Special to The Democrat

The other day, I was watching a special on Nat King Cole. He was one of my father’s favorite singers.

My father, who played the piano, would come home from teaching and sit at the piano playing songs. The house would be filled with Nat’s music.

The chorus of my favorite song went:

“Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer Dust off the sun and moon and sing a song of cheer…”

Unfortunately, there is so much happening in our world, in our country, and close to home that it is hard to break into a song of cheer when my heart wants to lament. I want to cry out to our God as the psalmist did, How long, O Lord?

Our society has had a gradual shift from caring for one’s neighbors to negative behavior towards the neighbor who may look different or think differently. Princeton University’s BDI (bridging divides initiatives) states:

“The uptick in threat and harassment incidents targeting local officials using hate speech comes amid increased normalization of such rhetoric.”

The final blow to my innocence came when my sister woke me last Saturday to tell me that Mark and Melissa Hortmann, her neighbors, had been murdered, marking the death of Minnesota nice. Again, I fell to my knees and cry out, How Long, O Lord?

And even as I say those words, I know that God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things. I know that change comes by making a choice to be the person you want others to be. To shift the cultural norm back to caring for our neighbors, I need to model what I hope our community will look like.

And then I thought, what if we, as a community, continue to work toward bridging our differences through dialogue? What if we are determined to find common ground, yielding to our “better angels.”

That is how our luncheon group called “Cultivating relationships: growing community” came into being. Our hope is to work together to support one another and create ways to uplift the Woodland Community through positive messaging.

We hope to work to shift the community culture back to a community that cares for its neighbors, a community of compassion. Our next meeting is Wednesday, Aug. 20, from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Presbyterian Church. All are welcome to participate in these conversations and actions.

As I draft this article, today is Juneteenth, the day slaves in Galveston, Texas, learned of their freedom. It symbolizes hope and the possibility of change. If it could happen then, change can happen now. With God’s help and our resolve to create a compassionate community once more.

It is my hope that our luncheon group becomes a springboard for initiatives of kindness and compassion. Through our conversations and collaborations, we can inspire one another to be the catalyst for a brighter tomorrow. We can share ideas and lend our hands to projects that lift our neighbors and bring joy to our streets. Together, we can reclaim the essence of community, one step and one heart at a time.

Louise Britts is the pastor at the American Lutheran Church in Woodland.