Deserters

We were at my father in law's house. It was his birthday party. He just turned 89. We had pizza and carrot cake (his favorite) and his grandkids were there and it was a nice time for everybody to gather and sort of exhale for a few hours. We took pictures and sang happy birthday and he blew out candles and even managed to toast himself with a cold Corona. An old friend of his stopped by and told us the story of renting an apartment from my father in law a long time ago. When the friend hit hard times and couldn't pay the rent, my father in law said "pay me when you can" and thought no more about it because that's the kind of man he is. The gesture remained vivid over 50 years later. They posed together for a picture. As the phones clicked, he kissed the birthday boy on the cheek. Our world needs more stories and moments like this.

While there I glanced at my phone and saw another type of story. There was another mass shooting. This time in Buffalo. Ten were dead this time. They were shopping in a grocery store. There were no details on the shooter yet. But the store was in an African-American neighborhood, and the shooter had been taken alive. So, go ahead and ponder. Take all the time you need.