Thomas Wolfe wrote:

“It is not all bad, but it is not all good, it is not all ugly, but it is not all beautiful, it is life, life, life — the only thing that matters.”

We are living in an extraordinary time full of vitality, discovery and transformative movements, but we also live in a nightmarish time of global climate change, income inequality, persistent racism and dehumanization.  Life invites us to be equally present and engaged with these disparities.

Getting beyond the tribal polarization of our time requires us to participate in the hard work of striving to find the commonalities that bind us together as human beings on a shared journey through life.

For all our differences there is a language we all share. It is the language of love. It is the language of hope. Living out love in sustaining hope does not mean denying the difficult realities of life. Rather it means facing them and dealing with them by remembering and being grateful for the movements, the heroes and social prophets who have  and continue to shift our consciousness, bringing us to this moment.

Joy Zakrzewski is the Chaplain at GSS-Scandia Village and the Deacon at St Luke’s Episcopal Church in Sister Bay. In 2001 Joy and her husband, Len, moved from Stevens Point WI, making Door County their home.

Music: Gerri Friedberg
Service Leader: Carrie Link