We Are Being Called

But Who Will Answer?

A group of children wait in line at an unidentified Ustaša concentration camp [possibly Sisak] in Croatia for Serbs and Jews during WWII. Date and Photographer, Unknown. Public Domain Wikimedia Commons

Hello, Friend,

Our collective resolve seems to be MIA at the moment. I understand the feelings of exhaustion and hopelessness and the need for self-preservation. Things feel heavier now, and in many ways, they are. We don’t have the luxury of not knowing how it might unfold, at least not those of us who have been paying attention. We can’t rest in our privilege or illusions about the safety of our anti-social media and compromised digital communications. It’s clear these places are not safe and the people who own them are not our friends. Our rationalizations for staying can’t protect us from the painful truths of our virtual and actual realities.

History can repeat itself if we scroll away and do nothing.

If it feels like too much, perhaps look to the bravery of others to find resolve. Imagine the tenacity it took to stand at that pulpit and beg a faithless man and the opportunists who surround him to show mercy to the least among us. Imagine what it must feel like to be the focus of these powerful people who claim the mantle of Christianity while condemning one who echoes the teachings of the Christ. There’s a part of me that hopes their dreams of rapture come true so they are forced to reap that which they have sown. Talk about a plot twist. Well, not really if they read the book they claim to follow.

Here’s a relevant passage…

⁴² For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:

⁴³ I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

⁴⁴ Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?

⁴⁵ Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not unto me.

Matthew 25

We are being called to care for the least of our brethren regardless of our faith or lack thereof. I may be a heathen, but I am a believer in the power of kindness. I will not sit silent, afraid to speak when so many of the least of these are under threat.

Progress isn’t easy, but silence sure the hell is.

I wrote the following poem in 2017 for my book Fifty and Other F-words and here we are…again.

---

Glass Ceiling

We came close, 18 million cracks,

And then they rolled our progress back.

They crowned a predator-in-chief,

We suffered from collective grief.

Calm down, get back, shut up, they cried,

No birth control, no equal rights!

Education? Not for the masses,

That’s reserved for the upper classes.

The alt-right’s misogynistic bent,

Fueled our Twitter happy president.

Grab ’em by the pussy, smack ’em in the face!

Teach ’em to be quiet, make ’em learn their place.

Women should be seen, not heard,

Girls in STEM? Well, that’s absurd.

Let them focus on giving birth,

We’ll be the judge of their self-worth.

African Americans, progressives, Mexicans,

LGBTQ+, women, and Muslims,

The poor, the handicapped, the tempest-tossed,

Dismissed, demeaned, rejected, mocked.

Immigrants and refugees

Were banished with impunity,

Earmarked as enemies of state,

The focus of misdirected hate.

Every freedom, right, and liberty,

The thin veneer of civility,

Truths held to be self-evident,

Under siege by our new president.

We knitted hats, we painted signs,

Laced up our boots and spoke our minds.

We will not break, we will not bend,

You will not silence us again.

We marched for freedom and equal rights,

We joined hands to stand and fight.

“Hear our voice!” our rallying cry,

Stronger together, watch us rise.

Margot Potter Copyright 2017, All Rights Reserved

---

Remember that resolve? Remember that fire in the belly? Remember that overwhelming joy? Remember the fight? It’s time to rekindle these things. We have mountains to move and they are not going to move themselves.

It is difficult to look into the darkness and keep holding on to the light. At times it seems impossible. Yet, here we are…again.

We are being called, but who will answer?

Join The Lady Party, and never miss a post! It’s free, for everyone, for always, with the option to support the work in the future if you’re able.

It takes copious amounts of chutzpah, moxie, and caffeine to fuel this party. Consider buying the lady a cup of coffee!