Mercy, Will We Overcome This?

These are special times - if "special" is a preposterously watered-down euphemism. Headlines, heartbreak, ceaselessly-updating statistics flying at us from every which way...it's no wonder that we find ourselves in need of a pep talk.Please enjoy a stream-of-consciousness window into my mind as I try to "lift up my eyes" by quoting the music of my youth (namely Dave Matthews), Scripture, Margaret Mead, my grandmother, and probably yours too.We can all look up. Keep our eyes on our (minimal, truly-our-responsibility) priorities, focus on changing only what's ours to change, making room in our addled brains, and finding joy in the big and small things we may overlook amidst the three-ring circus that is 2020.I love you for listening, for surviving this year alongside me, and for avoiding judgment when I quote the red letters of the New Testament within an episode where I also reference 1995's Romeo + Juliet and the tank-top-wearing man who earned a death stare from me last night.This week's episode, like 2020 A.D. itself, is a rollercoaster ride. Thanks for being buckled in right beside me. xoxo“And He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while.” (For there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.)”‭‭Mark‬ ‭6:31“‘Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?’ And He said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”‭‭Matthew‬ ‭22:36-39‬“If therefore your whole body is full of light, with no dark part in it, it will be wholly illumined, as when the lamp illumines you with its rays.”‭‭Luke‬ ‭11:36‬“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”-Margaret Mead"Don’t be ugly.”-admonishment from every Southern grandmother when you’re acting like a jerk"Mercy, will we overcome this? One by one, can we turn it around? Maybe carry on a little bit longer...”-David J. Matthews, lyricist who inspired my Y2K daily email list before email newsletters were even a thing(Awful crying sound.)-Claire at the end of “Romeo + Juliet”“Too good for me, huh? Won’t even look here?”-Man who yelled at me on my sanity walk yesterday, but I’m totally over it and don’t bring it up at all in this episode“Not my circus, not my monkeys.”-Bradley Smith, whose advice I should really takeThanks for being here, y'all! I'd love to hear from you at @ButNotAllAtOnce on social media or via ButNotAllAtOnce.com.