Do Fences Make for Good Neighbors?

 

Today, there is one final quote from Luis Alberto Urrea.  He says, “Anywhere you want to go, there are these weird fences. And I can look in any audience and see fences. And so, yeah, I think we miss each other. And yeah, I’ve tried to train myself to be able to listen and not just react automatically. I think that’s — and that goes back, maybe, to my theological mania, too: that I just think that there’s a great loneliness.”

 

Where do you encounter fences in your life?  It could be in relationships with others or yourself.  The truth is that not all fences are external, some within us.  There can be fences around our hearts or souls.  There can be blockades and barriers we put up to shelter and shield us from the hurt of the world.  Sometimes each moment of heartbreak and soul ache puts up another section of the wall in our internal life guard us.  We build fences constantly within us and around us. 

 

Today, I invite you to notice fences.  Make a game of it.  Every time you notice a fence you enjoy a M & M.  Or see if you can come up a fence with every letter of the alphabet – again this can be internal or external.  Or what if you make a competition with a friend about who can find the most barriers.  I hope you will continue to explore and experience fences in life.  May you encounter God who continues to break down barriers; Christ who builds bridges between people; and the Spirit who moves in our midst.  May you know peace, joy, hope, grace, and love.  Amen.