now, it could well have been because I am such an awful person.

Sadly, by that which I know as the Holy Spirit, I got the distinct message that it was because of the color of my skin and the assumptions he made on what that made me and how I saw him.

Assumptions; assume makes an ass out of u and me.

Sad, but true. (And assumptions are not the same thing as what is delivered by the witness of the Holy Spirit. This defines why this work has to be primarily on an individual basis and in ones own heart and mind.)

Interesting that I got this witness at that time (given the situation in the states today) and by Christmas, I had the sad responsibility to tell my daughter I would not be participating in any more family gatherings.

One because I do not need to be in the presence of those who look down on me. And two because I did not want to try to communicate with someone who had repeatedly shut me down and not allowed me a voice, and would pre-determine what my motives were by assuming what I thought of him primarily because of his skin color.

Mixing up the races will not alter the underlying dilemma.

***

The enemy has already infiltrated our countries boundaries.

If you think they are not sitting back and watching our contention and chaos will glee, salivating in anticipation for when we take our own country "out" so they can take over, you have some serious blinders on.

This country needs to wake up to who and what it is and be the leader that it is by understanding that we are all from one Creator.

And that joy, peace, and fulfillment are the right, heritage, and privilege of everyone that enters our boundaries.

Let Jesus have the reigns to this miracle through listening to our conscience and by believing in each other. This is what Jesus has been mainly trying to help us understand. And nature will take care of itself by leading us into a balanced and healthy environment for all.