by Summer D Clemenson | Sep 30, 2025 | Poetry, Politics
~
What if there was no left or right?
What if there was no black or white?
What if we saw the beauty
and truth that is everywhere
That you are light
that inside the truth is that
together we are all right?
~
What if instead of shaking each other down
or calling each other names
we saw how far we have come?
What if we celebrated
our victories
instead of recounting our shame?
What if we chose to be together
instead of divided by hate?
~
We don’t have to listen to the propaganda
We don’t have to bring guns to the fight
We could reach out for our neighbors
and hold hands instead of rancor
Love could be our connection
instead of a missed target
Choose light
~
by Summer D Clemenson | Sep 25, 2025 | Letters to My Representatives, Opinions
Dear Representatives,
I am writing in regards to Trump’s H-1B Policy. I am very concerned to hear that he has decided to add a $100,000 fee to this non-immigrant visa program which already costs business owners about $10,000 per specialized worker to take advantage of. There are already strict time limits, education guidelines and lottery to get through. There are government, attorney and processing fees, on top of promise to pay progressive wages to these employees while they are in the United States.
The benefits of these employers cannot be ignored. The United States does not have enough of these highly trained people to fill the kinds of jobs these people can help us to maintain our ability to be competitive with the rest of the world. These people pay taxes, buy houses and cars while they are here for up to 6 years. If we allow Trump to add a $100,000 price tag to this program, businesses will be priced out. New start ups that might see huge success will not be able to afford to hire the expertise they need. The United States will not be successful. Jobs will be lost.
Please stop this policy. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Summer D Clemenson
by Summer D Clemenson | Sep 25, 2025 | Letters to My Representatives, Opinions
Dear Representative,
I am very upset that Trump and Hegseth have illegally changed the name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War. I recognize not only is this actually a problem because now they can use money set aside for the Department of Defense for other things than it was originally meant for and find other money for the Department of War. But I also know the power of words and I am afraid for what this literally means for our country, which has been able to keep war from our shores since 1942. I am upset that the Department of Peace has been gutted and de-funded.
I would like to see Congress sue the Trump Administration for violating the Appropriations Clause. I would like to see the Government Appropriations Office to issue a binding decision that spending under the name “Department of War” is unlawful. I would like to see the encouragement of contractors, states, or others directly affected by misallocated funds so they could challenge the legality in federal court, by our representatives.
Thank you for your time. Please do what is right.
Sincerely,
Summer D Clemenson
by Summer D Clemenson | Sep 24, 2025 | Poetry, Politics
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I am a woman
Many of my friends have been raped
All of my female friends have been
touched inappropriately
or made to feel uncomfortable
in the presence of a man or men
~
I was related to the man that touched me
My friends knew their rapists
But society can be uncomfortable
the rules are unfair
the expectations are hypocritical
No one is safe
~
Women and children are not safe
So many gone
So many go missing daily
Some return forever broken
Some never return
Yet we protect the guilty
Because we know too many
people in authority
are not innocent
~
by Summer D Clemenson | Sep 24, 2025 | Poetry, Politics, Queer Community
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I hate the hatred God
How can they hate
someone they have never met
How can someone say they love You
but hate Your creation
The confusion makes me so tired
I hold onto You with white knuckles
~
It scares me so much
to look at my neighbors
and wonder if they hate me
because I have a wife
because I call her
my gingerbread cookie
or both
What if we adopt a child and
they’re born in the wrong body
I’ll have two parts of my heart
to be afraid for
~
I want to love my enemies
I pray for them like You told me
I fell like prey
I feel like it is a matter of time
before the ships surround me
My only strength is in You
so I will keep listening for You
even though my arms are so tired
~
PS: My 3 year old great-nephew took this picture with my phone. He is amazing!
~
by Summer D Clemenson | Sep 22, 2025 | Opinions, Politics
TO MY WHITE PEOPLE
I want to share something with you. I can talk about racism and white supremacy and privilege but my wife lives it. Quietly and with a smile. But sometimes the fear is real and I have seen it and was glad I was there to be white.
I would have never known that if I hadn’t married her. You can’t know until the rest of your heart is not just like you.
I don’t know the words for it. She doesn’t know the words for it. It is a carnal deep feeling. It is fear but it has a flavor all its own.
