Good morning Senators and guests. This is our first week back from our spring recess. For members of the Christian faith we celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ which is the foundation of Christianity and the most important of all observances. For my Jewish brothers and sisters, this was the time of Passover, which commemorates the story of Exodus in which the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt. For my Islamic brothers and sisters it is the time of the “Night of the Journey and Ascension,” the time when the Prophet Mohammad ascended into heaven where he met Adam, Abraham, Moses and Jesus. As much as religion differs, I am often astounded by the similarities.
This morning I would like to take a moment to reflect on the many challenges before us. Iyanla Vanzant the award winning author from her best-selling book “Acts of Faith” quoted the very secular Henry Ford when he said, “Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is a process; working together is success.”
Whether in business, government or personal relationships, what makes working together so difficult is our individual need to be right and to have things our way. As long as we have a position to hold on to we cannot come together or work together. If we are not willing to bend, we will somehow get in the way. We must get clear about what we are doing, why we are doing it and who we are working for. Only with an honest examination of our motives and intent can we surrender to any working or productive process. If we enter any collective agreement for only personal goals and with mental garbage, the stability of the group is jeopardized by our dishonest foundation. If we come together in honesty, work together in clarity, we can stay together with respect and meet any goal successfully.
May the spirit of the living God guide our steps. May the welfare of the least of those among us be the goal of our efforts and the definition of our success.
May this be God’s will--AMEN!
