Finding Our Path in 2026

Lately, I have been asking myself the questions that those of us fortunate enough to have a roof over our heads get to ask:

What should I be doing at this point in history, when everything seems to be falling apart and opening up?

There are so many new possibilities and opportunities with new technology, yet Palestinians in Gaza and increasingly in the West Bank have been deliberately made homeless and destitute by Israeli aggression. Meanwhile, more and more countries seem to be entering into wars.

When you consider the homelessness crisis in the United States, and then the fact that we are intentionally creating similar conditions in other countries, it becomes clear that world leaders have lost their minds.

I won’t make a list of all the other challenges we are facing because you are already aware of them. Instead, let’s shift to something more practical.

What should we do when forces beyond our control seem to be playing out their insanities and psychopathies at the expense of ordinary people who just want a chance to enjoy their lives, enjoy a picnic in the sun, and make a positive impact on their families and communities?

I honestly think that’s where we need to double down. We cannot compete with drones and multimillion-dollar social media influencing campaigns, but we can continue to make a difference for our families, friends, and local communities. These small actions matter, even when no one seems to notice. God notices.

A few days ago, I picked up a praying mantis from the middle of the road and put it in the bushes.

Right now, I am particularly interested in the campaign to free Brian Cole Jr., an autistic man with no prior criminal history who was accused of being the January 6 pipe bomber and mistreated while in detention. Once you learn about this case, you begin to see what I believe is a fabricated case against him—what the kids these days call “fedslop.” I believe he will eventually be exonerated, and actions in support of the campaign matter. They matter for him and his parents, and they matter for people who have never met him and never will but support his campaign because, when he is free, everyone will feel a little lighter. We will have experienced a wrong being righted.

And that’s the kind of thing I mean when I say we should double down on supporting and strengthening our families, friends, and communities. Because that’s the part of reality we can positively affect.

The reason I chose my painting of the fawn for this post’s graphic is that, 45 years ago, my uncle Keith rescued a fawn from the side of the road after her mother had been killed by a car. He bottle-raised her, and she lived in his house until she became too large. Then she moved outside and slept in his barn at night.

A few years later, he died in a sudden accident, and we miss him greatly. But that one act of his—rescuing the fawn—brought a lot of joy to our entire family in the short time he and she were with us. It made a difference to her too.

-Katie.