You can tell me you have struggled, you can tell me you have been abused, you can tell me that no one has helped you. Those statements can be true. But if you were white, they aren’t completely true. Because if you can put on the right clothes, say the right words and move in the right direction, you can get what you need or want, if you are white. In some situations, no matter what you do, the color of your skin has affected every part of your situation if you are brown or black.
I thought it was just part of history. I thought it was in books. I thought people were overreacting. But my wife doesn’t overreact. She is full of love, even when I can feel her fear.
~
Feel free to leave your comments below!
My name is Summer. That is how you can call me. I hope that I am a blessing to you. I am not perfect. I will fall again. But I am forgiven. For anyone reading this that isn’t a Christian, unapologetically, I am a Jesus Follower, but I believe there is room for lots of beliefs and religions in the world. It is not my intent to offend people with different beliefs than I have and I would be open to open-minded conversations with no goals of changing anyone’s mind, but sharing information. If you are interested in becoming a Jesus Follower…Do you know Jesus? Do want the Holy Spirit to fill you and give you understanding and salvation? Ask Him. Want someone to pray with you? Contact me.
If you would like to know Jesus as your friend, but want to make this amazing commitment by yourself please pray something like this: Thank you Jesus that You are the Son of God, the God that created heaven and earth. Thank you Jesus that You came to earth in the form of a man so that You would be able to empathize with my humanity. Thank You that You did this in order to fulfill the promises You made at the foundation of the world. I realize that I am a sinner and do things that hurt myself and keep myself away from you. Thank You that You died for my sins so that You could defeat death and bring me into Your life. Please forgive me. I ask You to be Lord of my life. I ask you to heal my hurts and show me what my new life, empowered by You looks like. Thank You for Your mercy.
by Summer D Clemenson | Sep 20, 2025 | Opinions, Politics
I live in a metropolis with at least 99 churches and 30 Christian nonprofits, per a quick search online. Longview, Washington has been where I have lived for most of my life. We are large enough to be interesting, but small enough that you don’t sit in traffic to get anywhere. Yet I don’t talk politics outside of my house too often, I fear for my queer friends that were born male, and being a woman has never been my strong suit. Did I mention that apart from paint colors, we don’t like change much around here.
When I did an AI search I got this quick answer about our demographics:
In 2020, Longview, Washington had a population of 37,818, with a majority being White (76.0%). The city has an older population than the state and a growing population of those with Hispanic/Latino origin, which made up 11.8% in 2020. In 2023, the median age was 39.1, and the cost of living was lower than the national and state averages.
So I wasn’t too surprised that our community would have a candle light vigil for Charlie Kirk, once I had done a search for him and watched some of his videos. He is the kind of conservative that the conservatives that live here, would be drawn to. Even though we are mostly a blue county and state, there are many conservatives here too and the ones that tend to be in Longview are truly red.
What did surprise me is that my people, who don’t like to part with their money very often, wanted to rename a street. Did you know it can cost $50,000 to change the name of a street? I support our tax dollars going to real needs, not frivolous spending.
After a few days of learning who Kirk was and what he stood for, if you weren’t just like him, I was not for his message. My message to people that wanted to have our tax dollars go to a ridiculous idea of changing a perfectly good street name. One that had served us just fine, for years was: If you want a memorial for Charlie Kirk, please start a GoFundMe and get something put together by people that want to pay for it.
I have been disgusted by the way I have heard people complain about the homeless people around here. This community refuses to be realistic about the need for a low barrier shelter and it is hateful and unable to be patient towards people with real needs and even organizations that try to meet them. Yet they want to put up a memorial to a man that never even came to Longview. I don’t get it.
Our community has no medical specialists, yet we have a hospital, so if you are chronically ill, you are forced to drive to Vancouver or Portland. If you are disabled, do you think that is easy to afford? Yet we don’t cater to doctors who might be interested in staying here, so they won’t. If you read the demographics above, this especially doesn’t make any sense. We are getting older people!
There are many real needs in this community. Changing a damn street name is not and should not be a priority. We need real change.
~
Feel free to leave your comments below!
