This is not the time to put a spin on it, today feels a bit heavy because of the rising strife in this country. There is no need for me to count all the ways we are not getting along, you probably have your own list.

While I was driving in the car earlier this afternoon, a song came on and I immediately was taken back to my early teens, summer camp, and a sense that the world could and would be a better place; it would just take some time. One of the songs on the radio that summer was O-o-h Child by the Five Stairsteps, and if you are of a certain age, especially if you are Black, you remember the words:

O-o-h Child, things are gonna get easier, O-o-h child things’ll get brighter. 

Hearing this song reminded me that no matter what is going on — assaults on peaceful protests, a seeming lack of compassion for those who have the least but are expected to give up the most, growing tension in communities that used to be able to coexist — things can seem dire but we don’t give up hope. We remain or get engaged, living out our faith and activism in ways that are consistent with our beliefs and access to resources.

I’ll be at a conference this week, joining writers from across the globe. Peeking at the panel topics, I sense that activism and how to use one’s voice as a writer will be a huge part of our discussions as we gather. In the meantime, here is that song that I learned so many decades ago.

Video of O-o-h Child, sung by The Five Stairsteps. (Press “skip ads” if one pops up, it was not present when I listened to the song.)

May it give you a bit of hope in the middle of the storm.

Ramona