The Lincoln Squirrel – News, features and photos from Lincoln, Mass.

My Turn

My Turn: Lepage asks for votes for School Committee

By Ken Lepage

My name is Ken Lepage and I am a candidate for the open position on the Lincoln K-8 School Committee. Our family moved to Lincoln in 2021 and we have developed a deep attachment to this town that has made me desire to make a more significant contribution to our community. We have a son, Ian, who will be starting kindergarten in the Lincoln Public Schools next year, and having a role in helping to shape the goals and policies of the schools in order to continue to provide excellent and equitable education for Lincoln’s students is of great interest to me. 

I am a lawyer and currently serve as general counsel, chief compliance officer, and chief sustainability officer for Watts Water Technologies, Inc. based in North Andover. I have worked at Watts for over 21 years; during that time, I have also twice served as chief human resources officer in addition to my other roles. Watts is a global manufacturer of plumbing, heating, and water quality products.  Prior to joining Watts, I was with the law firm of Hale and Dorr LLP (now known as WilmerHale) in Boston, where I practiced corporate and securities law.

At Watts, I regularly provide guidance to and interact with our board of directors, and I am familiar with the distinctions between the role of management, such as a school superintendent, and the role of a governing board, such as the School Committee, and I respect that distinction. I have reviewed the recently adopted School Committee goals for 2024-2025 and am supportive of those goals, and I appreciate that they are clear, achievable, and trackable. I am collegial and a team player, and I believe that to be most effective and do our best work, that the members of the School Committee should support each other and work together for the common good of Lincoln’s students and families. I am respectful of the opinions of others and do not believe that differences of opinion should be taken personally.

Finally, as a Lincoln resident, I am mindful that the school budget takes up a significant portion of the taxes we all pay, and that it is important to balance maintaining an excellent educational curriculum with the costs we ask our taxpayers to bear.

I hope this has helped you get a sense of my potential contributions to the School Committee. I ask for your support in the upcoming town election.

Ken Lepage lives at 148 Sandy Pond Road in Lincoln.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

My Turn: Proposed private-jet Hanscom expansion is a climate bomb in sheep’s clothing

By Alex Chatfield

Fellow Lincolnites: Don’t let Massport pull the wool over our eyes. The proposal for an immense private jet hangar facility at Hanscom Field is a climate bomb in sheep’s clothing that must be stopped. Hanscom Field civilian airport is owned and operated by Massport, and is distinct from Hanscom Air Force Base which focuses on research and development and has no airfield. 

Private jets are the most carbon-intensive form of travel per passenger, and frequently used for leisure and convenience. Expanding this form of travel in the midst of a climate crisis is indefensible. For this reason, Massport and prospective developers have packaged their enormous 522,000-square-foot, highly polluting proposal as a model of “sustainable aviation” to distract the public and policymakers.

A 5-minute CBS News segment on “How Airports are ‘Greenwashing’ their Reputations” reveals that when airports claim to be sustainable, they are referring solely to their green buildings and infrastructure, which comprise only 2% of the emissions generated at airports, while excluding aircraft emissions, which constitute the remaining 98%.

The CBS report further spotlights the hope and hype surrounding sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs), which the prospective Hanscom developers enthusiastically tout, saying their new facility will promote SAFs. This claim is misleading on several counts. First, the word “promote” holds little weight since, as the CBS report discloses, the FAA prohibits airports or airport facilities from requiring a specific type of fuel. Second, by the Hanscom developers’ own admission, “the aviation industry projects use of alternative/clean-fuel aircraft (i.e., electric or SAF) to be approximately 10 percent of aircraft by 2030” (see the developers’ DEIR [Draft Environmental Impact Report], Section 3.1.3).

These points were reinforced by a January 8 webinar on SAFs attended by nearly 200 participants statewide. After examining several types of SAFs, independent analysts from MIT, the World Resources Institute, and the Institute for Policy Studies cautioned that while SAFs are technically feasible, it is not likely that they will be available at scale by 2050, the year that scientists say we must reach net zero to avert the worst impacts of climate change. 

