January 2022 E-News

Loving Our Neighbors

I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Greetings!

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist, brain surgeon, or the executive director of a nonprofit to know that we have issues. And yes, I’m using the royal we here, meaning all of us. From global crises (think pandemic and climate change) to personal challenges, like our own mental health or family relationships, we are not in great shape at the moment.

But we also have hope. And resources. And wisdom. And each other. For that reason, our program theme for 2022 is “Loving Our Neighbors.” This is ancient wisdom that couldn’t be more relevant today. There are lots of questions to explore with you: How broadly do you define neighbor? (Spoiler alert: we are with Jesus and other spiritual teachers who defined it very inclusively.) Is loving someone the same as liking them? Where is the line between loving others and loving ourselves?

These are challenging questions, but Lumunos thrives on providing the space for you to dive into the thorny issues as they apply to the particularities of your life. So, I hope you will join with us and others as we (royally speaking) move into 2022, figuring out what it means to love our neighbor as we go.

Sincerely,

2022 Kickoff Event:

Bill McKibben & Friends

On January 17th, we held our online 2022 Kickoff Event featuring world-renowned activist, writer, and environmentalist, Bill McKibben, as well as activist and GreenFaith ambassador, Nana Firman. The event was attended by over 175 people from across the country. The live recording of the event can be found below.

The Wrath of Righteousness

Not a lot of people in my rural southern town are wearing masks out in public. Meanwhile, Omicron is spreading like wildfire among both the vaccinated and unvaccinated in my community. My friends, my extended family, my husband’s boss, my favorite local shop owners, and more have all gotten sick over the holidays. I know more people who’ve gotten COVID in the last 30 days than in the 20 months prior.

As I shop for groceries, watch my daughter’s dance class, drop my daughter off at preschool, or attend story time at the library with my son, I can’t help but feel the wrath of righteousness. Why aren’t these people just wearing a !@#$% mask?! Why can’t we do this one simple thing to help protect those in our communities who cannot get vaccinated or protect themselves with a mask (like my 20-month-old)?

But then I think—I’ve made the choice to go out in public with my kids and some would certainly (and perhaps rightly) judge that choice. They would say that I’m being reckless. But this global pandemic has been around for my son’s entire life and almost two-fifths of my daughter’s. My husband and I have decided that it would (probably?) damage them more to isolate them for years of their lives. So far, they seem to be robust and healthy little people. They would (probably?) be fine if they got COVID. But what if they spread it someone who would not? (Can you feel the acid rising in your esophagus as well?)

I want my neighbors to love their neighbors by getting vaccinated and wearing a mask in public, but I can’t live with myself in this state of constant judgement and blame. It’s exhausting. I just want to love my neighbors as they are. I also want to be with my neighbors. I’m tired of being at home.

At the beginning of COVID, it seemed like there were clear good and bad choices. Now, it just seems like a free-for-all. What are we to do? That’s why I’m grateful that Lumunos has chosen “Loving Our Neighbors” as our theme for 2022. It’s more important now than ever before to keep asking ourselves how to love our neighbors in this very complicated time. None of us may have any clear answers, but at least we’ll be trying.

—Becca Perry-Hill