The Great Unfinished Symphony

We are almost to midsummer and the rains are finally rolling in.

I can still remember the summers of my childhood spent playing around my house and backyard, at the lake, watching parades, and learning about the world from my family. To fully understand, you need to grasp the main cast raising me and their interests.

There was my mom, who loved people as they were - no matter where they came from. She loved musicals in every way, shape, and form. So, I learned to dance and sing from a very young age.

There was my father, the Colonel. He sought justice for people, both in the regular world and for the JAG. He taught me that everyone was worth fighting for, every party was worth having, and every sports game was worth watching (or at least listening to). He was a huge fan of Elvis, Fats Domino, and the Kingston Trio, and taught me to dance in our family room.

Then there was my Grandpa (mom's dad) who was an excellent horseman and a trained percussionist who got to study under Sousa during his own summers at band camp. He would play Stars and Stripes Forever and lead me in marches around the dining room table.

I would swim with my cousins and stay out until the fireflies were visible. I knew I was loved. I knew that I was to love others. And I grew up enjoying a remarkable repertoire of music.

You also need to remember that my first religion was never Christianity. It was something else. It was a love for what Lin-Manuel Miranda once called "the Great Unfinished Symphony." And summer was the epitome and primetime of that love, especially around Independence Day.

As I look back on those happy memories, as I look forward to what I want to create for my own children, and I look around at what I see in our midst, I recall a wonderful set of shirts we found for the Little Giants when they were little (you may see them soon). They resemble a flag and they read a set of values that I prize most highly, because I believe they are Christ-like, they are the best of humanity, and yes, I believe they are the very best of what our forebears dreamed of.

They read: Love. Compassion. Kindness. Hope. Generosity. Justice. Peace. Diversity. Equality. Fairness. Determination. Tolerance. Grit. Tenacity. Honor. Heart. Community. Resilience. Empathy. Unity. Understanding. Freedom. Honesty. Inclusivity. Pride. Passion. Vision. Wisdom. Integrity. Acceptance.

May it be so.

Blessings,

Rev. Janie