My name is Summer. That is how you can call me. I hope that I am a blessing to you. I am not perfect. I will fall again. But I am forgiven. For anyone reading this that isn’t a Christian, unapologetically, I am a Jesus Follower, but I believe there is room for lots of beliefs and religions in the world. It is not my intent to offend people with different beliefs than I have and I would be open to open-minded conversations with no goals of changing anyone’s mind, but sharing information. If you are interested in becoming a Jesus Follower…Do you know Jesus? Do want the Holy Spirit to fill you and give you understanding and salvation? Ask Him. Want someone to pray with you? Contact me.
If you would like to know Jesus as your friend, but want to make this amazing commitment by yourself please pray something like this: Thank you Jesus that You are the Son of God, the God that created heaven and earth. Thank you Jesus that You came to earth in the form of a man so that You would be able to empathize with my humanity. Thank You that You did this in order to fulfill the promises You made at the foundation of the world. I realize that I am a sinner and do things that hurt myself and keep myself away from you. Thank You that You died for my sins so that You could defeat death and bring me into Your life. Please forgive me. I ask You to be Lord of my life. I ask you to heal my hurts and show me what my new life, empowered by You looks like. Thank You for Your mercy.
by Summer D Clemenson | Sep 17, 2025 | Opinions, Politics, Prayers & Thanksgiving
He made me afraid and I am sorry. My failure to love scared me. My lack of empathy for the death of Charlie Kirk scared me. Even as I wrote strong words to explain my fears, I didn’t understand what I was doing, and that is the truth.
I took a break from media for a few days so I could let myself rest and control my input better. I was overwhelmed and tired. But as the end drew near, the very mention of his name, made me angry and so I asked God why I was so angry. Why did this one person bother me so much?
So I made myself listen to the news, listen to what was being said and not being said and later to what God had to say. The news called Kirk a Political Activists and Debater. I have seen myself as these things at times. But my need for and my greatest gift, is my empathy; something Kirk did not believe in — I heard him say this with his own mouth. There are many people groups that he did not value as I do and this hurt me too. I felt that because he believed that a few gun deaths each year, justified our 2nd amendment and this flippant comment may have warranted his demise. I was so afraid of his platform, I stopped loving; I lost my empathy.
This is where I failed. I let my fear make me small. No matter how we justify our opinions, if we are functioning out of fear, we are small and we make God small. But God is not small. God is infinite. The words of a person cannot take root in us if we are not open to them. If we are aware of who our Creator is and what our job is, we can walk tall and love big. But when we fail we can always bring our failures to God and He will help us to see what slowed us down or what stopped us from doing what He created us for. I did this. I brought my tears to Him and I confessed that I let my fears stop me from loving and He understood and He forgave me and helped me forgive myself. He is still working with me because this is no small thing and it has several layers.
I decided to find out what I had in common with Kirk, to help me know him better. We both co-founded and held the position of executive directors of our non-profit organizations. He wrote books and I have a blog and write for a number of websites. He was a host for a TV show and radio show and I produced my wife’s TV show and radio show. He and I both had conservative religious and political influences, growing up. We also have beautiful wives that are talented and capable. From there, we have much that is different about us.
I am old enough to be Charlie Kirk’s aunt, because he is the same age as my oldest nephew. This tells me that although he has an impressive resume, maybe Kirk didn’t have time to grow fully into himself. He was raised with wealth, he had opportunities for education, even if he didn’t take them, that I didn’t have. He was physically healthy. He and his wife are white and straight, he is from Chicago and she is from Arizona. My wife is mulatto and we are queer, she is from North Carolina and I am from Washington. He was raised in a Pentecostal church and chose to change to a Christian Nationalist religion. I was raised in a Southern Baptist Church and then was part of a Non-denominational church and now study and praise the Lord at home and with friends because I haven’t found a church I fit in. I have never said that Kirk was not a Christian, but the fact that there are foundational differences between us, I do think I would have asked different questions of Jesus. My relationship is probably different.
My friend Joshua Simila sent me a message that really made a good point to me. He said:
He held up a mirror for parents. We have an entire generation of kids that are overstimulated, too much technology, having extreme melt downs and can’t debate properly. No matter what side of politics you are on, I hope my kid is prepared to go to college without having a full blown tantrum during a debate. Americans have become extremely spoiled.
I work in the school system. I have nothing against our nation’s kids, many of them are full of kindness and good qualities. I have seen some of the greatest examples of compassion and responsibility from this generation coming up.