Moreover, the trade-offs with SAF production at scale are daunting. Crop-based SAFs would sabotage food production by hijacking arable land for jet fuel. For example, to reach the current U.S. goal of 35 billion gallons of SAF in 2050 would require 114 million acres of corn—20 percent more than the current total land area of corn crops in the U.S. Meanwhile, synthetic SAFs for jets would put an enormous burden on the electric grid, competing with internet, AI, heat/AC, light and refrigeration.

Concerns about greenwashing were echoed by area Select Board members and our state legislators at the January 28 virtual HATS meeting (Hanscom-Area Town Selectboards) with new Massport CEO Rich Davey.

Mark Sandeen, chair of HATS stated that, if the proposed private jet expansion were to go forward, the 75 or so additional private jets at the new facility would generate more emissions than all of the houses and cars in Lexington, Bedford, Concord and Lincoln combined. “You’re looking at a group of people here who dedicated decades of their lives to reducing the emissions of their towns, and to see one project wipe out any possibility of success… we don’t view that as small,” he said.

State Sen. Mike Barrett posited to Davey that “there is a sense in which you’re rolling out SAFs, I think, as a shield and in order to disarm us,” a point that Davey heatedly denied, referencing an SAF startup in Charlestown in his defense. To this, Barrett replied: “We have lots of startups in Massachusetts that hope someday to cure cancer, and we certainly want to encourage them to try. But none of us go out and encourage our kids to smoke cigarettes because the cure is going to come in their lifetimes.”

Christopher Eliot, chair of HFAC (Hanscom Field Advisory Commission, representing the four Hanscom-area towns) added that after studying SAFs in “excruciating detail,” he doesn’t believe they have technical merit: “Each new version solves one problem and creates two others… They’re either going to blow out agriculture or blow out the electrical system.” 

Speaking for many, Eliot shared this comment: “The only thing that’s acceptable to anybody… here is the status quo… there’s none who would have any tolerance for the expansion.” 

Eliot’s view is shared by more than 14,000 people across the Commonwealth that have signed a petition urging Gov. Healey to take all possible action to stop private jet expansion at Hanscom or anywhere because it is antithetical to Massachusetts’ efforts to rein in climate change.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

My Turn: Ryan seeks support for L-S School Committee

By John J. Ryan Jr.

In times of uncertainty regarding federal funding of public education, federal regulation of public education, and even the existence of the Department of Education itself, experience matters. That is why I am declaring my candidacy for the Lincoln-Sudbury School Committee.

I have been a resident of Sudbury for 44 years. I have practiced law for decades, including representing a regional school district. I previously served on the L-S School Committee from 1998 to 2010. I also served as chair of the L-S Building Committee, responsible for the design and construction of the new high school and for obtaining substantial state funding for that design and construction. Prior to my service on the committee, I served for seven years on the Sudbury Finance Committee and afterwards served for seven years on the Sudbury Council on Aging.

My wife, Barbara, was a teacher at Curtis Middle School for more than 20 years. I had two daughters graduate from L-S and have two granddaughters now in the Sudbury public schools who will be attending L-S.

I ask for your support for my candidacy for the Lincoln-Sudbury School Committee so we can keep L-S the great school it has been.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnians. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

My Turn: Food pantry thanks Boy Scouts

By Ursula Nowak

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul of Lincoln and Weston is grateful to Boy Scout Troop 127 for their generosity in supporting our food pantry. The troop was given a grant from a local charity to help families in need, and they voted to support the SVdP Food Pantry.

In the process of providing this thoughtful donation, they were able to experience the gift of helping others in need by providing foods essential to a balanced and healthy diet. They donated close to $1,000 towards our monthly dairy order, helped bring the food into the pantry and stocked it on our shelves. We are very grateful for their financial support as well as their help in the pantry. 

If you are interest in learning more about the Boys Scouts in Lincoln, you can find more information here.

Nowak is secretary of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul of Lincoln and Weston.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

My Turn: Learn about sustainable aviation fuels

By Ann Sobol

Next Wednesday, Jan. 8 at 7 p.m., the Massachusetts Sierra Club is conducting a webinar on sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs, pronounced “safes”). The issue is whether replacing current jet fuel with SAFs can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions sufficiently and quickly enough to meet our climate goals.
 
All of us who would like to get on a plane and go someplace for some reason important to us would like to think there’s some fix to deal with the huge amount of greenhouse gas emitted by jet planes. But is there? The Healey administration and Massport seem to be pinning their hopes on SAFs. Maybe it’s fairer to say they’re looking into it.
 
