{"id":320,"date":"2017-01-19T15:33:06","date_gmt":"2017-01-19T15:33:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/connietuttle.com\/blog\/?p=320"},"modified":"2017-01-19T15:48:42","modified_gmt":"2017-01-19T15:48:42","slug":"are-you-ready-come-go-with-me","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/connietuttle.com\/blog\/are-you-ready-come-go-with-me\/","title":{"rendered":"“Are You Ready? Come Go With Me”"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"women's<\/a><\/p>\n

Today we pack our belongings \u2013 enough to last for three days. Not so much meager as essential. Take only what you need. Underwear, shirts, a pair of jeans, portable phone charger, black sharpie, metro pass, ID, gas money.<\/p>\n

In the morning we load up the car. We will wipe the sleep from our eyes and suck down coffee as we face early traffic. It will be a long drive. And we will laugh and sing, pray and cry. Mostly we will feel both our connections and our shared fears.<\/p>\n

I am not afraid of dying so much. And perhaps I am being over-dramatic but a friend called this morning and asked if I were\u00a0sure I wanted to go. There could be violence, he warned. And this, too, is new for a seasoned marcher like me. This march may be more like Montgomery and Selma than the peaceful marches\u00a0\u00a0for women\u2019s rights, against the war, for civil rights, for gay rights that I have been a part of\u2026 this might be different.<\/p>\n

I am not so much afraid of dying but it doesn\u2019t mean I do not want to live. The Way in which I follow, the one whose life is my roadmap lets me know there are things worse than dying. Not standing for the disenfranchised, whether or not I am one of that number, \u00a0is worse than keeping \u2018safe\u2019. And what is \u2018keeping safe\u2019 any way if I abandon my core principles.<\/p>\n

My dad was a soldier. He put his life on the line many days for many years. He, too, taught me that it is important to live in service to something greater than yourself. And he taught me that being brave and being afraid are intricately entwined. He even went so far as to tell me that if I wasn\u2019t afraid then I would not proceed with caution and that was just plain stupid.<\/p>\n

No matter the outcome of this \u00a0testament to the values we\u00a0hold sacred, the standing together matters. I will stand with you, my friends, and I will stand for you.<\/p>\n

There is a song from my younger days that the Staple Singers sang. It keeps running through my head and it is important for our time as well. I\u2019ve posted the lyrics here. It is my invitation to the nation: come go with me. Go to Washington. Go to your local march. We cannot wait to stand and be counted.<\/p>\n