When I was 5 years old, my parents hosted Up With People for what would become the first of many times. Many people are familiar with UWP, but I know some are not. In a nutshell, you travel with students from all over the world by bus, do community service, perform a show spreading love and not hate, and you stay with host families. Google it. It’s still a thing today and I encourage you to have your older children consider it for a gap year. I remember the five guys we hosted (we had a big house). They were only with us about 4 days, but I loved every second with them around. I especially fell in love with the show they performed. In particular, one song always stuck with me (besides the theme song we never get out of our heads!). This song is called, “What Color is God’s Skin?”. The man that sang it had an amazing, deep voice that gave chills and the cast performed it in sign language too. I still (think) I remember the movements. After that, my dad sang me this song often and I would catch him humming it around the house here and there as well. I share it with my own kids today and I have shared it from time to time on my Facebook page. The message is beautiful. Who cares what color your skin is? God made us all and loves us all!

I consider myself one of the lucky ones. I didn’t need a song to remind me of something I was already learning every single day from my parents. I don’t believe that they ever had to tell me that skin color didn’t matter or that religion didn’t matter or that sexual orientation didn’t matter. They lived their lives showing me. It never occurred to me to question why my dad’s best friend since middle school had black skin. They were best friends because he was a great guy and so was my dad. They played football together and always had each other’s backs. They were friends based on every reason people are supposed to become friends, not based on skin color. In fact, they were such amazing friends, that I got to hear them say good-bye to each other before my father passed away. My dad lived with me when he took very ill. He was a month shy of 79 years old. His condition was getting worse each day. I asked him what he wanted or needed to do before he passed away. One of the things he said was “I want to call Henry.” I dialed up my father’s best friend and told him that my dad wasn’t doing so great and had wanted to speak with him. I eavesdropped from the other room. The tears fell freely for them and for me. My father told his friend how much he had always meant to him and they spoke of old times and the over six decades of friendship they were blessed to share. I heard my dad tell Henry that he would see him on the other side. It was sad and heart-breaking and beautiful all at the same time.

This is what it is all about. It’s not about the black or the white or the yellow or any color in between. It’s not about the catholic or the jew or the atheist. It’s not about the straight or the gay or the he or the she or the they. It is about the human. It is about the love. It is about a world full of people that don’t look the same, but are all beautiful. It is about a world full of people who don’t think the same, but all hold valid thoughts that should be respected. It is about a world full of people with different jobs and levels of education that are still all brilliant in their own unique ways. It is about a world full of people who just want to be heard, to be understood, to be free to be who they are, and to still be loved and respected. It really is not that complicated. Love and kindness and peace are all simple.

It is about two 11 year old boys on a playground who decided to be friends. They didn’t think about it being 1950. They were just boys who both loved football. They were boys who had each other’s backs from the beginning. Picking a fight with one of them meant picking a fight with both of them and that was that. I have no doubt that when Henry passed away not too long after my dad, they did see each other on the flip side. I am sure that reunion was a great one. I am also sure that the two of them are looking down at this world, shaking their heads and wondering how in the hell it is 2022 and people are still out there being dumbasses using criteria for friendships and acceptance that was never ok, not in 1950 and not today. My dad and Henry did life up right and I am grateful they passed that on to me. Now to those of you who aren’t accepting, who aren’t as loving to all those who cross your path, I have this to say… Get your head out of your butthole, stop being a turd, and love one another as you too want to be loved!