Heather's Christmas talk on Light

 

Hello Brothers and sisters, My name is Heather. My family is newish to the ward. We moved here about 5 months ago. My husband Troy gave a talk a few weeks ago where he introduced our family so I wont do that again, but we are still learning names so please come say hi to us. And if you’ve introduced yourself already, come do it again, because we are trying to get to know everyone.

I think one of the best ways to get to know people is through serving in callings. I was recently called to serve in the Young Women’s and I absolutely love getting to know your daughters. These young women are amazing and I love them so much already. A couple weeks ago I had the opportunity to teach a lesson with them for the first time. As a group, I had invited them to share a favorite scripture that was meaningful in their life and brought them strength. It was a beautiful experience to hear them talk about their relationship with the scriptures. These girls know the scriptures and they love them. There is something magical about hearing the word of God being spoken by Young Women.

There was a moment during the lesson that I have not been able to stop thinking about since it happened. I hope that Alisha Capps doesn’t mind me sharing this with you, but when she shared with the class, I was deeply touched. The scripture she chose was one that I am very familiar with and is very simple. It is only 4 words. When she was asked for her favorite scripture was, she answered very simply, “Let there be light.” 

I have always considered this scripture in the context of the creation of the earth. God separated the light from the darkness and this scripture described that event. But since the lesson I’ve begun to think that there is so much more than I had previously thought about. The scripture can be found in both Genesis 1 and in Moses 2. I found it significant that this phrase is the very first time that we hear the voice of God in scripture. The very first thing we have recorded that he said was, “Let there be Light”. Also, I have always thought of the first commandments that God gave were issued in the garden of Eden to Adam and Eve. As I have thought about this scripture I have begun to feel that perhaps I should consider this a commandment from Heavenly Father: “Let there be light.” During the lesson Sis Greenfield commented that she particularly loved the word, “Let” and I agree. The word “Let” implies agency. It implies acceptance and to “allow there to be light”.

A few days after the lesson is when Bro Palik called and asked me to speak on the Light the World Initiative that the church does each year.

Now I will make a confession: I have struggled with feeling the Christmas spirit this year. I have been really strugglings. I have felt overwhelmed and discouraged and withdrawn. My heart has felt heavy and not very joyful. Like many of you, I signed up for the Light the world reminders where they send you daily suggestions of acts of kindness. On Dec 1 the first suggestion was to send a text telling someone why you were grateful for them. As the day went on my phone bing-ed with sweet little messages from family and friends. Instead of feeling grateful that they would write to me I felt skeptical and a bit like Ebenzer Scrooge. I thought, “Oh you are just checking the box”. You don’t really mean it. I know it terrible but that was how I felt. The next day’s suggestions was to make a tribute to someone who was a Christlike example in your life on social media. I saw the sweet posts people shared about their parents or friends and all the heart emoji’s and I scrolled past it as fast as I could. I thought, “Ya, love, love, love. Y’all love each other. I get it. Ba hum bug”

The next day, I have a friend Bee who posted a picture online with the hashtag #LightTheWorld. It was a picture of the inside drum of her laundry washing machine. The inside of the tub was filled with shards of broken china. Intrigued, I clicked on the picture. I read her story of how she had embarrassingly managed to absent mindedly put one of her nice plates into the laundry and started it. Not only had it broken the plate but the broken glass had swished around with her clothes and the smallest shards had gone down the small drain holes making a disaster of everything. With a mixture of humor and self depreciation she said she hoped to brighten our day with her misadventure. #Light the World. I found myself smiling despite myself and I felt my little Grinch heart start to grow 3 sizes. I could totally relate to her! It was like seeing myself. I can’t tell you how many times I have accidentally melted Tupperware and even this week I was driving around with pizza on top of my car. I realized I had been feeling so sad and alone and I was struggling to relate to messages of happiness and joy. But boy could I relate to that broken plate! And her willingness to share it with me was exactly what I needed. It was something I could connect to.

I know he wasn’t talking about broken plates when he said it, but there is a quote from Ernest Hemmingway that I deeply love. It says, “We are all broken. That is how the light gets in.”

Truly it is often in our moments of brokenness that we are the most receptive to our Heavenly Father. In those vulnerable times, and even in those times that seem the darkest is when the light of our Savior’s love can seem brightest. After all, Christmas lights are much prettier at night. Mistakes, hardships, and weakness are often great oppurunities for an increase of understanding and kindness. They can be the gateway for greater closeness with Heavenly Father with others.

