why not be kind?

I sat in church remembering my friend Mike Yasick. I thought about the thousands of people searching for one last conversation with him, for a moment with him, for a chance to say goodbye. Thousands of people because Mike was that kind of guy. He brought sun into a room. He demonstrated, repeatedly, why it is far more rewarding, in this life, to be a force of good. Negativity is all sharp edges. Unprovoked cruelty solves no problems. Unkindness is unkarma. Why throw spears when there's a bowl of chocolate near? Why not slice the thorns off roses? Why not laugh? Why not make somebody happy?

Are you superb?

As I sat there thinking about Mike, Miyuki Hoshimoto, a gorgeous soprano, sang "Agnus Dei." I watched her, but mostly I watched the other members of the choir, their faces tilted at angles, their heads rising and lowering with the notes. That, I thought, is what unburdened generosity looks like. It is the shape of appreciation, when envy will not float. There was the beauty of the song; there was the beauty of those who listened.

It was a necessary appeasement on a day when so many mourn the loss of a significant good.