I am listening to Thomas Tallis’s “Lamentation” while I write tonight.  I often listen to this type of music when I need comfort and these days I feel a need for comfort. Thomas Tallis was a 16th-century English composer who was (and continues to be) revered for the beauty of his sacred choral music. Lamentation is said to be based on the Lamentations of Jeremiah in the Bible in which he expresses his grief over the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 BCE. Suffering is a primary theme but there is also a focus on hope based on the belief in God’s great mercy.

I am hopeful for our future as a nation. We are coming together to express our national grief over the unspeakable acts of some who are in power in our society against our brothers and sisters of color. We must stand up for truth and goodness. That is who we are as a nation and I believe we are at a time when we can implement fundamental changes that will empower the powerless and give all of us the resolve to fight the destructive influences of bigotry. May we listen to our hearts and be directed to a Higher Good.

This music speaks straight to my soul.