Building Bridges

This week's card has a quote by Ivo Andric: "Von allem, was der Mensch baut und aufbaut, gibt es nichts Besseres und Wertvolleres als Brücken." Which being translated, means: "Of everything that humankind builds, there is nothing better and worthier than bridges."

It is appropriate that this quote has come during Pride Month. When I have just seen on Facebook a story about two lesbians being violently attacked on a London bus for kissing.... we still have so far to go, before the LGBTQ+ community is fully accepted by all.

We are all inter-connected human beings. We all have a spark of the Divine within us. We are all utterly worthy of being treated with compassion, dignity and respect. Nobody should be discriminated against on account of their gender, sexuality, class, race, age or any other distinguishing feature.

So we need to build bridges of understanding. We need to reach out to those who still have closed minds, and help them to understand that Different is not the same as Devilish. That every single person is a worthy member of the human race.

I love the prayer by GA President, Celia Cartwright:

O God of All Creation, God of Love,
We pray that the walls that divide us shall be takne down,
And with the bricks and stones let us build bridges between us,
That we may learn from each other not to fear each othere,
And so may more easily come to keep faith
With the Greatest Commandment,
That is: To love our God, with all our heart and mind and strength,
And each other as ourselves.

Amen. Amen.

T