My brother-in-law Tim has a gift for using puns and gets a kick out of finding those eyeroll-inducing phrases on social media posts. He texted this one the other day: “The Spaniards harvested these crystals and sent them by ship back to Europe. It was then that it was first determined how many quartz were in a galleon.”
My brother Scotty enjoys sending me things, too. Usually it’s a Three Stooges reel, a mention of the New York Yankees’ glory days, or a timely message involving faith. The Jesus meme he forwarded earlier was on target: “Sometimes I joke about what I’d do if I had one day left to live. Eat junk, go crazy, etc. Today it hit me: Jesus knew. And he washed feet.”
Both Tim and Scotty gave me a shot in the arm for my blues. Reminders of how vital it is to laugh, to serve, and to be kind represent an Rx prescription at no cost, and with beneficial side effects.
Instead of worrying about who was nominated to head the Department of Health and Human Services, I’ll try to find ways to help or encourage someone who is sick. Rather than lose more sleep about what happens to the people of Ukraine, I’ll donate to José Andrés World Central Kitchen or to Code for Ukraine, which provides students from the war-affected areas with computer science fundamentals. I guess when I get concerned about the state of Texas public-school financing, I should watch one of the Three Stooges videos that Scotty sent and lose myself in some slapstick comedy to take the edge off my feelings about Lone Star State politics.
The message I keep getting from family and friends: keep moving, keep finding ways to help, and keep the joy.
It certainly won’t hurt to keep holding on to the visual of God’s son (facing the most concerning moment of his life) washing the feet of others.
Snyder, Texas, native Sue Jane Sullivan is a retired schoolteacher whose thoughtprovoking commentary appears occasionally in several West Texas newspapers, including The Texas Spur and The Caprock Courier.
