Character is a stand alone attribute.

November 16, 2024

Two days ago, panicked about Trump’s cabinet picks, I was anxious and terrified for this country. I reached out to someone I knew a long time ago who might provide some reassurance. I met Dale freshman year in college. At 19, I was an unserious young woman flitting about, free to try all of the things I’d been too afraid to try growing up. Dale was 21, an avid history buff, and one of the most intelligent people I have ever met. At that time, he was an atheist. I was an Evangelical Christian. We would have friendly conversations about God, both of us respectful of the other’s point of view. But he was solid in his arguments, and I assumed he’d hold that position for life. But mostly, we’d have conversations about history. He was particularly knowledgeable about WWII.

I lost touch with Dale until, through the Magic of Facebook, we reconnected in 2016. I was truly flabbergasted to learn he’d become a devout Catholic. “You were an ATHEIST!” I said. “A DEVOUT ATHEIST!” He gave me an LOL and told me he’d been inspired to believe watching his wife’s faith. He’s been married more than 30 years, now, and has two grown children. I shared with him the piece I’d written about him, my first love. He was flattered. Over the last eight years, we occasionally messaged briefly, but never of anything serious. We no longer have a close personal…