There were times in my life when I would have tackled the drive to Rapid City yesterday. The snow had stopped and it was bright and sunny. A chinook wind was blowing and the temperature was rising. According to the road reports, there was about 20 miles of very slippery snow-packed road followed by another 60 or so miles of intermittent snow and ice. The other 320 miles would be mostly scattered slippery roads. We could have made it. On the other hand, we would have had to brave sub zero wind chills and blowing and drifting snow in addition to the already slippery roads. We decided that we would wait one more day to make sure that we remained safe. We are, after all, retired and have more flexibility to our schedule than used to be the case.

In the afternoon a friend went to check on our house for us and turn up the heat in a couple of rooms. They discovered that another friend had blown the snow out of our driveway. All is well at our house and it will be ready for us when we return to finish emptying it and cleaning up. We should be able to make the trip today with increased safety as the temperatures are already much warmer than they were yesterday. By the time the sun is up and the plows have gotten to the roads, travel should be much safer.

As we waited yesterday there was time to cut and stack a bit more firewood for my sister, and help with a few other winterization projects at her house. We were snug and warm in her cabin with a warm fire in the stove. She baked cookies and made soup while we caught up on a little correspondence and did a few chores. Three snow days in a row was a kind of rest break in the midst of the busy activities of the past few months.

It has once again become clear how wonderful our friends are and how much we have been dependent upon them in this process of making a major move in our lives. We would not have been able to get our furniture loaded on time without the help of friends who put in a very long hard day. We would have returned to a home with snow to shovel and cold rooms if friends hadn’t come to our assistance. There have been a lot of times in our retirement when we have leaned on our friends and they have come through with just the help we have needed. They are such good people and we have depended upon them in so many ways. We are so fortunate to have such dear friends who are so generous, giving their time and energy.

I’ve had the Joe Cocker song in my head for the last couple of days: “I get by with a little help from my friends.” Indeed we do get by and I hope that I am able to be that kind of friend to others as well - generous and caring.

Human beings are by our nature communal creatures. We like to think of ourselves as having some degree of independence, but the reality is that we thrive the best when we are surrounded by others. The isolation that has resulted from the pandemic isn’t our natural state. We long for contact and opportunities to express community. In the midst of the pandemic, people have worked hard to support one another. We have seen so many examples of human generosity and caring.

The simple fact that we are all in this together has meant that we have felt more than a small amount of distress over the deep divisions that have been brought to the surface and exaggerated by the hyper politicization of the past few years. We have seen some of the worst of human behavior - prejudice and bigotry, racism and division, threats and violence. It isn’t just protestors and counter protestors in the streets of our cities. We have also seen intense arguments in families and people turning away from one another. Congregations have been ripped apart by political divisions and communities have witnessed a break down of basic human decency. It hasn’t been pretty.

We need one another. We need the people with whom we disagree. We need to find ways to reach out across the divisions that have been exaggerated by the politicians and exploited by the power brokers.

San Juan Island, between Washington State and Vancouver Island British Columbia, nearly became a place of war. Canadian citizens, loyal to Great Britain occupied the north part of the island. To the south were United States citizens. Both groups believed that they had settled in their own country. Both nations sent troops to the island and established garrisons and prepared for armed conflict. Warships were stationed in the waters right off of the coast. Artillery was aimed at the ships from the shore. There was no war. The boundary between the United States and Canada was established. The city of Victoria and Vancouver Island went to Canada even though it is south of the 49th parallel, which is the boundary from the Rocky Mountains to the Straight of Georgia. San Juan Island is now all within the United States. The solution came about as a result of arbitration. German Emperor Wilhelm I was chosen as the arbitrator and he referred the dispute to a three-person arbitration council in Geneva. Eventually the arbitrators ruled in favor of the United States and both nations withdrew their troops. The conflict was resolved without a shot being fired, except for the execution of a pig that wandered into a farmer’s potato patch. The real victor in the dispute was peace itself. Nations discovered that peaceful resolutions could be found to disputes.

It doesn’t always work out that way. Peace requires dedication and hard work. It takes time. We are, however, capable of living peacefully with one another. The support and care of our friends remind us of the power of community and of people who work together. This is our calling as we move forward from these troubled times.

In the words of another song, “All we are saying, is give peace a chance.”

Copyright (c) 2020 by Ted E. Huffman. I wrote this. If you would like to share it, please direct your friends to my web site. If you'd like permission to copy, please send me an email. Thanks!