This Teachable Moment

this Teachable moment by Diane Parnell

“Come and walk in my shoes, I will show you change.” ~ Senator John Lewis To see through his eyes, instead of your

We are in a dark moment. But I believe it is also a teachable moment.

Sheltering at home has shed light on the isolation of the infirmed. and generosity.

Unemployment has us worrying how we will pay the rent or put food on our tables, fears that the poor have always lived with. And the outcry for racial equality has brought thousands to the streets who, until now, may not have considered the plight of the oppressed.

The recent passing of John Lewis brought to mind a poem written 125 years ago, yet so relevant today. Judge Softly is often credited to various Native tribes but was written by a white woman - Mary T. Lathrap, a poet, a preacher, and a suffragist. Here are a Just walk a mile in his moccasins Before you abuse, criticize and accuse. If just for one hour, you could find a way own muse.

Remember to walk a mile in his moccasins And remember the lessons of humanity taught to you by your elders. We will be known forever by the tracks we leave In other people’s lives, our kindnesses couple of passages:

Lathrap and Lewis had it right. Yes, we are in a dark moment but we are learning from it by slipping into the shoes of others.