Most mornings I struggle to stay asleep, often waking at 4 AM and listening to outside noises, dogs stirring to be let out, and sometimes my hard-headed cat bashing the door of his boudoir. Of late the upcoming election and the Pandemic are first and foremost in my erratic, half-asleep brain. As it was this morning.

Then I started thinking about teachers and parents trying to find adequate school supplies, patience, and time. For an increasing number of parents in this nation food scarcity has become a norm. Hunger is painful and debilitating; I speak from experience in a time of my life where rent and gasoline came first. I lost about thirty pounds during that time, going down to 108 pounds on a 5’4″ frame. I came down with pneumonia.

Better times came for me, but when will they come for these parents being evicted with their children literally into the streets? For the parents who line up for food bank help? Who have nothing to clothe their children as we get into winter?

I take my religion seriously. It tells me we shouldn’t be turning our backs on the hungry, the poor, the sick, the lonely, the abandoned. My religion teaches me how I treat my fellow human as a brother and sister, not enemies, is how things should be. Feed the hungry, house the poor, treat the sick, sit with the lonely, aid the abandoned.

While I ponder these things in the darkness of early morning, others are doing something about it. Are following their beliefs, their social mores, their causes to make our world whole and better.

It’s time to wake up and shoulder part of the burden.