Sunday Quiet, Shattered by the News

Sunday mornings are among my favorite times. I love that the neighborhood is even quieter than usual and everything feels still. This morning I woke up at our usual “weekend” wake-up time of 10:00 a.m. (since Joe’s work schedule often keeps us up until 2 or 3 a.m.). I stayed in the bedroom with the lights off — blackout curtains drawn — sitting in a chair, listening to the silence, and reading on my iPhone.

I lost track of time and was surprised when it was already 1:00 p.m. before I made it downstairs to forage for food. Once I got something to eat, I settled in the sunroom and checked the news.

The headlines were devastating. In the past 24 hours there have been multiple mass shootings. One especially horrifying report came out of Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, where a man drove into an LDS (Mormon) church, opened fire, and set the building on fire. At least one person has died, with several others injured, and the motive is still unknown. Some have already rushed to call it a “targeted attack against Christians.”

I think back to the bombings and shootings in Black churches over the years — those were rarely described in those words. And I don’t recall the shooting at Annunciation Church in Minneapolis, just a month ago today, being framed as a “targeted attack against Christians.”

I hate that forty-seven takes dreadful situations and twists them for political advantage every which way he can. He’s already shown he’ll direct the DOJ to go after his enemies, proving he has no moral compass. I can’t help but wonder if his constant attacks on Portland, Oregon — calling it “war-ravaged” when it isn’t — are really about sending a message to Senator Ron Wyden, who is pressing hard for the Treasury to release Jeffrey Epstein’s financial records. I have no proof of that, but given his history, it certainly crosses my mind.

Maybe the quiet of my darkened bedroom and a good book is what I need again this afternoon.