Pen-demic

  -Nikki Douglas I’ve been avoiding writing. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been posting little blurbs on Instagram and Facebook. When there is an accompanying picture to write about, writing seems less intimidating. I write about my girls. I write about running. I write about sunrises and sunsets and being outside. I write about seeking gratitude amidst uncertainty. All of the words tapped out on my phone. My constant companion. A phone makes it so easy to type out some words and hit “share.” I appreciate and curse the convenience. While I enjoy reading about friends’ adventures or how their children are doing, the muck that plagues most of social media right now is daunting. I try to balance the negativity by sharing things I think are uplifting or, at least, non-triggering, but my usual optimism is unreliable. Whether I am sucked into the rabbit hole of social media or simply driving through my neighborhood, division and blame seems to be everywhere I look. It’s not just political, ei...

Archie Bunker  :  The Lord God created me in his image. Michael 'Meathead' Stivic  :  You mean God looks like you? Archie Bunker  :  I ain't sayin' you couldn't tell the two of us apart. Archie Bunker  :  Every picture I've seen of God, he's white. Henry Jefferson  :  Well, maybe you were looking at the negative! [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0509934/characters/nm0005279] Politicians need to have more respect for their Bibles.  They are more than  tools of the trade. The theological discourse of Ohio State Representative Nino Vitale (below) brings to mind Archie Bunker's theology, quoted above.  The belief that humankind was created in the image of God was invoked by the legislator to defend his not wearing a mask to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. He posted on Facebook: This is not the entire world. This is the greatest nation on earth founded on Judeo-Christian Principles. One of those principles...