I realize that the school bell now rings in August, at least in Missouri, but humor me. Habits are hard to break. As a child, school always began the day after Labor Day. When I taught school, it still began the day after Labor Day as did our sons’ schools until they reached high school. I understand and appreciate the shift in the calendar, especially at the collegiate level. We oldsters had exams to look forward to in January as we promised ourselves that we would finish writing term papers during the Christmas holidays and study for exams. A fantasy for most of us!
The slow shift to cooler weather, leaves just beginning to turn, days a little shorter – all of that was part of the rhythm of being back in school. Plus, our school buildings did not have a/c so August would have been way too hot!
Nevertheless, we still have homework. For those of you who have been reading The Annunciation Blog for a few years, you know that two recurring themes are Hope and Kindness.
In recent months we have seen the collective energy and power of people gathering throughout the U.S. to express resistance and disapproval of the current actions and decisions of Washington’s administration and Congress, which are appalling to say the least. Illegal in actual fact.
Yet, we are the people of this country. We must reclaim our power and restore integrity at the local level, the state level, and the national level. We are aware and grateful for the numerous groups and nonprofits who are speaking out and challenging and filing lawsuits to protect our rights and the rights of many others who have come to our country seeking safety and a future.
We grieve for the hundreds of women and men whose employment has simply been eliminated with no recourse by the federal government. We are outraged at the attack on higher education. Knowledge is power. Of what is the current administration afraid?
We know that one assignment that has been given us for several months now is to contact our elected officials and state our opposition to the legislation they are supporting. I have lost track of how many leaders have reminded us of how important those calls and messages are. I have the contact information for my two U.S. senators and my U.S. representative posted next to my computer. The more often you call your elected officials, the easier it gets. Assignment One!
I am a believer in the power of Energy – not the AC/DC type. The Energy of the Universe. The cosmic energy/spirit that resides in each of us and how that personal energy is an element of change, and collectively how that energy has power to change hearts and minds. We Americans are so focused on our personal agenda, fueled by greed and control, that we have forgotten that we are part of something larger than ourselves. Every event in the universe, no matter how small, has a ripple effect throughout the interconnected cosmic web. While the impact of a falling leaf is minuscule in the grand scheme of the universe’s vastness, it still exerts an influence, however faint. So does allowing a fellow driver to get in the lane ahead of us! I see that energy every day. The energy of the “wave.”
The “influencers,” a new term that has evolved, thanks to TikTok, Instagram, and other online media platforms are individuals, mostly Gen Z folks, that show their followers what is important, how to “belong,” what to believe.
The July 28, 2025 issue of TIME magazine featured “The Most Influential Digital Voices.” They are categorized as Titans, Leaders, Entertainers, Phenoms, Catalysts. After reading the article as well as similar articles in The New York Times, my assessment is HOLLOWNESS: Lack of depth and lack of grounding, myopic, and self-serving. I can’t include the entire article but one “influencer” who has 18 million followers (another influencer has 12 billion), with the support of several mainstream sponsors, brought together 130 young people to learn how to be an “influencer.” The training consisted of “time to flirt, feud, party, and learn from the best” (influencer).
Not hopeful!
Last month I spoke of finding meaning in our lives. What these trendy “influencers” are peddling – and they are peddling – is a shallow approach to living.
Each one of us needs to be an influencer. We do that by how we live our daily lives, choices we make, our lifestyle, our priorities, our values, the manner in which we treat all people – not just people of influence. Assignment Two!
Assignment Three: For Missouri readers especially, our state legislators have convened this week specifically to discuss mandating gerrymandering of our US representative districts to benefit Republican candidates. We need to contact our Missouri state senators and representatives and express our concern about gerrymandering.
Governor Kehoe is also asking the Missouri legislature to introduce a proposed constitutional amendment that would make it harder to approve citizen-initiated ballot measures, such as abortion rights, paid sick leave, Medicaid expansion, and other amendments adopted in recent years. We can’t just sit here and watch the rights of our democracy be taken from us!
Change has to start somewhere. It may as well start with us.
So, there you have it. Assignment One: Join us in calling our elected officials, especially D.C., to speak out against legislation that is oppressive and harming so many in our country, especially the poor. Assignment Two: Be an “influencer” and sprinkle it with kindness and gentleness. Assignment Three: Notes and emails of affirmation to those senators and representatives who will vote against the gerrymandering and their rights of citizen-initiated ballot measures, and petition to vote NO for those senators and representatives we expect will vote Yes for the proposals from Governor Kehoe: www.senate.mo.gov and www.house.mo.gov. Class dismissed!
Happy Fall!
Bridget
P.S. Regarding making calls, I respond to requests from groups that I know are reputable, for example:
Network: That’s the Nuns on the Bus group.
Friends Committee for National Legislation (FCNL): Lobbying with Quakers.
Faithful America: The largest online community of Christian grassroots activity for social justice. They’re the “love your neighbor, no exceptions” group.
Robert Reich, robert@inequalitymedia.org: Robert Reich puts out a daily newsletter on Substack which is quite good.
If there are any organizations that you would like to suggest, please email me at joy@canainstitute.org and I will send out a list, mid-month.
I do not donate to all these groups. It becomes too much. We decide on a few groups that we support, mostly local. Onward!
The Annunciation Blog 
Bridget,
What an undertaking with this message. Ever wonder what government officials would think or do if they read your blog in one of the papers they usually read? I learned something “gerrymandering”, haven’t heard of the term before. Looked it up, my what an eye opener. Lots of homework to do, now I know why the phrase ‘life is continual schooling’. There is always homework and things to learn no matter what age. It’s exciting and challenging at the same time. Thank you so much for sharing the messages that you share. Grateful for blessings, Mary Lou
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