When a General Conference tries to tell you otherwise, remember:
You Are
you
you are
it’s who you are…
you are love…you are loved…
you are seen…
your funny smile when you are
up to a little mischief…
your hand movements
when you are anxious…
your downward glance
when you know you have been judged…
your amazing artwork that hangs in your home…
your quick steps when you are excited…
your huge grin when you surprise someone
with a gift always perfectly chosen…
you are invaluable…we all need…
your ability to light up a room with your smile…
your talent when you play
the saxophone with the band…
your ability to handle a
complex accounting problem
without feeling stressed…
your compassion when you
sit with a dying hospice patient…
your hope when you wait for answers with a friend…
your patience when you teach in the schools…
your style when you dance across the stage…
your creativity and vision
when you design and invent and build and plan…
you are heard…
your laughter when it fills a room…
your voice when you speak out against injustice…
your song when it heals a broken heart…
your call to others when they lose hope…
your statement when you testify to truth…
you are queer…trans…gay…bi…lesbian
you are pan…asexual…questioning…straight…
you are young…old…
you are male…female…you are nonbinary…
you are black…white…
one of a thousand shades between…
you are Hispanic…European…
you are Asian…African…American
you are an islander…a native…
you are an immigrant…a refugee
you are a blend of people who came before…
you are love…you are loved
it’s who you are
you are
you
–Chris Pepple ©2019