What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

The best piece of advice I ever received was probably something about not worrying too much, because most of the things you worry about don’t actually happen. My father said that my grandmother’s saying was “Don’t Borrow Trouble,” which meant: don’t concern yourself with problems that aren’t directly facing you.

I appreciate that advice, but I feel like there are so many very real things to worry about in 2023, it’s a bit like telling people to bury their heads in the sand. Women in about a third of the United States have lost their bodily autonomy, a convicted rapist who led an insurrection is the leading Republican presidential candidate, the US government is about to shutdown because of that rapist’s supporters, and we’ve had at least 470 mass shootings so far this year.

So yeah, you should worry.

But don’t become hopeless. My minister says to “look for the glimmers.” Glimmers are those little moments that give you peace and hope.

My glimmer for today is that some women in my church organize our activism and make it SO EASY for me to help! All I have to do is pay for the stamps, and they hand me a neatly organized bundle of postcards, stamps, address labels, and a script. During the week, in my spare time, I write out the postcards.

This week we’re writing to Virginians.