A week ago I had a situation at work where I had some reports that I needed from someone that were severely over due. I has sent what I thought was a very friendly reminder that I needed the paperwork, but the response that I got in return really put me back on my heels because it was so angry and hostile. I was totally shocked and then I felt a flash of the natural man surge up in me. I was offended and upset, and worst of all I absolutely knew that I was in the right and they were in the wrong. I’ve learned over time that one of my most dangerous emotions and my biggest red flags in when I have absolute and prideful certitude of my own correctness. I was tempted for a moment to respond in kind with anger and indignation. Then I remembered Alisha saying, “Let there be light”. So I took a breath and said a little prayer. Instead of anger I simply wrote, “What can I do for you? How can I help?” About an hour later I got the response, “No, I am sorry. I am overwhelmed and having a hard time. I took it out on you and I shouldn’t have. I will get it done. I just need more time.” I sat and thought, how often have I done the same thing, where I have taken something out on a friend, a loved one or complete stranger. I felt a closeness to her because I understood her.

Many years ago I was very active in yoga. My favorite part was at the end of each class we would put our hands together by our heart and say, “Namaste”. There are many cultural meanings to that phrase, but the translation I love the most is: “The light within me bows to the light within you.” Or “The light within me honors the light within you.” In that situation at work I felt in that moment that the light within me was able to bow to the light within her.

One of my very favorite Scriptures in D&C 88:40. I love this scripture so much that it is the signature on all my emails. It says: ““For intelligence cleaveth unto intelligence; wisdom receiveth wisdom; truth embraceth truth; virtue loveth virtue; light cleaveth unto light” My favorite line has always been that Light cleaveth unto light. When we are kind, we give space for other’s to be kind. When we are brave, we give permission for others the be brave. When we are honest, or forgiving, when we are authentically ourselves, when we let our light shine, we make it is easier for others to do the same. The light of Christ is contagious. Light cleaveth unto light.

My Christmas prayer for you, and for me is that we “Let there be light”. Whether it is through broken plates in washing machines, or texts of gratitude, or swallowing our pride, or just not giving up may we light the world.

I bear you my testimony…

Brennan's talk on Winning

 

Hello, my name is Brennan. I am a senior in Muskego high school and something interesting about me is I really love to play board games. I love to play Axis and Allies with my dad, I love Settlers of Catan, Stratego, chess, you name it. I love all sorts of games...And I especially love winning. I love the competition and the fun and the battle of the minds. I like to strategize and prepare different ways that I am going to beat my dad or my brothers between games. I just really love to win.

            Competition is a great thing in a lot of ways, but the thing about winning and losing is that it is completely based on our perception. Over the years I’ve learned that if I define winning or success as beating my opponent then that’s one way to look at it, but if I define winning as having fun with my family when we play board games then I really can’t lose.

            When the bishopric asked me to speak today, they asked me to speak about preparing for my mission and I really started to think about this idea about what it meant to be a successful missionary. The whole point of preparing for something is so you can be successful. But how we define winning or success changes everything.

My dad told me a story from when he was on his mission where he was at the same mission zone for over 6 months. In those six months, he had 2 baptisms and he was really frustrated about not feeling like he was making a big enough impact. He wrote a letter home to his dad asking if he was a bad missionary? if he wasn’t spiritual enough? if he wasn’t good enough? My grandfather sent a letter back that simply told him to “read your mission call”. So my dad read the mission call and as he read and re-read it he realized that nowhere on the mission call does it say that he was called to baptize. But it did say “you are called to serve”. From that point on, my dad changed his outlook. Instead of trying to focus on investigators and baptisms, he started looking at how he could serve and help people around him.

At this same time, he had just gotten a mission companion who he was having trouble with. The companion was hard to get out of bed. He had long morning routines that made morning appointments impossible to keep. He wouldn’t study the scriptures and instead was always writing home. He did not want to get out and work and was resistant to interact with investigators or members. My dad again got really frustrated with how things were turning out so he started praying about how he could fix the problem. As he prayed, the answer came back to him to “serve”. He got the distinct feeling he should tell his companion that he loved him, so he did. When my dad told his companion that he loved him, the companion broke down to tears and later told my dad that he was the first one to ever tell him that. As long as my dad was focused on the idea of being a successful missionary was all about baptisms, he was missing the mark. But when he changed his definition of success to service and love, that was when he felt like he was “winning”. As I prepare for a mission, I want to prepare my mind to think about the true meaning of service and love.

