Where Does Bitterness Lead?

Buck O’Neil

Friends of Padre Steve’s World

Just a brief thought as we get ready to enter the heat of the presidential primary season. We all know that our society has become increasingly divided among political lines as well as in so many other ways. The temptation is to allow that division to become part of our soul, and to leave us embittered. The legendary Negro League baseball player and manager Buck O’Neil penned this little verse, and I share it because I think, in a time like this it is so easy to become bitter that it is a remainder of all that we can aspire to be.

If you don’t know Buck O’Neil, you need to, he lived during Jim Crow, and knew what it was to be treated as a second class citizen, and to be hated and abused simply because he was African American. But he never let it destroy him, he became stronger and his tremendous grace under pressure taught many people how to live.

Where does bitterness take you?

To a broken heart?

To an early grave?

When I die

I want to die from natural causes

Not from hate

Eating me up from the inside

I may hold strong opinions, but I never want them to end up breaking my heart, eating me up from the inside, and taking me to an early grave.

Peace

Padre Steve+