There are moments in my life when I realize, not simply in an Oh, isn't that nice kind of way, but in a full blown, historical magnitude, out of body kind of way, that I have had opportunities unlike any I might have guessed would come my way. Whether it was the privilege of sitting with someone at the moment of their death, witnessing the moment of a birth or being a guest in a home that holds only its walls and a dirt floor, there have been times in my life when opportunities have presented me with moments of grace that I treasure. There are moments in my life when I truly can't believe it is my life. That I have somehow found my way to where I am. In those moments I turn inward and remind myself that this life I lead is a gift and what I do with it matters. It matters to me, to my family, to my friends and now, (this is one of those moments...) to the people of Maine. Over the past months there has been almost nothing positive in the press about our Governor. (Facebook has been particularly unkind.) He has been depicted as a buffoon, anti-labor, union busting tough guy, unintelligent and heartless. What is most depressing to me is that so many people believe this....including a lot of my friends...people who ordinarily know better than to believe all that they read, people who think for themselves, question and seek the truth on all matters. The picture with this post is the Blaine House. The home of the Governor of Maine. A home I was welcomed into last evening for a quiet dinner with a family. A genuine loving family who happen to be the First Family of Maine. Through the course of the evening I asked myself why the man who sat with us, the man who graciously acted as our host, the man who articulated his thoughts clearly, who spoke of the people of Maine with respect, dedication and compassion, who outlined (complete with citation of Federal law) the budget, the process of legislation, the needs of the citizens of the state he governs and his admiration for the work being done, is so vilified by the same people he has committed himself to serve. I came to the conclusion it is because this is not the man we have been allowed to see. What I now have the privilege to know, to see for myself, brings me great comfort for my state. It encourages me when all other sources of information discourage. It heartens me when these same sources work to dishearten. It makes me question my opinions in the past, my assumptions based on second and third hand knowledge. It causes me great embarrassment to know that I, too formed (and readily shared) opinions, opinions formed without knowledge. That I jumped to conclusions about so many things without seeking the truth. I seek to learn. To pose questions. To know for myself. To teach others to do the same. To remind my friends and colleagues to remember we are a generation who prided itself on thinking for ourselves. I hope we haven't lost that.
Friday, April 1, 2011
The Grace of Opportunity
There are moments in my life when I realize, not simply in an Oh, isn't that nice kind of way, but in a full blown, historical magnitude, out of body kind of way, that I have had opportunities unlike any I might have guessed would come my way. Whether it was the privilege of sitting with someone at the moment of their death, witnessing the moment of a birth or being a guest in a home that holds only its walls and a dirt floor, there have been times in my life when opportunities have presented me with moments of grace that I treasure. There are moments in my life when I truly can't believe it is my life. That I have somehow found my way to where I am. In those moments I turn inward and remind myself that this life I lead is a gift and what I do with it matters. It matters to me, to my family, to my friends and now, (this is one of those moments...) to the people of Maine. Over the past months there has been almost nothing positive in the press about our Governor. (Facebook has been particularly unkind.) He has been depicted as a buffoon, anti-labor, union busting tough guy, unintelligent and heartless. What is most depressing to me is that so many people believe this....including a lot of my friends...people who ordinarily know better than to believe all that they read, people who think for themselves, question and seek the truth on all matters. The picture with this post is the Blaine House. The home of the Governor of Maine. A home I was welcomed into last evening for a quiet dinner with a family. A genuine loving family who happen to be the First Family of Maine. Through the course of the evening I asked myself why the man who sat with us, the man who graciously acted as our host, the man who articulated his thoughts clearly, who spoke of the people of Maine with respect, dedication and compassion, who outlined (complete with citation of Federal law) the budget, the process of legislation, the needs of the citizens of the state he governs and his admiration for the work being done, is so vilified by the same people he has committed himself to serve. I came to the conclusion it is because this is not the man we have been allowed to see. What I now have the privilege to know, to see for myself, brings me great comfort for my state. It encourages me when all other sources of information discourage. It heartens me when these same sources work to dishearten. It makes me question my opinions in the past, my assumptions based on second and third hand knowledge. It causes me great embarrassment to know that I, too formed (and readily shared) opinions, opinions formed without knowledge. That I jumped to conclusions about so many things without seeking the truth. I seek to learn. To pose questions. To know for myself. To teach others to do the same. To remind my friends and colleagues to remember we are a generation who prided itself on thinking for ourselves. I hope we haven't lost that.
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3 comments:
Well said, Bonnie! Thanks for sharing your experience and your thoughts!
Thank you for sharing those thoughts Bonnie. I feel the same way about President Obama. I personally like him and am proud to say I voted for him. But some of my own relatives and friends constantly send every ill meant joke and negative thought about him, cutting him down at every corner. There's not enough money in the world for me to ever want that job. Even if I hadn't voted for him I would respect him because he's the President....and I read all the things about our Govenor....and you couldn't pay me enough to do that job either. For all the men and women who choose to serve in our state and country....my hat's off to them. I don't always agree with them...but I respect them.
I wish people could see the other side, that side that is the dedicated person, the person who is so committed to making it better. I can't tell you how much Governor LePage loves Maine and its people. The villification I read daily is wearing. I can't imagine how difficult it is for those who know and work with the President!
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