One of the greatest missionaries in the Book of Mormon was Ammon. By all accounts he was definitely a successful missionary. Before he went on his mission Ammon had a lot of preparing to do. Ammon was one of the four sons of Mosiah with Alma who had been actively trying to tear down the church and pull members away. (He was the opposite of a missionary. The anti-missionary!) Ammon wasn’t exactly on track to being a great spiritual superhero. But then something happened. The short version is that Ammon became converted. While most of us don’t have a conversion story like Ammon’s where an angel appears to us and threatens to smite us if we do not change, conversion is always the first step to preparing to serve the Lord. But even though Alma and the sons of Mosiah saw an angel, that was only the catalyst to their conversion story. Most of us would say that if we got to see an angel that would give us an absolute testimony of the gospel. But in Alma 5, while talking to the people Alma the younger teaches them about Christ and Heavenly Father and then says,

“45 And this is not all. Do ye not suppose that I know of these things myself? Behold, I testify unto you that I do know that these things whereof I have spoken are true. And how do ye suppose that I know of their surety?

You’d think he is about to say that he knows these things because he had seen an angel. But listen to what he says next:

“46 Behold, I say unto you they are made known unto me by the Holy Spirit of God. Behold, I have fasted and prayed many days that I might know these things of myself. And now I do know of myself that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by his Holy Spirit; and this is the spirit of revelation which is in me.”

Conversion always comes through the spirit. Even those who saw angels still receive a real testimony through the Holy Ghost. “Conversion is a process, not an event. Conversion comes as a result of righteous efforts to follow the Savior. These efforts include exercising faith in Jesus Christ, repenting of sin, being baptized, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end in faith.”

I am still on the journey of conversion and figuring things out for myself. I don’t know a lot but I do know that God is with us. I know that there is a divine entity that knows each of us intimately and he loves us all absolutely. Ammon was also on a journey of conversion.

So, what was Ammon’s next step in being a successful missionary? In Alma 17:6 it says, “Having taken leave of their father, Mosiah, in the first year of the judges; having refused the kingdom which their father was desirous to confer upon them, and this was also the minds of the people;”

In this verse what I learned was that to be a successful missionary, Ammon and his brothers had to be willing to sacrifice. They had to give things up. Ammon and his brothers gave up being kings. They gave up an entire kingdom, power, and wealth. The very things that the world defines as the pinnacle of success. This makes me take a deeper look into their hearts and who they became, how they had changed their perspective of what it meant to “win”. Not only did they walk away from their birthright as princes to the throne, but they also initially disappointed their father who wanted them to take the throne in his old age. They also were willing to stand up to all their people, their friends, and communities because they were absolutely sure they wanted to serve the Lord. This is peer pressure to the max!

I like the part in Harry Potter when Dumbledore says to the students at Hogwarts that it is hard to stand up to your enemies, but it is much harder to stand up to your friends. Ammon and his brothers had to hold fast even against the expectations of their family and friends. My mom likes to say that the definition of sacrifice is to give up something good for something better. Ammon and his brothers gave up so much that was good, because they saw serving the Lamanites as better.

During the last year, with Covid and quarantine I haven’t felt a lot of winning going on. I have gotten a little angry and frustrated at how trapped I have felt at times. It’s been a hard year for a lot of us. I love my family so much but being stuck in the same house all together sometimes we started to get on each other’s nerves. Just a little.

In the process of writing this talk I have found that if I put myself in the shoes of my family members and see how they feel, then I can serve them more. Christ is the ultimate example of understanding. He sees our pain through our eyes. He knows how we feel. To be a Christ-like missionary I need to try to see through other people’s eyes and serve them accordingly. It is always about empathy.

Acts of love and service are the constant little things that need to be maintained regularly. For example, when Ammon met the king of the Lamanites, he said that he would rather serve the king than marry his daughter and live a cushy life. He said he would voluntarily be the king’s servant because he wanted to serve more than anything. Ammon then went on to save the king’s flocks and instead of gloating over his victory, he went and took care of the king’s horses. Ammon did nothing but serve. He didn’t start by preaching to the people. He was focused on loving them and serving them.

