Dear President Trump, I haven’t shared anything especially positive with you lately so I thought I’d tell you what happened this morning on my run-walk. A young white man who looked like he might be homeless was standing on a corner with his skateboard out in front of him in my path. I said ‘hi’ … Continue reading Please pull your head out
Month: February 2018
Campaign coffers => Children’s coffins
Dear President Trump, A friend of mine sent me a text yesterday summing up your absurd “hero in your own mind” insistence that you would have rushed in and overpowered the gunman at MSD high school with or without a weapon: “Donald bone spurs would have gone into the school and the Sun did not … Continue reading Campaign coffers => Children’s coffins
Tonglen for Mona
Dear President Trump, This morning when I was doing my tonglen practice I decided to focus on Mona Charen to see what might come up. You may be aware that she is the conservative writer who thoroughly called out other conservatives at the CPAC conference for giving sexual harassers and abusers passes. She blasted you … Continue reading Tonglen for Mona
Worst ever president, but still on the list
Dear President Trump, I’ve started reading Bryan Stevenson’s “Just Mercy.” Our church is reading it together for Lent. I hadn’t even gotten to the first chapter yet when I came across a quote to share with you. It’s eerily in keeping with what I was writing you about the other day regarding the relationship between … Continue reading Worst ever president, but still on the list
I call B.S. on attempts to undermine the protagonists
Dear President Trump, In keeping with my interest in finding intersections between social justice issues, I found the recent WP piece by historian Michael Miller fascinating. In it he recounts how the African American students who comprised the “Little Rock Nine” over 60 years ago were accused of being paid “crisis actors” when they enrolled … Continue reading I call B.S. on attempts to undermine the protagonists
Compassion and integrity
Dear President Trump, Lately when finishing my private LKM prayers I’ve been sending out additional intentions for us all to behave kindly and respectfully. This morning, though, I landed on compassion and integrity and for some reason the deep connection between the two was apparent to me in a way I’d not grasped before. I … Continue reading Compassion and integrity
Shame on you
Dear President Trump, A friend who has been reading my letters to you told me today she’s noticed the more recent ones feel different from the early ones, though she can’t put her finger on why. I know early on I kept the form of the closing LKM prayer steady and focused on you and … Continue reading Shame on you
“in the presence of my foes”
Dear President Trump, A line from Bobby McFerrin’s “Psalm 23” has been stuck in my head since yesterday; “She sets a table before me in the presence of my foes.” It’s like my brain has been worrying it the way my tongue would worry a loose tooth, not quite sure what to make of it … Continue reading “in the presence of my foes”
“Enough is enough” across the board
Dear President Trump, This morning when I was doing tonglen for you I imagined you were standing still while I walked around you focusing on your heart, the side of your neck, the middle of your back, your clenched fist, and around again to your heart. I practiced breathing in your fear and sending you … Continue reading “Enough is enough” across the board
Off the rails
Dear President Trump, In honor of Presidents’ Day, and because I think you need it quite badly, I’ve been doing tonglen for you off and on pretty much all day. You seem to be going off the rails and I’m not the only one to notice. There have been a lot of worried editorials the … Continue reading Off the rails