A Message of Hope from Edward Grinnan: A Mother’s Prayer

Hello again, it’s Edward from Guideposts with my hiking companion, Gracie, whom you’ve met before. There’s Gracie.

We are living in a time of unprecedented upheaval, and it takes me back to another time, a similar time, the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago, where police and protesters clashed violently in the streets. Tear gas was everywhere, and it was being aired on national television live.

And I remember watching it with my parents. Now, my father was a law-and-order guy, so his sympathies were with the police. But me, being a 14-year-old know-it-all, my sympathies were with the protesters. And my father and I really got into it, as we often did in those days. And after a while, my mother interrupted. She wasn’t having it. She said, “I’m praying for them.”

And I wanted to know who was she praying for. Whose side was she on? And she said, “It doesn’t matter. I’m praying for all of them.” I remember those words today when I see what’s going on in the streets of our city and our country. And I remember my mom’s words that were so wise and empathetic, while my father and I bickered away over our politics.

And in this time of unprecedented conflict, when our bonds as a people are being tested, I think more than ever, Guideposts needs to stand for unity, for understanding, and for peace. That’s what I’m gonna pray for today, because that’s what my mom would have prayed for. Thank you, stay well.