Under state law, Massachusetts has set goals of a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and net zero by 2050. Every sector of the economy is expected to make reductions in GHG emissions. The transportation sector, which includes aviation, produces the largest amount of GHG — about 40% of the state’s total.
 
In January 2023, on her first day in office, Gov. Healey appointed Melissa Hoffer as her climate chief. In October 2023, Hoffer set out recommendations for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Regarding aviation, she recommended developing a plan to use alternative fuels and to replace short-hop flights where rail is an alternative.
 
In the March 2024 Massachusetts Priority Climate Action Plan, Hoffer and Monica Tibbets-Nutt (Healey’s secretary of transportation) set out specific goals for meeting statutory emissions reductions. The transportation section of the plan focuses on reducing emissions from cars and trucks. In 2035, Massachusetts will ban the sale of new gas-powered vehicles and already supports the transition to electric vehicles through rebates, tax credits, and grants. But there is no element of the Priority Climate Action Plan pertaining to aviation.
 
In August 2024, the Massport Board appointed Rich Davey as its new chief executive officer. Consistent with the Healey administration’s focus on SAFs, the new CEO has stated he will examine the use of SAFs in reducing aviation emissions. In November, Gov. Healey signed into law an environmental bill which amended enabling legislation dating from the 1950s under which Massport has focused primarily on financial return with minimal regard to the GHG emissions of jet traffic out of the airports it administers (Logan, Hanscom, and Worcester). The legislative amendments require Massport to exercise its powers to promote commerce, economic prosperity, safety, security, environmental protection and resilience, and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
 
The Sierra Club webinar features three speakers highly qualified to evaluate whether SAFs can solve the problem of aviation emissions. For more information, see the SPJE website (Stop Private Jet Expansion at Hanscom or Anywhere), which includes a link to register for the webinar.

 “My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

My Turn: Salon appointed to School Committee

By Susan Taylor on behalf of the Lincoln School Committee

The Lincoln School Committee is happy to announce that Abbey Salon will join the Committee as an interim member to fill the unexpired term of Yonca Heyse until the town election in March. Abbey was appointed by majority vote of a joint meeting on December 12th of the School Committee and the Select Board as required by state law.

Candidates were interviewed at an open meeting that was recorded. Select Board and School Committee members were all thrilled by the caliber of candidates who submitted statements of interest. While only one person could be selected for this interim position, we are hopeful that all candidates will continue to seek opportunities to be involved and to add their voices and perspectives as we progress along our journey to meet our strategic objectives.

In selecting Abbey Salon, we considered that her deep experience in education could help her acclimate quickly for this short window until the next election. Additionally, the School Committee’s goals for this year include developing standardized reporting around school performance using qualitative and quantitative metrics while maintaining alignment with our AIDE Guide principals. Abbey’s experience with data-driven education goals, her commitment to AIDE work, and the skills she learned earning her master’s in administration will be an asset to the committee and will help propel this work forward.

We are looking forward to having her join our committee. Below is her Statement of Interest if you would like to learn more about her background.

To the Lincoln School Committee:

I am writing to express my interest in the interim vacancy on the Lincoln School Committee.
Besides being the parent of a student of color who will be attending school beginning in the year 2026-27, I care deeply about education for all students. As an elementary and secondary educator for the last 21 years I have a long-standing commitment to education. I currently teach ELA in the Sudbury Public Schools where I have worked for the past 11 years in a variety of teaching roles. I have also worked on numerous committees (such as homework, curriculum, professional development, book groups and grading for equity) both within the district and within the schools in order to help ensure that we were working towards providing the best education possible for our students.

I feel that my work as an educator has afforded me the opportunities to learn many skills that are helpful in aiding the School Committee in their first goal. As a teacher we write and complete SMART goals which are data-driven and guided by qualitative and quantitative metrics. I have also spent a lot of time evaluating curriculum, instruction and grading practices through an AIDE lens within my own department and for my own teaching practice. While I know I will not be directly engaged in these activities as a School Committee member, I know what it takes to execute them well at a staff level.