Thinking about this as I prepare to be a missionary, I have come to understand our gospel not through a lens of I need to loudly preach the gospel, but I need to loudly live the gospel. Pope Francis once said, “preach the gospel always and if necessary, use words.” This phrase is fantastic. It talks about teaching the gospel through our actions and using our words as a secondary. For each of us, success and being a winning missionary isn’t about baptisms or numbers. Success is about love. I love the quote from Maya Angelou who said, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” If I keep my focus on loving my brothers and sisters then it is impossible to fail as a missionary.

The greatest gift I can give them is sharing my knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Testimony

For Dogs and Men

     This current presidential election cycle has been a demoralizing blow to our country. It has been divisive and toxic. Personally, I have been unsure how to vote and discouraged and fearful over my options. Recently, I had an experience that taught me about hope in the face of a storm. 

For Dogs

     My community was hit hard by Hurricane Matthew. In its wake my family has been volunteering with our church group to help with the clean-up of flooded homes and fallen trees. While working, my volunteer crew came upon an abandoned dog in the woods. He was chained to a tree, without shelter, food, or water. His body was a thin layer of skin, stretched like cellophane across his bones. Brownish red scabs held the chain on his neck in place where it had rubbed his flesh raw. The carabiner clipped on the chain had somehow pierced all the way through his throat, like a huge earing, where it was rusted in place. I called animal control and the humane society, but the shelters were full beyond capacity and he’d only be put down if we brought him in.

     That’s how he got a ride in my car to an emergency vet clinic, where they cut the chains from around his neck and he began his long road to recovery. A few days and several hundred dollars later, he has a warm bed in my home. We hope that when he is healthy and ready, he’ll find the forever home he deserves. Until then, we will love him and do our part in his story. 

     Financially, it’s been a rough year for my family. I knew we couldn’t afford the vet bills for a very sick and abandoned dog, but when I saw him, that didn’t matter. We are a busy family, already struggling to meet all the demands on our time. It didn’t matter. Space is limited and we have a house full of kids and pets, but again, that didn’t matter. Doing what is right is often not the easy or most pragmatic path. It’s a leap of faith and an act of hope and courage. For my family, taking on this dog was not a practical choice. It was an ethical one. 

And Men

     In the current political climate, many of us feel trapped by the unappealing candidates of the two mainstream parties. As the discussion of third party candidates becomes more common, there is a frequent counter-narrative to that option. The complaint is that people do not want to throw their vote away by supporting a third party candidate because they “know they can’t win”. To many of us, it seems too much of a longshot. Using your vote for an underdog just doesn’t seem practical. 

     We seem to have arrived at a place in our culture where it doesn’t matter how much we agree with an unconventional candidate on policy and principle. We will not vote our conscience out of fear that someone we abhor will beat someone we loathe. Fear of what we don’t want is a stronger motivator than actively pursuing what we do want. Strangely, we have begun to go against our own advice to our children and we are following the herd off the cliff simply "because everyone else is doing it". 

     I believe that the inevitability of one of the two main candidates winning only exists because we say it does. I choose to not give it that power. It is more important to make an ethical vote than it is to make a practical vote. Will my candidate win? Statistically, there is a very small chance of that happening. It doesn’t matter. Voting for what and who I believe in is a privilege and responsibility. 

     The wolves are snapping at the heels of anyone who dares to veer away from the stampede off that political cliff. They will snarl, 

     “But if you don’t vote the party line then THAT other candidate will win! You are a traitor. Don’t you know it’s hopeless? Join the real world.” 

     Too long our country has been hungry for a better way. We want real representation. Neglectful and corrupt leaders have done immeasurable harm to our nation. This election cycle has undeniably uncovered the failures of a system that has held our country captive to the idea that the political parties rule instead of the voice of the people. I will not be chained to that narrative. I will vote for the individual who I believe will be a moral leader who recommends policies that represent me. That is the definition of democracy. Win or lose, my voice will be counted with those who did not bow to corruption. It may be an impractical vote, but it is definitely an ethical vote. 

     In way of an epilogue, I will return to my new furry friend. When I shared my story of the abandoned dog on social media, friends and strangers alike stepped up and volunteered to pay medical bills and offer care. I was blown away at the generosity of my community. People from all over the country, and even other countries, came together to do what was right for this dog. I took the leap and put him in my car knowing it wasn’t realistic in my circumstances to help that poor pup, but others immediately reached out to support life and hope. 

