This silhouette cut-out of me from first grade reminds me that some things are actually black and white. When it comes to speaking, the Pope ends his prayer with the words, “Where there is falsehood, let us bring truth.” George Orwell, in his famous essay, “Politics and the English Language” written in 1946, carefully elucidates the way language can be used to obfuscate and confuse.

In the United States, at the moment, the president has taken to calling any reports with which he disagrees, “fake news.” In essence, he is accusing most of the press of lying. Language can also be used to disguise the truth. Torture can be renamed “enhanced interrogation. Lying can be called “spin.” Truth can be reshaped as “my truth, ” as though we somehow can make anything true by stating it.

Real truth is pretty straightforward. It is an accurate description of actual events. The climate is changing. One can argue about the cause of the change, but one cannot say that climate change is a hoax and be truthful. Assault weapons were designed to kill people in wars. Saying that regular citizens need to own them is a lie.

May we have the courage to challenge falsehood when we encounter it. May we have the courage to speak truth to power.

I have been away for a few days visiting with a dear friend from Oregon. She flew to Boston, and took a shuttle to a motel where I met her. After a couple of hours of catching up, a huge Mexican dinner, and a good night’s sleep we went up to Maine.

We spent a while at the Kittery Factory Outlets. Unlike many of these outlet places, this one actually had terrific bargains. She picked up a new pair of shoes for $16 and I found a frying pan for my husband’s upcoming birthday at half price. Then on to Ogunquit, a medium sized resort town a few miles north.

In high summer, this town is packed, with a trolley running just to prevent nonstop gridlock of cars. In early May, however, crowds were minimal, yet shops and restaurants were open for the season. And astonishingly, spring decided it was high time it arrived. We had temperatures in the mid 70’s and lots of blue sky. The trees hadn’t yet decided if it was safe to leaf, so they were still bare. A few daffodils had ventured out for a look around.

Now that I am back home I am faced with a blogger’s dilemma. Do I catch up on reading and commenting on all the people I follow, or do I just start with today’s posts? I am catching up on comments left for me, so they should appear soon. Had a great time. Glad to be back in touch.

The Pope’s Peace Prayer asks for respect where there has been hostility. I first think of the Aretha Franklin hit “Respect” as she sings “all I’m asking for is a little respect.” So are we all. My maternal grandmother, pictured above in her mid 80’s was a model of propriety. She didn’t have to ask for respect. Somehow in her presence we understood what was required of us.

But at the moment there are torrents of hostility in the United States.  We seem to have lost the ability to respect one another. Drive on the highway and someone will be sure to honk or yell or drive too close to make sure you understand that somehow you have offended the driver. People push in lines, hoping you will check out faster. It’s as if we all need to go back to kindergarten and learn basic behavior.

it is challenging to be living in a country presided over by a hostile man who lacks basic respect and feels free to call other adults names more fitting for the school yard. I find it difficult to respond with anything other than more hostility. Still, I will attempt to at least not add fuel to the fire. I will think of my grandmother and her calm, civilized demeanor and try to emulate her.

My grandson joyfully put on this harness and jumped high into the air attached to a bungee cord. He had complete trust(more than his grandmother!) that it was safe. The Pope’s Peace Prayer continues, “where there is prejudice, let us awaken trust.”

I was challenged by this phrase and took a while to understand what I believe he is getting at. I think that he is suggesting that our preset ideas prevent something positive from happening between people. If I am prejudging all Southerners as racist, I am unlikely to actually interact with one. I will be suspicious and keep my distance.

In my case, this would have been a great loss, since I married a man from Alabama, one of our Southern states, who isn’t a racist. I might never have had the chance to have 30 years of a solid marriage if I had dismissed him outright.

I appreciate that the Pope says to “awaken trust.” This certainly suggests that for many of us “trust” is either asleep or in a coma. There are excellent reasons for suspicion and lack of trust. But when we generalize from our experiences, we miss the chance to reawaken trust. May we have an awakened trust, not foolhardy, but open to new possibility.