from lean on me to kneel on me.

The last three months have shown us the best and the worst of humanity. We’re still working our way through the reopening process from COVID, we’ve become an incredibly virtual society, and we don’t know what the future will bring. We’re all hopeful that the day when we go back to “the old normalcy” comes sooner than later, and that this unusual part of our lifetime becomes a distant memory.

When the quarantine first began, we saw numerous acts of charity and unity, as we saw the numbers of new cases (and deaths) begin to skyrocket. When R&B legend Bill Withers passed away, his signature song “Lean On Me” became an anthem of inspiration and unity. Although the pandemic didn’t have the sudden tragic impact of 9/11, there was a mindset shift beginning, where unity became the focus, as worldwide we were all separated from our everyday lives.

Over the last 30 days, we’ve seen the worst our country has to offer….the murder of Ahmaud Arbery, the stereotyping and threat against Christian Cooper, and the tragic murder of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis oPolice Department. “The Kneel Seen Round The World” has brought back memories of the Rodney King riots, and the frustration, anger and violence has brought great divide, as racism and police brutality have again come to the forefront.

Although our first responders and health care professionals continue to work around the clock to help save lives, the division and careless disregard of human life has now overshadowed the hard work of so many people. The frustration of social distancing and the economy is secondary to the frustration of oppression, prejudice and racial inequality. The virus of COVID-19 now replaced by the virus of racism, neither having a vaccine.

As we work through these two issues, now more than ever, we need to lift each other up, respect our differences, and spread love. We’ve lost over 100,000 lives to the coronavirus in the United States. How tragic would it be to lose any more lives to civil unrest?

I pray for all families who have lost loved ones during this pandemic, and also the families of Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd, as they all need our love and support through this tragic time.

Lean on me, when you’re not strong.

I’ll give you strength.

I’ll help you carry on.