Good news though as Necco wafers are making a comeback. The Massachusetts New England Candy Company closed its doors in 2018 after having been in business since 1901. It has recently been announced that another candy company, Spanglers, has purchased the business and the familiar rolls of pastel candy wafers will soon be appearing on shelves again. Spanglers also will be making the conversation hearts which are part of every Valentine's Day.
For the past few days, I have been struggling with how to write the rest of this post. Jigsaw puzzles while sometimes time consuming are eventually put back together. How do we put back the pieces of our fractured society? The death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, at the hands of four policemen in Minnesota has rocked our very souls. Protests and riots have happened across our country and in other parts of the world. How are the pieces ever going to be put back together? How will we move forward?
This morning I came across a quote attributed to Benjamin Franklin. . .
Justice will not be served until those who
are unaffected are as outraged as those who are.
Because I am a bit of a geek, I tried to ascertain where and when Ben Franklin might have written this, but to my dismay, I found that there is no record in Franklin's papers of his having done so. Indeed, many Franklin scholars do not believe he was the source of this quote. It doesn't matter as attributions aside, it is a quote which speaks powerfully to the social injustices of our times.
Here are two things that I believe are well worth your time today. The first is a blog post "On a day when the world seems to have gone mad" on the Mereknits blog. Its simple eloquence and perspective is worth reading. Then please view Emmanuel Acho's Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man, Part 1. This is the first in what will hopefully become a series of thought provoking conversations. Please do view it.
My attitude and perspectives on social justice were formed in high school with the reading of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, a novel which influenced me more than any other novel that I have ever read. We also read Alan Paton's Cry, the Beloved Country, a novel which dealt with the racial division in South Africa. It's time for me to read that novel again.
Today I cry for our beloved country, for the promise of what it should be for all of us. Let us pray and work for justice and for the changes that will save this land that we love.
Have hope. Stay safe. Stay strong.
I am honored you chose to link my blog post. Thank you. Sorry about the missing puzzle piece, that is so frustrating after 999 pieces went in and you missed the last one. Stay safe my friend.
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