Mercy Is "stronger And More God-like Than

Time Rushes By And Yet Time Is Frozen. Funny How We Get So Exact About Time At The End Of Life And At Its Beginning. She Died At 6:08 Or 3:46, We Say, Or The Baby Was Born At 4:02. But In Between We Slosh Through Huge Swatches Of Time--weeks, Months, Years, Decades Even.

When You Try, God Is There And You Get The Grace You Need To Get You Through.

If We Believe That Murder Is Wrong And Not Admissible In Our Society, Then It Has To Be Wrong For Everyone, Not Just Individuals But Governments As Well.

When People Of Color Are Killed In The Inner City, When Homeless People Are Killed, When The "nobodies" Are Killed, District Attorneys Do Not Seek To Avenge Their Deaths. Black, Hispanic, Or Poor Families Who Have A Loved One Murdered Not Only Don't Expect The District Attorney's Office To Pursue The Death Penalty -which, Of Course, Is Both Costly And Time Consuming- But Are Surprised When The Case Is Prosecuted At All.

I Keep Thinking Of The Gifts Of My Own Upbringing, Which I Once Took For Granted: I Can Read Any Book I Choose And Comprehend It. I Can Write A Complete Sentence And Punctuate It Correctly. If I Need Help, I Can Call On Judges, Attorneys, Educators, Ministers. I Wonder What I Would Be Like If I Had Grown Up Without Such Protections And Supports. What Cracks Would Have Turned Up In My Character?