     When one of us is willing to speak up, it gives validation and momentum to others. Who knows what will happen if we decide to step forward and be the one to act. Hope is contagious. I believe this is true both for dogs and men.

Burning In The Wake

 

Henry Ford said, “Don't find fault, find a remedy.”

The office of the President of the United States of America must be filled by an individual who can create peace through the art and skill of diplomacy. 

In any presidency there will be conflict. In every presidency there will be the possibility, and perhaps necessity, for war. The one who dares to apply for this position must be immediately prepared to shoulder that reality. There will undoubtedly be moments of unrest, both politically, culturally and perhaps physically in every generation. Those who wish to be at the helm must be capable in those moments to understand the nuances of those conflicts, and most especially to be proficient in resolving them in the most pragmatic ways. 

Today our country is seeing turmoil in the political rallies, and ensuing protests, of Donald Trump. In Chicago, protesters and Trump supporters collided in the thousands and while the rally was canceled, the conflict remains unresolved. 

In virtually every city where Mr. Trump speaks, we see these clashes: Saint Lewis, MS , Fayetteville, NC , Miami, FL , Richmond, VA , just to name a few.


Chicago Protests at Trump Rally - March 2016
 
Altercation at Trump Rally in Virginia - Oct 2015

The division is spreading faster and faster through our Nation. Some of this animosity was created solely by Trump himself, some he has encouraged, but some of these divisions existed before his time. He did not make all these problems…but can he help fix them? 

If he wants to be the President of the United States he cannot continue to defer or reject the responsibility of this moment. The buck must stop here. 

Today is his moment to try to lead. 

We are each responsible for our own choices, as are the protesters and the Trumpeters, but a leader takes responsibility for people other than themselves. They shoulder the questions, needs, and problems of the many. If he wants to be our Commander-in-Chief, then he must lead today, not AFTER he has been given the title. He must earn the job. He must prove he is worthy. He must demonstrate he is fit for the calling. Only results are evidence of effectiveness. There can be no excuses or blaming others.

This is his moment. 

Convince me Donald Trump. 

Convince me you can sue for peace. Show me, now and today, that when foreign nations rise in anger and frustration with us, or each other, that you can handle the responsibility of a mediator. I promise you Mr. Trump that when those challenges arise that they will be much more demanding than those that are happening on your campaign trail today. Can you create treaties out of wisdom, compassion, justice and the sheer force-of-will for peace? 

Earn your way to the top with an undeniable performance of skill. 

These are defining opportunities.  Systems are being tested and fracturing. These are great days of change and possibilities.  

There are those who only serve to deconstruct and demolish. Donald Trump can certainly bull doze. He has proven he can challenge the status quo with his unexpected rise, with his angry rhetoric and unconventional methods. He has rattled this nation and stirred our fires. He has shocked and shaken this country.

But can he offer solutions? Can he unify a city? A political party? A nation? A world? We have to consider this carefully, because up to this moment his only 'leadership' has been to leave our country burning in his wake.

The President is the president of not just the political party of those to whom he or she belongs, but the president of all Americans. A President must effectively work with those who disagree with them, with those who are not their loyalists. They must represent us all and answer to us all. They must be willing to do what is best, not for just those to whom they affiliate with, but for all people. They must speak to the dissenter as well as the proponent. 

If he is volunteering for the toughest job, then he cannot shirk this problem. Will he say, “It is not me. It is not mine.” Or will he stand and claim it, and resolve it? The mantle of responsibility must be assumed with all its weight by those who seek the privilege to wear it. 

Mr. Trump, can you unite people? Because you have applied for the job. You are in the middle of a skills demonstration interview and we are watching.

  

Where I Will Stand

As the woman walked by me waving her Trump sign, she yelled, 

“Y’all are stupid! Go Trump!” 

I stepped forward with my hand extended and she noticeably flinched backwards as I did. I called to her, 

“I respect you. Don’t worry, I respect you. You are politically active and I think that is what is important. We are both just trying to be patriots by standing up for what we believe.” 

It was then that she hesitantly took my still-outstretched hand. 

“I believe I am a patriot.” She said, “I belong to the Daughters of the Revolution and my family goes way back.” 

I responded, “I think that is wonderful. We may not agree politically, but that doesn’t mean we can’t get along.” 

