From our alternative service yesterday, to the excerpts I read of Barack Obama's new book, and even in the few minutes I watched Oprah today before I fell asleep, the theme that seems to be finding me lately is a call to see the best in people. I'm feeling a tug to "extend grace" to people I ordinarily wouldn't deem worthy.

I'm finding this is easy in theory, but when given the opportunity to pull grace back, it's just too damn easy. I mean, why do people make it so hard for you to like them sometimes? What I wouldn't give to see basic goodness and holiness the remnant of the imago dei in all people. I generally can do this until they do something, anything.

It's just kind of been a bummer of a day, thus the melancholy post. I came close to having an anxiety attack on two occasions today, and it was not fun. They only other time this has happened to me was over a year ago when I stopped taking the pain medication prescribed after my ear surgery. I was only on those things for a few days and getting off of them caused me major mental anguish.

But there are no drugs involved now.

Maybe there should be. :)

(And maybe I just wanted to suggest I will start using drugs just to get the damned religious "sponsors" off my site.)