December 5, 2015 - St. Peter, Minnesota. Heading to my evening gig in Windom at Mari's River City Eatery. Its always a great time and often either the first or last stop on a tour. Here in St. Peter I've stopped at the River Rock Cafe, as I often do. The town is hopping. There is a steady enthusiasm and bustling in the air, college (Gustavus Adolphus is here) is nearing finals, Holidays coming - you can sense an enthusiasm. I've spent so much of the last few days watching clips about San Bernardino, Russia and Turkey, Syria, and the frightening thugish idiocy of Trump, that this all seems surreal to me. I wonder how all of this will appear in ten years... twenty.... I am in a window seat here, but will people still choose window seats at restaurants? How will we look at strangers and those who do not look like we might? Will we look back at these days and the days preceding San Bernardino as some kind of "better time"?
Where the world is going - where we are going - worries me. I often comment on the political system here when saying these things, but I think it speaks for itself - so I can reserve my thoughts this time.... Except to say that I worry for an America where the leading contender of the other party says the President is tantamount to a traitor. Where the answer of a Pastor to the San Bernardin shooting is "arm them all!". Where hatred drips like tinsel in the season of joy. Where neighbor looks at neighbor, not knowing what they see, where our children are taught to trust no one.
But here, in St. Peter, at least for today there is laughter in the air, greetings, hugs, and smiles. At least here, now, there is Peace on Earth.