Good morning friends and neighbors both physical and cyber.  We have arrived at the last Tuesday in March.  We leave behind the winter and take with us fond memories into the month of showers.  Shower the people you love with love, show them the way that you feel.  Yes, quoting James Taylor – always appropriate – to generate the most likely result of the feelings that encourage us to engage.

Engagement; sometimes a term of offensive (versus defensive) activity.  Other times, and more relevant, the act of connecting with one or more persons.  We engage in conversation, in discussion, in laughter, in friendship, in acquaintanceship, in debates… you get the idea.

I belabor for a reason, to make a point that is sometimes so obvious we miss it.  I’m speaking from personal experience.  Life moves quickly – it seems the information age has instilled urgency that a score of years ago was virtually nascent.  It’s easy to let something slip by, take someone for granted, presume they will always be there.  That is until they are not.  Ever hoist regret upon your shoulders for opportunity squandered?  If you have, we’re in the same boat.

I’m no one to say “I told you so” but I will liberally sprinkle my life with “I told me so” until I don’t make that mistake so often.  I didn’t say won’t make that mistake again because to err is human (yep another borrowed phrase).

This leads me to the next portion of our program, brought to us by the recent foolishness wrought by the governor of Indiana – that insensitive, narrow-minded state executive who chose to adopt a program of discrimination towards anyone who doesn’t fit into his razor thin interpretation of freedom from persecution as promulgated by the United States Constitution.  This is one reason why engagement is critical to understanding.  If you never engage broadly you never enable understanding.  I’m not advocating that you need to engage to awaken common sense in others.  But some people – Indiana governor this is an indictment if you aren’t realizing it – aren’t capable of employing common sense nor are they capable of realizing the folly of their ways until something which they oppose strikes close to home.  Oh then watch the wheels of understanding begin to jettison the rust of inactivity and turn quickly to embrace that which heretofore was dismissed as unacceptable.

Engage with society; open your mind to the possibilities of living.  Harbor deep seeded attitudes of protectionism when such response becomes inevitable to ward off those for whom humanistic and logical thought processes seem to have become elusive.

By the action of engagement on the part of the enlightened, we not only further our cause, we illuminate the darkness for the close-minded showing them there is depth and breadth beyond the realm of their narrow ability to comprehend.  Yes it’s a tough slog but one we must undertake if we are to tear down the walls of prejudice.  We’ve come too far to disengage.  We’ll overcome with love and understanding, education and illumination.  Factualize our community; constructively criticize as appropriate.  But don’t quit, don’t surrender because that is an admission that the wrong are right. 

Show them the way that you feel… things are gonna be much better if we only will.

Love and hugs, Nikki DeCaro