"So I put on my mask to tell the elderly, the grieving, the overworked, the immunocompromised, the abandoned, the ignored, the afraid:
You matter. I love you. I can be uncomfortable for you."I'm not wearing a mask because I'm scared.
I'm not scared.
Maybe I should be. But I'm an optimist. And I've never been particularly attached to this life. I don't wear a mask to protect myself.
And while I know I could be infected without being aware and the mask could work to protect other people, that's not entirely why I'm wearing it either. I get it. I think that's important. But that's not my biggest motivator.
This mask is the way I say "I love you."
I wear a mask because I know there are people out there who feel like they're dispensable. They're being treated like collateral damage. "It's just the elderly," we say. "It's just the vulnerable. If they stay home, they'll be fine." We shrug our shoulders over essential workers (who had no idea they were signing up to be "heroes" when they filled out an application to work at a grocery store). We talk about the working-class employees at establishments we think ought to be open, rightly considering their need for a paycheck while ignoring the injustice of a society structured such that the poor have to risk either infection or homelessness. We talk about "the tiny percentage of cases" that end in death, ignoring the fact that every one of those numbers has a name. We compare the figures of the dead with those killed by abortion as though it's a competition, as though unborn lives matter more, as though wearing a mask and skipping that party hurts the unborn.
And perhaps *you* don't do any of this. But hurting people are hearing the world tell them they're not worth fighting for.
So I put on my mask to tell the elderly, the grieving, the overworked, the immunocompromised, the abandoned, the ignored, the afraid:
You matter. I love you. I can be uncomfortable for you.
Maybe it doesn't do any good at all.
I think it does.
I think that even if it doesn't help slow the spread of this disease, it tells people that they're worth fighting for.
I think that's worth the discomfort.
(I'm not here for arguments or conspiracy theories or debates about government overreach. I'm not making accusations. I'm telling you why I wear a mask. If you're able to wear one, I think it would be a kindness if you did.) ...
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Did you know Saint Philip Neri is the patron saint of joy? What a thing to be remembered for!Today we celebrate the feast of Saint Philip Neri, who is the patron saint of joy! I bet y'all could use some, right? ...
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Teach them HOW to think, not WHAT to think. ...
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Good morning and let us pray. This is one we all could benefit from.Good morning, y'all. I am Leslie from Life in Every Limb and I am excited to be with you today. Can we say this prayer together? I feel like it's a good one right now, and I even have a blog post about it! lifeineverylimb.com/2017/01/30/can-we-learn-to-listen/ ...
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