I believe my organization skills, the skills gained while earning my master’s in administration, as well as my time spent working with various stakeholders would also help me to support the School Committee in the final goals of securing a new DoDEA contract, updating meeting procedures, the policy manual, and community outreach. I welcome the opportunity to talk with you about the possibility of joining the School Committee for the remainder of this year and answering questions that you may have.

Thank you,
Abbey Salon

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

My Turn: Many thanks from the SVdP food pantry

By Ursula Nowak

Happy Thanksgiving from St. Vincent de Paul of Lincoln and Weston! We wish to send a big thank- you to all who helped make last week so special at the food pantry. We are grateful to those of you who bought gift cards at Donelan’s or donated towards this year’s Thanksgiving drive. Your thoughtful generosity means that your neighbors in need will be able to purchase food for a special holiday meal.

We are grateful to Donelan’s for the many ways they continue to support us, and to Donelan’s shoppers who purchased Best Yet bags filled with stuffing, canned vegetables, canned fruit and cereal for the food pantry. Thank you also to Drumlin Farm and Joanne Dolan of Gold Bell Wholesale for a huge load of vegetable, to FELS and the Goddard School for beautiful pies, to Tost for sparking white tea, to the Weston United Methodist Church for a timely food drive, to Peter Stewart and the Doo-Wop Singers for another fundraising concert — and to our many volunteers for their time and great efforts! We are all neighbors helping neighbors and we are thankful for your support!

Nowak is secretary of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul of Lincoln and Weston.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

My Turn: Climate bill gives hope to opponents of Hanscom expansion

By Alex Chatfield, Trish O’Hagan, Lara Sullivan, and Kati Winchell

The climate bill just signed by Gov. Healey contains a provision that was not noted in the official summary but is profoundly important — an update to the Massport charter. From now on, Massport will be required to promote “environmental protection and resilience, reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, and environmental justice principles” in its decisions regarding its responsibilities and the entities with which it does business. Massport’s responsibilities, currently limited to the narrow roles of promoting commerce and economic growth, will therefore expand to include climate priorities. 

This update is encouraging to advocates across Massachusetts who oppose the proposed expansion of private jet infrastructure at Massport-owned Hanscom Field (separate from Hanscom Air Force Base). Massport is currently working with private developers to build a 522,380-square-foot expansion in hangar space for private jets — the largest such expansion in Hanscom’s history. An October 2023 study documented that at least half the private jet flights out of Hanscom go to vacation destinations like Martha’s Vineyard or the Super Bowl. They are airborne yachts for the ultra-wealthy.

Massport’s and Runway Realty Venture Inc.’s proposal for expansion has generated a storm of controversy. Opposition has been led by Stop Private Jet Expansion at Hanscom or Anywhere (SPJE). SPJE observes, based on an April independent analysis, that the proposed private jet hangar development at Hanscom alone could result in as many as 6,000 additional private jet flights annually, producing about 150,000 tons of carbon equivalent emissions every single year. If the expansion goes forward, private jet emissions from Hanscom alone could cancel nearly 70% of the environmental benefits of all the solar PV ever installed in Massachusetts and would offset the investment and hard work of many towns and cities to help the state meet the goals of its ambitious climate plans.

The legislation updating Massport’s charter follows EEA Secretary Tepper’s rejection of the developers’ draft environmental impact report (DEIR) in June. More than 1,500 public comments and over 13,500 petition signatures critical of the developers’ plans were submitted to MEPA (Mass. Office of Environmental Policy Act). Based in part on the volume of public response, as well as on independent analyses that were submitted, Tepper criticized the developers’ argument that the massive hangar expansion would decrease operations and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, calling it unsupported. She found that the report did not meet the requirements of Massachusetts law and directed the developers to produce a Supplemental DEIR that would address the many questions that the initial draft failed to consider adequately.

This was the context in which state Sen. Mike Barrett and Reps. Simon Cataldo, Michelle Ciccolo, Carmine Gentile, Ken Gordon, and Alice Peisch introduced language into the Mass. Climate Bill that would update Massport’s charter to prioritize reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. The Senate passed the bill on October 24 with a vote of 38-2, followed by a House vote of 128-17 on November 14. And on November 20, Gov. Healey signed it.