However Summer, we are seeing some of the most unregulated emotionally charged destructive behavior I have ever witnessed. I am a parent within the millennial age group. I know this first hand. Charlie is causing division that we unfortunately need. Your generation knows how to debate properly. This one doesn’t. I’m being completely honest in this. They aren’t getting consequences and having to learn. We are failing them (parentally). They deserve so much better.
I saw Mary Steenburgen and her husband, Ted Danson, on TV Sunday night, receive the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award. In her acceptance speech she said there are two main emotions that all others come from: Love and Fear. She said that we are at a time where we are out of balance. This is the reason for the work that her family does to bring more love into balance. I really respect her statement.
Robert Pape from the University of Chicago was on Face the Nation on the same night. He does research and critical surveys. He has found that although politicians want to blame all political hate, that has become so prevalent, on the media and specifically social media, he is emphatic that it is the fact that there is something to hate, that is causing the rise of political violence.
I don’t think that Charlie Kirk and I would have been friends. There were enough differences between us that I am not sure we could have enjoyed our time together. Some of our beliefs may have even made us peaceful enemies. Meaning, we would have:
- Chosen to agree to disagree
- Pray for each other because the bible says to pray for our enemies
- Do what we can to live in peace with everyone
- Let God deal with those that hurt us
- Conquer evil by doing good
- Bless those who hurt us by doing good
It is never okay to use physical violence to make your voice heard, but if you don’t feel that your representatives are not working for you, I can understand your angst. However, that means you must make time to make phone calls, write emails, hold signs and make your voice heard in peaceful ways. All violence does is make it necessary for legal action to be brought against you and people to live with the pain you caused.
We are in a time where it is easy to become tired, angry or just not ourselves. It is good to unplug and regroup. That is what the Sabbath is for. God knew we needed time to have quiet and rest and time with Him to restore us so we can have a fresh face to tackle the next week. So we can love better.
I am sad for the loved ones of Charlie Kirk. I know they are mourning a great loss and I pray they find comfort with God and each other and that they grow in their mourning in a peaceful and loving way. I am sure he is with his Savior.
I am confirming that I do not agree with any political party. I believe our government is corrupt and run, much of the time, by self-serving individuals. But I am praying that God help me to love all of them with His love because He made them too, in His image.
I am sorry where I failed you. Please forgive me. Be blessed.
Image Credit: Glazonoid
~
Feel free to leave your comments below!
My name is Summer. That is how you can call me. I hope that I am a blessing to you. I am not perfect. I will fall again. But I am forgiven. For anyone reading this that isn’t a Christian, unapologetically, I am a Jesus Follower, but I believe there is room for lots of beliefs and religions in the world. It is not my intent to offend people with different beliefs than I have and I would be open to open-minded conversations with no goals of changing anyone’s mind, but sharing information. If you are interested in becoming a Jesus Follower…Do you know Jesus? Do want the Holy Spirit to fill you and give you understanding and salvation? Ask Him. Want someone to pray with you? Contact me.
If you would like to know Jesus as your friend, but want to make this amazing commitment by yourself please pray something like this: Thank you Jesus that You are the Son of God, the God that created heaven and earth. Thank you Jesus that You came to earth in the form of a man so that You would be able to empathize with my humanity. Thank You that You did this in order to fulfill the promises You made at the foundation of the world. I realize that I am a sinner and do things that hurt myself and keep myself away from you. Thank You that You died for my sins so that You could defeat death and bring me into Your life. Please forgive me. I ask You to be Lord of my life. I ask you to heal my hurts and show me what my new life, empowered by You looks like. Thank You for Your mercy.
by Summer D Clemenson | Sep 12, 2025 | About Summer, Opinions, Politics
I stand before you with my words in honesty. I am a human. I am not perfect and I have confessed that to you. I confess my humanity before man and my Creator daily and as often as necessary. I have not lied.
I have had a certain amount of push back on my writing as of late. I appreciate this. How can I not? I am a Jesus Follower, but I am also a United States citizen, a woman, a fat woman, a disabled woman, a queer woman, an artist and I should know my place. But I am telling you as a true Jesus Follower, I know my place as a person that is one with Christ, who has been given many gifts and it my duty to use them. I am grateful and responsible to Christ first. Not you or your man made ideas or idols. Believe me, I want there to be only love in my words, but sometimes there is just truth.
