By Ralphine Major

The red, white, and blue seems to be more visible than ever this year!  Decorations that were put out for July’s summer holiday still hang proudly.  Perhaps, it is because many families are still observing the stay- at-home guideline.  Perhaps, it is to distract from the Coronavirus pandemic that has become such a part of our daily lives.  Bunting on banisters and rows of flags alongside picket fences seem determined to defy the gloom that has been thrust upon us.  Displays seem to proclaim that we are Americans and we will weather the storm we are facing.

Recently, I was sitting in the parking lot outside the doctor’s office.  It was a beautiful summer morning as the sun was just beginning to show her strength.  Birds were singing as if they had no worries.  Old Glory was waving in the summer breeze against a backdrop of East Tennessee mountains.  Coronavirus seemed a world away except for the flurry of patients coming and going, all of them wearing masks.  My gaze went to the young, expectant mother pushing a stroller with a little girl in it.  It was the motion of the child’s hand waving briskly that grabbed my attention.  Suddenly, an elderly gentleman driving a pickup truck drove by.  I could see him waving back at the little girl in the stroller.  The heartwarming interaction lasted only a few seconds, but it made a lasting impression.  In that instant, the young and old connected with a simple gesture.  We, too, have been recipients of thoughtful acts of kindness—unexpected phone calls, greeting cards, and messages on social media have brightened our days.  In these days of pandemic, it is more important than ever to show we care.  Kindness.  So simple.  So powerful.

Words of Faith: “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee:  because he trusteth in thee.”  (Isaiah 26:3 KJV)