Sen. Barrett left no doubt that he expected the new language to prompt Massport to reconsider the project. “We live in an age where rampant economic growth is no longer sufficient as a raison d’etre for public agencies,” he said. “The governor has said that an all-government approach to climate change is needed, so now we ask of every single organization — Massport included — ‘What’s your role in fighting the existential crisis of our time?’” 

This is a pivotal moment. The legislature’s overwhelming support for a change in Massport’s charter sends a powerful message that the agency needs to align its own approach to climate change with the approach taken by the rest of the state. Massport’s first chance to show that it understands this new environment will be its stance toward the proposed Hanscom expansion. It’s already clear that that expansion is completely inconsistent with state climate change policy. It’s time for Massport to just say no.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

My Turn: Interim School Committee member sought

By Susan Taylor

The School Committee would like to thank Yonca Heyse for serving on the Lincoln School Committee since her election in March 2024. During that time, she helped participate in our district’s long-term strategic planning, the creation of a School Committee Finance Subcommittee, and establishing our School Committee goals for the 2024-2025 school year. The committee appreciates the contributions that Ms. Heyse made as part of the School Committee for the past seven months and understands her decision to step down at this time. As such, there is an opening on the School Committee.

The Lincoln School Committee invites residents interested in supporting the strategic priorities of Lincoln Public Schools to fill a vacancy on the committee. Any registered Lincoln voter is encouraged to apply by submitting a statement of interest. This statement should express their commitment to the School Committee’s goal and their interest in contributing to the success of the schools. Applications must be submitted by Nov. 27, 2024 via email to schoolcomm@lincnet.org. This appointment will last until the next Town Election in March 2025.

All interested candidates will be interviewed in an open meeting of the School Committee and Select Board. Interviews are tentatively scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 12 at 6 p.m. The members will vote at that meeting to select one of the candidates to serve on the School Committee as an interim member. The person so selected will fill the seat on the School Committee until the next annual town election, at which time the interim member can choose to run for re-election.

Matina Madrick, the chair of the School Committee, would be happy to answer any questions. She can be reached at mmadrick-schoolcomm@lincnet.org.

Susan Taylor is a member of the Lincoln School Committee.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

My Turn: We don’t have a good story to tell right now

By Rev. Nate Klug

Editor’s note: Rev. Klug, co-minister at First Parish in Lincoln with his wife Kit Novotny, gave this sermon on November 10, 2024. 

There’s an ice-breaker game that I learned from my wife Kit. It comes from the improv comedy world, and it offers a great way of sharing a little about yourself in a group but not getting too carried away.

The person who’s speaking follows a prompt. They begin: “I could tell you a story about…” But — and this is the key — they don’t actually tell the story. All they do is complete that first sentence: “I could tell you a story about the time when I knocked my front teeth out on the playground as a kid.” Or, “I could tell you about the day last year when I knew the Celtics might actually win the championship.”

This week, if I were playing that game — if I were in the mood to play a game — I might say, “I could tell you a story about how I felt when I woke up on Wednesday morning and checked my phone. I could tell you about one of our daughters bursting into tears at the breakfast table. I could tell you about the articles I’ve read since then trying to explain what happened. I could tell you how I learned that one party’s candidate earned about the same number of total votes as the last time he ran, in 2020. And one party’s candidate earned many millions fewer than in 2020.

“I could tell you how I learned that 60% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck. The majority of people in the richest country in the world right now lack the privilege of turning their work and their time into any kind of savings for the future. I could tell you many stories.” And you, of course, could tell me yours.

Part of the beauty and the challenge of a democracy is the plurality of stories contained within in it. “I hear America singing,” Walt Whitman wrote, “the varied carols I hear.” As you might know, during the Civil War, during the greatest test this country has faced, Whitman volunteered as a nurse. His younger brother George was wounded in the fighting. Walt rushed to Washington to find him. He ended up staying three years. He visited and cared for over 600 people. Sat with soldiers in the hospital. Helped them get letters home. “And with the dying,” Whitman wrote, “I generally watch’d all night. I took up my quarters in the hospital… and slept there.”

Those three years, Whitman went on, “I consider the most profound lesson of my life. I can say that in my ministerings, I comprehended all whoever came my way, northern or southern, and slighted none. It has given me my most fervent views of the true ensemble and extent of the States.”

The true ensemble and extent of the States. Whitman’s America is not ours, of course. And yet I find something useful in Whitman’s curiosity, his appreciation for the vastness and strangeness of our country and its ongoing capacity to surprise.

