Columns

Rising from the Ashes

Marijuana seems to be almost everywhere in Sonoma County and not always where it ought to be. High school and even middle school kids smoke before, after and in-between classes. On highways and country lanes, drivers too stoned to adhere to the basic rules of the road jeopardize their lives and the lives of others.

At the mouth of the Russian River, which defines the watershed in which we all live, there is a mud and sand flat full of driftwood, large rocks and lots and lots of colorful items. These are soda bottles, lost toys, household containers, play balls, boat parts, piles of bottle caps, broken cases, bags, missing shoes and unidentifiable pieces of our modern life. They’re all made of plastic.

Is it possible that Hollywood, our California state legislature, parts of the U.S. military, the NFL, FOX News, an Alabama U.S. Senate candidate and even the White House all have rising evidence of an embedded culture of sexual harassment and the rest of us don’t?

The list started a few months ago. He’d casually point to a restaurant and say, “Hmm! Maybe we should go there during summer break.” (The “for chicken strips and French fries” was unspoken, but understood.) Then he’d remember someplace like Epicenter, and add that “we should” to the list, which rapidly took on a life of its own.

Windsor Presbyterian Church members share a commitment as part of a congregation known for its reputation as an accepting community of faith that welcomes everyone coming through its doors.