There is much gloomy/gloomy stuff these days, but here is a happy story.
One day last week I needed my van and it was covered in snow. No problem, I thought, but the snow stuck to the windows like glue.
Started scraping but didn’t have much luck. It was icy underfoot and I really am afraid of falling so I got in the van, turned up the heat and hoped the windows would eventually thaw a bit. I couldn’t see outside, and was startled by a weird noise. At the same time, a young woman tapped on the side window and asked for my ice scraper. A young man de-snowing the windshield was the source of the noise.
Within minutes the two had cleared all the windows, waved off my thanks, and taken off. It may not have been a big deal for them but it was for me. I might have been sitting there yet waiting for the windows to thaw.
Moral of this story — there are kind people in this city.
Now the gloom.
One thing I’ve learned with age is that history repeats itself, over and over. Contentious issues come with different faces, environment versus economy, land ownership, xenophobia, value conflicts, but whatever it is you can guarantee that somewhere in the world, countries, communities, even small groups will fight over it.
The most powerful world leaders seem to think it’s their job to be constantly at war with someone, spending gazillions of dollars on guns and planes, money that could be spent making lives better for their constituents.
Trouble is, the targets of the wars are getting better at retaliating.
Our community is not immune to occasional disagreements, each side righteous in its beliefs. At the moment there is at least one group so fearful of Syrian/Muslim refugees it is petitioning the city to ban any from coming here. Others are working to sponsor some.
My opinion?
We claim to be a Christian country, with Christian values. If that’s true, how can we possibly do anything but welcome them?
Diana French is a freelance columnist for the Tribune. She is a former Tribune editor, retired teacher, historian, and book author.