Respecting ourselves and each other seems like a basic assumption in our community.  Of course we believe we act respectfully all of the time – right?!  I suppose this is always a matter of perspective, and how much tolerance we have for the tension in our disagreements.

I spent a few days in Santa Fe, New Mexico with my daughter this summer. Santa Fe is an interesting intersection of multiple cultures - Native American, Anglo, Spanish and Mexican.  The history of how such different people came to live in the same place is told in numerous museums in the area.  Some tell the story of colonization and conquest from the point of view of the victors.  Some tell the stories of the victims.  The most interesting and lively ones let the people tell their own stories.  These museums and galleries seem the most respectful to me.  They show that within the big stories of persecution, conquest and discovery, live much more complex, less clearly right and wrong real lives. People of every race and creed were trying to live their lives with dignity and respect. Every group suffered through chapters of widespread death and loss, though none so grievous as the native peoples.  Whether I agreed with them or not, the exhibits that told real stories by real people upended my assumptions. Things did not fit in neat boxes labeled good and bad.  In the end I had to respect the stories themselves.

One thought for this month of studying the meaning of respect is to set aside the assumptions we bring about a group or identity, and just listen to the real stories real people tell.

Respectfully yours,

Rev. Virginia