I am praying for Charlie Kirk’s family and I am praying for children that go to schools that have and will suffer shootings. I am praying for immigrants that need asylum, for nations at war and ones that will be at war. I’m praying for mercy for us all because we don’t deserve it. I don’t deserve it. I’m not perfect but God knows I will bring my burdens and failures before Him and we will sort them out and He will show me how to grow and let go of what is useless. I hope you can be this blessed.
For you that have made a man, that is not your Creator, your idol, or politics, or money, or your rights, or your power, or your beliefs, or anything bigger than your higher power, your idol, please consider repentance. Anything that comes between you and God is an idol and will be your downfall, our downfall. Because we are all connected.
So many people set this one man on a pedestal. Saying he was opening up communication, yet while he spoke many beautiful words, he also slid in many hateful words. Maybe not quite openly. These people forgave him quickly, saying, we all have a right to our opinions, but what he really was doing was sowing seeds of hate into soil that was ready made by years of oppression within our government and churches. Did he ever confess his sins to you, as I have?
Yet every person who has questioned me, was not willing to say I have a right to my opinion. Is it because as a christian woman, I should know my place?
I tell you, as a Jesus Follower, I know my place.
~
Feel free to leave your comments below!
My name is Summer. That is how you can call me. I hope that I am a blessing to you. I am not perfect. I will fall again. But I am forgiven. For anyone reading this that isn’t a Christian, unapologetically, I am a Jesus Follower, but I believe there is room for lots of beliefs and religions in the world. It is not my intent to offend people with different beliefs than I have and I would be open to open-minded conversations with no goals of changing anyone’s mind, but sharing information. If you are interested in becoming a Jesus Follower…Do you know Jesus? Do want the Holy Spirit to fill you and give you understanding and salvation? Ask Him. Want someone to pray with you? Contact me.
If you would like to know Jesus as your friend, but want to make this amazing commitment by yourself please pray something like this: Thank you Jesus that You are the Son of God, the God that created heaven and earth. Thank you Jesus that You came to earth in the form of a man so that You would be able to empathize with my humanity. Thank You that You did this in order to fulfill the promises You made at the foundation of the world. I realize that I am a sinner and do things that hurt myself and keep myself away from you. Thank You that You died for my sins so that You could defeat death and bring me into Your life. Please forgive me. I ask You to be Lord of my life. I ask you to heal my hurts and show me what my new life, empowered by You looks like. Thank You for Your mercy.
by Summer D Clemenson | Sep 11, 2025 | Opinions, Politics, Prayers & Thanksgiving
I am neither sad nor mad about the end of Charlie Kirk, other than to question why he was so profoundly important to others and I need help. Some of his words were small, they lacked empathy and were not from the Jesus I know. He called himself a christian, yet he did not love all his neighbors in a way that I can understand, the second most important law, according to Jesus. He would spit out the 10 commandments but he didn’t show that Jesus was the new covenant. That loving God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit and all our neighbors is the entire purpose of being a Jesus Follower. Nothing else matters. Jesus told us to be a humble, peaceful, generous, merciful servants. This was not this man’s message as I heard it.
We should be upset that on the same day Kirk was killed, a woman who came to the United States from Ukraine for protection was murdered by a mentally ill man, with a huge history of violence. Even his mother had asked for him to be committed, and yet, he was still on the streets of North Carolina; a walking time bomb.
Why do we not have better legislation is place for dangerous people?
We should care that also on the same day Kirk was murdered, when someone brought a gun to a school in Colorado, we should be thankful that a student would be willing to throw himself on that gun so that there were only 3 people hurt. We need to be celebrating this 18 year old man!
There were two school shootings on the same day but we are only talking about one, over and over…I can’t see why Kirk is more important than these children.
I do not know that Charlie Kirk would have thrown his body on a gun to protect others because I don’t know him. I don’t know if he was that selfless. If he did know how big God is, I didn’t see a God as big as mine in his messages. But maybe I wasn’t listening well.
Maybe this incident where Kirk was silenced, was just God pruning an unfruitful branch, as it mentions in John 15. Or maybe I am broken somewhere.
