Full disclosure: I have a thing for fire trucks. They reminded me of fire, the holy spirit refining, safety, and water. I had a thing for fire trucks even before I found out this past August that the church I was “saved” at had its first meetings in the South Point Fire Department in 1958. Over the years, I have worked with many first responders, including after Hurricane Helene.

Recently, while talking to a retired fireman, he discussed several of his most difficult jobs. He shared the time he was at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in the 90s as one of the first responders on the scene of a horrific wreck. Gas and fuel were everywhere, and it was his job to extract the driver who had been decapitated. He stated he had learned the guy was a part of the Mint Hill Fire Department. I am unsure whether he was a volunteer. When he said Mint Hill, I immediately thought of Maya Angelou and her new commemorative US Mint quarter dollar. Ironically, I had just watched a powerful documentary on this amazing woman a few days before.

The design of this newly minted quarter reveals a silhouette of May with her arms spread and behind her a bird in flight accompanied by a rising sun. The opposite side depicts George Washington with the inscription Liberty, In God We Trust.

I watched Maya Angelou’s documentary in awe of how she taught through her life through the stories she shared, knowing that it builds bridges. I cried as she read her As I Think About Myself poem. I felt her words and believed her pain.

The poem is about her life being one big joke, laughing so hard she nearly died. Brilliant. That’s been me, for different issues, some suffering that I wasn’t sure I would make it out alive.

I did.

During the documentary, Maya Angelou’s son, Guy Johnson, became emotional about the time Pearl Bailey, who had caused his mother’s pain earlier in her career by her words, didn’t want Maya to be her understudy.  He wept and looked angered (rightly so) while explaining that his mother had said nothing.

I also felt that.

Sometimes, it’s hard to determine if people want to be close to you because of how they would benefit or look or because they have others’ best interests at heart. Guy also described when he was with his mother when she was protesting, and she said, “If you have something to protest, you should be on the streets.” He said he was fearful and replied, “Mom, we could be killed.” She responded, “One person standing on the word of God is a majority.”

I have my grandmother’s bible, and I like reading it to see what she has written. She has written Body of Dead, and I laughed. Isn’t that what all believers should be? Dead to the ugly ways of the world.

In these trying times, I hope that we can all try.

Try to understand.

Try to be empathetic.

Try to use words instead of fists and make a point to make those words softer and gentler.

We are in all this together, so let’s try harder to be harmonious.