It was a gorgeous fall evening in Nebraska. Community members filled the small park at the center in our rural town. The annual weekend celebration offered children’s games, a magic show, food, and laughter. I glanced around as vendors set up and families arrived, their anticipation humming in the air.
Then came the sound. A car backfired as it passed. Sharp pops rang through the air. I jumped, then ducked. My heart pounded as I searched for the cause.
I didn’t grow up around guns. My dad, a Vietnam veteran, kept an old unloaded rifle tucked away, but he never talked about his experiences. I only hunted once with family. As a teacher, I remember conversations about arming educators. I knew I could never carry a weapon–I wasn’t equipped to do more good than harm.
That fall evening, the echo of those pops terrified me. I’m not embarrassed to admit that I can’t always tell the difference between a gunshot and a backfire. I don’t have much experience with either. But here’s what I do know: no small town celebration, no church, no school, no store is immune to the possibility of gun violence.
This is not a political column. I’m not trying to persuade anyone to take a side. I’m simply sharing my truth: I long to live in a world where I don’t have to fear gun violence. And I want that world for my grandsons too.
Choosing love over division
Yet, it seems that we drift farther apart with each day. Differences don’t just divide us– they widen into chasms. Still, I see people increasingly wearing shirts with simple messages: Be Kind. Be a Good Human. And I’m reminded of a powerful truth: what we focus on grows.
I think back to the Women’s World Cup. Before each game, the Unity Beat pulsed through the stadium. People from every walk of life clapped together, joining in one rhythm. For a moment, we remembered: we belong to each other. We are one humanity.
So I ask myself, What will you focus on? For me, the choice is love, acceptance, empathy and grace. I will let go of judgement, hatred, fear and resentment. I am only one person, but each choice adds to the whole. One by one, we shift the trajectory.
Jesus said it best: Love your neighbor as yourself.