My Mom, who is a teacher and has done extensive work in psychology dealing with exceptionalities (back in the day, you’d call it Abnormal Psych, but I’m sure that’s considered politically incorrect now), has told me often that I’m a process thinker.

This means it takes me time work through things. I need time to process information. When presented with a new situation, I won’t know what to do until I’ve thought my way through it. Later, I’ll come to a very well-thought-out position. It just takes some time.

So, I kind of felt this in my soul when I read it:

So much has happened this year, so much has changed. All the things that felt normal and safe are now unusual and dangerous. And it shouldn’t surprise anyone that we are all processing things at different rates.

So what to do when we encounter another who is processing at a slower rate than us? Or someone processing faster than us? What do we do you when we find ourselves at odds with others in terms of how to proceed? What do we do when we are stuck processing March, even though we are physically in August?

Well, did you see yesterday’s post? Cause the answer is there – respond with grace, even when others aren’t. Be kind. Be gentle. Be generous. Assume the best about people, instead of the worst.

As one of my fave memes EVER says:

We know a little about the battles we all are facing right now: uncertainty, fear, financial difficulty, boredom, the mental strains and stresses that have continued to bear down on us all during the pandemic.

So let’s do our absolute best to live up to what the Scripture says:

Until tomorrow, dear friends, be kind, be compassionate, be patient. Trust that others are struggling as much (or perhaps even more) than you are. Respond with grace, always.