I don’t mean to be cruel. I know a wife lost a husband and 2 children lost a father. I don’t know why I can’t feel genuine empathy for them. It is usually abundantly available for me to offer for people in prayer, which I did pray for his family and loved ones, but it was not as natural as it usually is and for that I need to talk with God about. My humanity is getting in the way and I don’t know why.
I am afraid because I am not recognizing myself. Why does the mention of his name or vision of his face make me feel so angry?
His words hurt me. They sliced into me because some of his words were unloving, dis-inclusive, violent at times, and arrogant. Sometimes they were perfectly programmed “christian” words, and I am sure he did believe them, but Jesus came to teach us to love, He said He came to bring division, but that was because He knew humanity so well. Jesus’ words could get into our egos and without the pure soul, where love can grow, it can become foul, and then some of us would care about things that we have no business thinking about. That is evil, and I am afraid that sometimes, that was where Kirk spoke out of, even if it was unintentional. That is very sad.
Am I speaking from there too?
People hide behind the phrase, “We have a right to have our own opinion.” This is true. But words are important. God tells us that we have the power of life or death from our mouth. He told us to be careful. I am not rectifying the murderer’s actions. Murder is not ever acceptable. But what if Kirk’s words hurt someone so badly, they felt like they had no other choice? We may never know.
Or what if this murder is also meant by another evil, to bring even more division in a church that is already divided, on the eve of an event that at one time brought us all together for at least a moment?
Twenty four years ago, I know where I was when I heard about the Twin Towers. I remember that day more clearly than most days in my life. It started with a dream about it, before it happened. It ended with me being at a church worship service dancing and praising Jesus. But soon after some United States citizens began to hate Muslims and do terrible things to them, even though, they too were United States citizens, and they were in pain also by the loss of almost 3,000 people, and they had nothing to do with the plans of evil men from al-Qaeda.
I invite you to take a breath. Bring yourself to your center. Don’t try to blame anyone right now. The facts will come as they are supposed to. Today is a day of remembering. 9-11 brought our country together like no other day in a long time. We were quieter, more appreciative and we had been given a different perspective that helped some of us. Death is not always just an end, but also a door to a newness because as we mourn, we begin to live differently.
God loves you. No matter what name you call Him/Her/They. For a moment let that be enough to empower you to love others. That is the purpose of this life, there is no other reason we are here.
I will get the answers to my questions when I am ready for them. But if you want to pray for me, I appreciate that. Be blessed.
~
Feel free to leave your comments below!
My name is Summer. That is how you can call me. I hope that I am a blessing to you. I am not perfect. I will fall again. But I am forgiven. For anyone reading this that isn’t a Christian, unapologetically, I am a Jesus Follower, but I believe there is room for lots of beliefs and religions in the world. It is not my intent to offend people with different beliefs than I have and I would be open to open-minded conversations with no goals of changing anyone’s mind, but sharing information. If you are interested in becoming a Jesus Follower…Do you know Jesus? Do want the Holy Spirit to fill you and give you understanding and salvation? Ask Him. Want someone to pray with you? Contact me.
If you would like to know Jesus as your friend, but want to make this amazing commitment by yourself please pray something like this: Thank you Jesus that You are the Son of God, the God that created heaven and earth. Thank you Jesus that You came to earth in the form of a man so that You would be able to empathize with my humanity. Thank You that You did this in order to fulfill the promises You made at the foundation of the world. I realize that I am a sinner and do things that hurt myself and keep myself away from you. Thank You that You died for my sins so that You could defeat death and bring me into Your life. Please forgive me. I ask You to be Lord of my life. I ask you to heal my hurts and show me what my new life, empowered by You looks like. Thank You for Your mercy.
by Summer D Clemenson | Sep 5, 2025 | Opinions, Politics
I just saw a video suggesting that our president said that black children were born to become violent criminals. Now I know that the media does edit video the way they want you to experience it, however, I believe that Trump really is a white supremacist. I have always looked in that man’s eyes and known he was self-serving and evil. I thought it was a joke when he ran for president, and then I was proven wrong, that even though many of us have made huge strides in loving better, many of us still hate just as much as ever.