We talked and then this good woman thanked me, smiled, and waved as she walked away. 

When I had learned that Donald Trump was coming to my town of Fayetteville NC, I immediately began organizing a demonstration to voice my disagreement with him and his platform. I feel strongly that his policies are either without substance or would be harmful to our Nation. Ultimately, I feel that his character and language are not dignified, and someone so deliberately hateful and abrasive should not represent us all as President. I feel these things so strongly that I stepped out of my comfort zone to stand up for what I believed, publically. I chose to get involved. 

Through social media, I reached out to a few like-minded individuals and received a permit to protest through the County. I worked with the Sheriff’s Department and the Coliseum complex management to learn what they needed from me and my group. 

I set forward rules for our protest; 

Be Safe, Obey the Law, Be Respectful, No Weapons, No Vulgarity. 

Our group was small, but as the day for the protest grew close, several other groups asked to stand with us since I had obtained a permit. I agreed, inasmuch as they followed our guidelines. 

Yesterday, we stood by the parking lot entrance and held our hand written signs, waved, and smiled. Many people waved back, a few flipped us off or shouted rude things, to which we responded with peace signs, or yelling back, 

“But we love YOU!” 

My friend Blanca would always say, 

“Enjoy the rally! Have a nice night!” All in all, I felt very positive.

As the afternoon rolled on, more people joined us from the alternate groups. Some chanted, “White, black, red, brown…We don’t want Trump in our town.” And although chanting isn’t my favorite technique, I figured it was relatively benign.

Later, we moved closer to the Coliseum where there was foot traffic. I met others on both sides of the political spectrum. 

I want to mention my new friend Mr. Stinson, an avid Trump supporter. He is also a Vietnam Veteran and when I saw his hat and tell-tale leather vest, I had to talk to him. 

Never miss a chance to thank a Vet. 

At first, he wouldn’t shake my hand because I was a protester, but when I told him I just wanted to thank him for his service, he humbly smiled and told me that the real heroes were the ones who never came home. My husband and I talked with him for almost half an hour, hearing his stories of war and Southern politics. When he learned my husband was active duty military, he reached for his hand to thank him in return.

Police officers were all around, walking, chatting with each other, and observing. Like bored life guards, they were relaxed but keenly attentive, scanning both crowds. I thanked several of them for doing their difficult job. I asked a few if they were tired and if their feet hurt. They would laugh and confirm yes, to both. 

It had gotten dark and individuals who had gone inside the rally and had been kicked out by Trump were starting to join the line of protesters. The rally would be ending soon and I had small children waiting at home who needed to be put to bed on a school night. Most of my friends had either left, or were leaving with me. It was time to go. 

By the time I got home, things at the Coliseum had escalated. I walked into the house to see videos of lines of police officers separating angry, chanting protesters from screaming Trump supporters, inflamed from the rally. (Can I just say that our law enforcement don’t get paid enough?!) 

I was so disappointed. 

I believe in good, better and best methods. At first, these images made me reflect if protest was the best way to get my message across. I wondered if it only served to solidify the views of others by hardening their determination when faced with resistance, even when they are only lukewarm in their resolutions. Perhaps, I was wrong. Maybe yesterday, I was only working against myself.

On the other hand, I could see people soften and change when I talked to them. Actually, I think it was when I listened that they opened to me. It was their own voice that made them receptive, not mine. But my voice was there too! and I hope that my presence mattered and that it helped. I hope my actions last night honored my beliefs and my community.

I was there partially because I believe that Trump exemplifies intolerance and hate in his behavior. How could I protest that by using those same methods? I believe in being the change I want to see. I believe in diplomacy. 

But diplomacy broke down last night. 

Honestly, I can see fault on both sides, even the side that I am on. I can see that we need to choose not only a good way to protest, but the best way to protest. 

To be clear, I know that we cannot negotiate with much of the extreme radicalism coming from the Trump movement, and instead must stand, courageous and immovable, in the face of it. But we must never sacrifice our principles through any thoughtless instigation. 

I obviously believe that politics does not have to divide us, and to confront each other does not mean we have to contend with each other. It is important that people who believe in temperance and peace always show up. 

This is what I know: education, peaceful discourse, and compromise can be keys that unlock our political differences. If any of those are missing then progress cannot be made. I believe that protest has a place in that formula. I implore both sides to reach out… and choose what is best.