Less than five minutes after I had posted the article mentioned above, I opened up my e-mail and found a short note sent to me a few hours before from one of my contacts. Her name is Julie. Other than that, she will remain anonymous until further notice.

Julie has some skill at writing articulately and I had asked her previously to contribute to this blog. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this note (she called it a “blurb”) tied in so well to what I had just posted that I asked her for permission to reproduce it, to which she agreed wholeheartedly. God really does work in mysterious ways. She had no idea that I would post the article. I had no idea that she would send me this. Coincidence? I rather doubt it.

“Before they (you) call, I will answer.” –Isaiah 65:24

Only very slightly edited and condensed, here is her comment.

“Some time ago…I wrote [a note of encouragement] in response to someone who seemed disheartened about a seeming state of stagnation on the mask issue, despite their work to advance progress.”

“One thing at a time. Take a stand one conversation at a time, show a full, smiling face to one person at a time, and reassure one scared person or business at a time. Each small victory chisels another piece out of the darkness that is fear, and brightens the rays of hope.”

I love it! She has encapsulated my general message and brought it down to the individual level. One person at a time. One scared person at a time. One small victory at a time. Every person who overcomes the fear, every action which chisels a piece out of the darkness is a victory which brightens the hope which is ours.

Thank you, Julie. This was a beautiful comment, a fitting afterword. Now, can I persuade you to ramp up to 500 word essays?