My Beloved is such an amazing person. She has been an inspiration to me for as long as I have known her. Her strength of character and integrity, and her ability to love and forgive is astounding. She is not perfect but she is able to get up and start over, roll with the punches, forgive and move on, show empathy and forgive, like I had never seen before. She doesn’t talk about herself or her past very much. I have learned to stop and listen when she talks about her childhood, stories of her great-grandmother or her other vibrant family members, or the abuse she suffered as a mulatto girl child, born in 1965 in High Point, North Carolina, 3 generations from slavery and all that implies.
Karen G Clemenson was taught to love white people because they are in her. She was taught to love everyone because they are her. She has some very strong and forward thinking ideas regarding civil rights. Some that many black people might disagree with. She has no interest in moving back to the south; there are just too many bad experiences she has had. Before we can even go back for a visit, there will be legal papers, gun licensing and a purchase to be made before she will feel ready to go.
I do study history. I go through phases where I study hard and then I have to stop because I can only take in the level of evil that white people have used against all people of color and even other white people (like Italians, Irish, and Jews) for so long before I need a break…I am Italian and Irish too…Because Karen lives with me she hears the things that hurt me the most.
I caught her as I came out of the bathroom saying, “I am worth more than 1/5 of a person.” She seemed so small. Her voice was not her normal vertebrata.
All I could do was catch her in a huge hug and say: I don’t believe any of it!
She answered with a very small: Thank you.
You see, racism/white supremacy, is still alive and it still is hurting my strong, beautiful, loving, capable 60-year-old wife. How do we allow a president stay in office that keeps it alive and says to our children that he expects them to grow up to be monsters, when he is the monster? He is supposed to be an example to our future and he is literally speaking violence over our children because if what he says manifests, and black children grow into criminals, who will be their victims?
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Feel free to leave your comments below!
My name is Summer. That is how you can call me. I hope that I am a blessing to you. I am not perfect. I will fall again. But I am forgiven. For anyone reading this that isn’t a Christian, unapologetically, I am a Jesus Follower, but I believe there is room for lots of beliefs and religions in the world. It is not my intent to offend people with different beliefs than I have and I would be open to open-minded conversations with no goals of changing anyone’s mind, but sharing information. If you are interested in becoming a Jesus Follower…Do you know Jesus? Do want the Holy Spirit to fill you and give you understanding and salvation? Ask Him. Want someone to pray with you? Contact me.
If you would like to know Jesus as your friend, but want to make this amazing commitment by yourself please pray something like this: Thank you Jesus that You are the Son of God, the God that created heaven and earth. Thank you Jesus that You came to earth in the form of a man so that You would be able to empathize with my humanity. Thank You that You did this in order to fulfill the promises You made at the foundation of the world. I realize that I am a sinner and do things that hurt myself and keep myself away from you. Thank You that You died for my sins so that You could defeat death and bring me into Your life. Please forgive me. I ask You to be Lord of my life. I ask you to heal my hurts and show me what my new life, empowered by You looks like. Thank You for Your mercy.
by Summer D Clemenson | Sep 1, 2025 | Opinions, Politics
I am not sure how to write this but I will trust the process. I have had many thoughts and videos come my way, recently, to ignite the thought that illegal aliens are the new black people aka slavery system. It is a deplorable thing to think about but as some people compare the Trump campaign to Hitler’s Nazi’s, I have been watching historians tell me stories that have never made it into the books I read in school, but are not far from what I read when I checked them out in the library or bought them myself. Similar stories can be told about how white people treated and treat Native Americans (this term includes humans that live in the entire continent, not just in the United States). These stories were not passed down because sensitive people would never vote to continue the abuse against civil rights that we still allow. I don’t write this to make everyone who looks like me to feel bad. I am not responsible for actions that happened before I was born, but I am responsible for what happens at my hand, during my life.
We have been sold the idea that illegal aliens are a drain on the system. They are a waste of our tax dollars. They are all criminals. That all criminals should be sent somewhere else, anywhere else because The United States of America is better than all other countries and we should be able to live without cares and troubles. But that is not true. All countries are made of humans and all humans are imperfect.
- All humans can keep other gods before our Creator,
- All humans can take our Creators name in vain.
- All humans can forget to keep the Sabbath day holy.
- All humans can dishonor their mother and father and be dishonored by their parents.
- All humans can kill.
- All humans can commit adultery (either with their body or in their mind).
- All humans can steal.
- All humans can tell lies against their neighbor.
- All humans can covet their neighbor’s spouse.