I know some of us feel lost today. Some of us may feel like we don’t recognize the country we were born in or have lived in for many years. Listen to the historian John Ganz’s argument about the cultural fragmentation that’s taken place in America: “We are accustomed still to thinking of this country at its post-World War Two self dominated by the struggle over the definition of common sense and what is ‘normal’: Prime time. Must-see TV. The water cooler. That’s gone now.”

We should think of the United States today, Ganz argues, as being more like the country Whitman knew in the 1800s — not a unified nation but a patchwork of small movements and coalitions. Without anything like a central culture.

Some of us may feel lost. And if I can get preacherly for just one moment, I would say: listen to that feeling. Don’t try to push it down or get rid of it. For our November worship theme, we are focusing on “The Stories We Tell.” We need stories in order to live, as Kit said last week. We need stories to get our kids to fall asleep. We need stories ourselves to keep getting up in the morning.

And yet that bewilderment we may feel right, now the estrangement, the sense of lostness… If we really listen to those feelings, then we have to admit we don’t have a good story to tell right now. We don’t have a good story to tell about America right now, and the values that its major parties represent and what it’s supposed to stand for in the world. The stories we would like to tell about our country right now — they are not the stories we can tell.

It’s humbling, isn’t it? To feel a little speechless, to not know what to say. At a moment like this, our spiritual traditions remind us of two essential things. First of all, they remind us that a confounded silence is always a better response than more platitudes: “They have treated the wound of my people carelessly, saying, ‘Peace, peace’ when there is no peace.”

Here’s another translation of that same passage from the prophet Jeremiah: “My people are broken and they put on Band-Aids, saying, ‘It’s not so bad. You’ll be fine.’” In Dearborn, in Youngstown, in Uvalde — things are not “fine.” Better right now to sit in confounded silence than repeat another platitude.

The second thing that our spiritual traditions teach is that our speechlessness always has the potential to become a fertile space. Silence when it is a humble silence has always been this powerful place of spiritual regeneration.

Think of the Psalmists. So many times, God drags them from death-like silence back into life. Or think about the silence of the followers of that rabbi named Jesus the day after his crucifixion. Think of that first morning as the women walked back towards the tomb with rags to dress his body. Nothing seemed possible. And then everything became possible — but only because I think they had gone so far into silence. Only because they had been willing to step down into that humbling place of admitting, “I don’t know any more. I can’t explain this.”

Or think about the speechlessness of Fanny Lou Hamer in Mississippi. Ever since she found out that she was allowed to vote, Hamer had been trying to get her country to listen to her. She’d been through literacy tests and made-up rules about tax receipts. Her boss had fired her. She’d been beaten up in jail. But now, now in 1964, Fanny Lou Hamer had traveled to the Democratic National Convention. She gave a speech there. She sounded a little like Whitman, a hundred years before: “I question America. Is this America, the land of the free and the home of the brave?”

Think about her despondency when even after achieving that platform, the Democratic Party denied her coalition’s bid for delegates. It took four more years until the party included those Black delegates at the convention. But finally they did. And in 1968, Hamer represented her country herself. Nothing seemed possible. And then everything became possible.

I saw a note this week from a writer named Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove. He’s a colleague of William Barber; they work together on the Poor People’s Campaign. Wilson-Hartgrove wrote this: “I am a disciple of Jesus in the church that learned to pursue beloved community for all people under the rule of Jim Crow authoritarianism. We’re not headed into the future I hoped for. But we are not without witnesses who’ve shown us how to live in times like these.”

If you can’t make much sense out of this country right now, don’t try to — yet. If you don’t have a good story to tell about America, don’t tell one — for the moment. But find those witnesses who speak to you. Become a collector of their stories — stories that are familiar and comforting, yes. But also collect stories that are very different from your own. Seek out those stories you might not understand fully, or be comfortable with. Be like Walt Whitman as he cared for those veterans from the North and the South. Try to “comprehend all” and “slight none.”

And slowly, maybe, out of this stunned silence we will be part of building something new. As Whitman put it “We’ve got a hell of a lot to learn before we’re a real democracy. We’ll get there in the end; God knows we’re not there yet.”

Amen.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.