8 minutes, 46 seconds

This isn’t a “normal” blog post for me… but this time of life is feeling far from normal.

My business has been put on somewhat of a holding pattern in 2020 thus far with lots of rescheduling and adapting to a longer off season than normal. I have been wanting to photograph life and things going on outside of my kids and family, (who are very much over the photo ops after the close quarters of quarantine) it has been hard to come by.

We have seemingly survived “crisis education”- not to be confused with home school. We are in our final stretch of school at home, and can count the actual “school days” on one hand and we are all rejoicing in this fact. We have watched more movies and shows and spent countless hours outside in our yard and in county trails while they were open. Being on time for anything wasn’t ever necessary. There was no place we needed to be.

Our summer plans were all cancelled including our trip to see family in California and get the chance to stay and hike in Yosemite for the first time ever. Camping over memorial day weekend was refunded earlier in May and it was hard to make any future summer plans not knowing what would be open or available. The week leading up to Memorial day had been eventful enough when my 7 year old son broke both the bones in his left arm the day after we received word that our offer to buy a house was accepted. That was the most excitement we had had since before March 13th.

There had been no news since March 13th- not really. No sports to watch, no place to go. There had been more executive orders passed, and debates about a virus to last a lifetime. Time had seemingly stood still through the pandemic, somewhere between a mix of the twilight zone and a bad replay of “Groundhogs Day” that we could not wake up from.

And then, we got a little break for the upcoming holiday. Even though plans had been altered we had been provided a little more freedom to gather in groups less than 10, and for those of us in the “rule follower” category, this was great news.

So Memorial weekend was spent with immediate family over the holiday weekend, as most people did, enjoying the beautiful weather and grilling out and eating more food than we should. It was pretty uneventful but relaxing as we worked on projects that needed to get done around the house before we move.

And then it happened. The video popped up on every news feed and station. I got flashbacks of being 13 and seeing the video of Rodney King being brutally beaten and wondered how long this would continue If its possible, this video seemed worse, because it ended with a man dead.

8 minutes, 46 seconds. About as long as it takes me to shower. It sounds quick, doesn’t it. It’s just less than 10 minutes.

But that was the amount of time it took for George Floyd to know he was about to die, and no amount of crying for help would save him on this fateful Memorial Day. We have all heard the story. Between the protests and riots across the nation, the social media posts, there is no shortage of news…which has been very unlike the months preceding his death.

It was like other stories we have heard…. but this time was different.

This time, we saw it. We could hear his cries to his mother and him screaming, “I CAN’T BREATHE!”

A father with his son at a peaceful protest in Kalamazoo on 6/1/2020 lying on the ground in remembrance of how George Floyd died.

It was the second time in less than a month a video of this nature showed the misconduct and nature of humanity at its worst. (The video of the death of Ahmaud Arbery -who had actually been dead since February- surfaced in mid-May and began to stir unrest in more people across the nation.)

A woman lying face down for 8 minutes and 46 seconds in honor of George Floyd’s death.

But enough is enough. We need to unite and gather together knowing that this is what we are called to. To advocate for the oppressed. To speak when those can’t speak for themselves (or aren’t being heard).

I believe that we are to act justly, love kindness and walk humbly (Micah 6:8) . My God is not partial and I can rest in the fact that those who do these acts will be judged accordingly, even if justice is not played out rightly on this earth. I know my God is just and I have hope in knowing that He is in control of all things.

I see you.

I hear you.

I am with you.

Peaceful protester in Kalamazoo on 6/1/2020