What is my favorite city in the USA? Perhaps New York City! Traveling to the Big Apple for great Broadway plays with our musical Ferch family was fun. Next, maybe big California cities (San Francisco, Los Angeles)! However, they lost my heart a long time ago mainly because of their fog and smog.

Then, why wouldn’t Seattle be my favorite city in all the world? I have a great Seattle history. I was born in 1942 at Seattle’s Providence hospital, played in the WA state basketball tourney at the U of Washington, delighted in elevator rides to the top of Seattle’s Space Needle, spoke at Seattle Sonics chapel before its game with the San Antonio Spurs, lived with my children on fabulous Queen Anne Hill for a short time. 

Despite all of that, now I cry for Seattle. My neighbor, a professional videographer and owner of a media company, did a shoot in Seattle near the occupied zone. Shock and sadness were his reactions to buildings’ vulgar graffiti, broken glass, boarded windows, filthy streets. Seattle doesn’t appear to be a safe or healthy zone amid the protests. 

Safety has become a national issue beyond the pandemic. Safety is a choice between getting our way peacefully or by force. Words of Hope emphatically endorses peace and common civility. That is why I cry for my beloved Seattle, for Times Square (the crossroads of the world and Broadway), for Chicago and every other city where people are not safe.

Therefore I ask, What can I do? I can definitely address the issue by:

• Praying and asking for God’s direction, spiritual renewal, and favor.
• Being a good citizen in my community.
• Giving kindness to my neighbors.
• Using my voice to encourage love, grace, and forgiveness.

My hope is that you, too, will cry for America and then promote kindness, deploring violence.

It is my conviction there is only about a strong 10% of people who have the one objective of destroying American cities. If the cities are destroyed, the nation is destroyed. Every leader needs to denounce violent actions and stop the destruction of property and people, especially the random shooting of children and burning of buildings. 

If political candidates do not denounce violence, they are not serving our country. If church spiritual leadership does not openly condemn the destruction of our cities, they are not serving our country with the excellence it deserves. Anyone who believes there must be total destruction to fix a problem should re-examine their belief system.

Love is the ultimate solution. Love cannot exist without hope, the anchor to our souls. We can join together to help each other with hope and love. St. Paul said it this way in Romans 14:19, “So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.” This includes loving our enemies deeply, lifting up the least among us, mutually encouraging, and respecting while improving our laws. We do have a chance to change our course and write our own history. 

If this WOH supports your convictions, please consider sharing with your political and church leaders. 

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