Hi Montana Yankee

Thank you for your comment at Provoketive Magazine (http://provoketive.com). We’re creating a space of rich conversation about life, faith, justice and culture without judgment. Our desire is to provoke the reader’s imagination through conversation and open up spaces of dialogue, learning, and hope.  We want to invite you to come back soon and continue to participate in the conversation. 

Thank you,
Jonathan Brink
Provoketive Magazine

You posted the following comment:
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". . .if others aren’t losing, than I’m not winning.” That,sadly, has become the mantra of so many in the country today. And even worse, it's become a justification for nasty vitriol, divisiveness and even violence. 
As always, a well-stated, well-thought-out piece of writing, Ms. Martin.
And as for God, I for one,do not believe there is a being who is pulling all the strings and makes bad things happen for inexplicable reasons. Things happen. If my father is in a car accident, I don't blame him or God for willfully making it happen. What I believe is God and my father are there to comfort me when the bad things do happen. To give me strength to carry on and to help me look for ways to make things better for myself and others.
Keep up the good work. I am so glad that you are a teacher with the clear-headedness, wisdom and compassion to guide at least some of our children wisely and with humor.