- All humans can covet their neighbor’s belongings.
All sins can be born from these.
If you make a man less than what he is, in the eyes of others, you have sinned because all men are created in the image of God, our Creator. Pulpits were used to indoctrinate ignorant people in how enslaved people were not full humans. In how black people were worth less than the family pet. But the bible does not mention skin color often, except where it says that Jesus‘ skin is the color of copper and His hair is like cotton. This would be likely, since, His mother, Mary, was born in Nazareth which is in Palestine; actually right where Israel is trying to annihilate people in Gaza, right now. So the vision we have been fed that Jesus was blonde haired and blue eyed, is completely false. And pulpits, television and phone screens, computer monitors and magazine and newspapers are being used to educate us whichever way we will sway.
I am in shock when I read the comments of hatred from people that blindly believe that, at all cost, we must remove illegal immigrants. My heart aches because these same people don’t stop for a moment and think about what that term means. Yes, we have many illegal immigrants in The United States. But many people who came here illegally, are no longer here illegally. They came here at all cost because where they were was toxic and unsafe and they wanted better for their family. So they came to America. They found ways to get green cards. They have jobs. They pay taxes. Their children are United States citizens. ICE is not checking IDs before they detain people of color. They are using tax records to find people to deport. They are leaving children without parents, who now are part of the already burdened foster care system. They are leaving jobs that white people don’t want to work, but society relies on to be done. Sometimes people are being sent to countries they have never been to.
All of this is being done with our tax dollars. Billions of tax dollars that could be spent on our national debt but wont be. Do you know that actually makes us weaker and not stronger? While Trump sends troops into cities that have not asked for help, he is spending money that could bring down our national debt, which makes us more reliant on other countries. He talks about deporting United States citizens, which is illegal, however this has not stopped him from breaking the law, as he pleases. This does not make us stronger, this makes us weaker, in every form of the word.
I have seen Trump supporters call people, who try to explain how his actions are wrong, sheep, but I am here to say that sheep follow blindly. Trump has been stroking many and some have been able to see the truth and some are too scared to admit they were wrong, and some are too stubborn to let go of the chants they have held tightly to, But as one white person that has been looking at patterns. I do not see this ending well.
The Trump Administration is blindly spending our money to wipe out one people group. They are making money while they do it. Every step of the way they are getting richer and we are paying the price for it, not just one way but morally and civilly. As we give our rights away quietly so that illegal citizens can be eradicated quickly, what are we going to do when he can turn the laws on us because we are now a burden he doesn’t want to carry?
Unchecked evil only gets hungrier.
~
Feel free to leave your comments below!
My name is Summer. That is how you can call me. I hope that I am a blessing to you. I am not perfect. I will fall again. But I am forgiven. For anyone reading this that isn’t a Christian, unapologetically, I am a Jesus Follower, but I believe there is room for lots of beliefs and religions in the world. It is not my intent to offend people with different beliefs than I have and I would be open to open-minded conversations with no goals of changing anyone’s mind, but sharing information. If you are interested in becoming a Jesus Follower…Do you know Jesus? Do want the Holy Spirit to fill you and give you understanding and salvation? Ask Him. Want someone to pray with you? Contact me.
If you would like to know Jesus as your friend, but want to make this amazing commitment by yourself please pray something like this: Thank you Jesus that You are the Son of God, the God that created heaven and earth. Thank you Jesus that You came to earth in the form of a man so that You would be able to empathize with my humanity. Thank You that You did this in order to fulfill the promises You made at the foundation of the world. I realize that I am a sinner and do things that hurt myself and keep myself away from you. Thank You that You died for my sins so that You could defeat death and bring me into Your life. Please forgive me. I ask You to be Lord of my life. I ask you to heal my hurts and show me what my new life, empowered by You looks like. Thank You for Your mercy.
by Summer D Clemenson | Aug 21, 2025 | Letters to My Representatives, Politics
Dear Representative,
I am writing to you in regards to H.R. 8445. From what I have read, in the past, when a person in the military, chose to leave our country to defend one of our allies, they left and were no longer paid by our tax dollars. But according to H.R. 8445 if one of our military members chooses to leave their post to fight for Israel, they will continue to be paid by our tax dollars, if this bill passes. I find this this to be a very troublesome idea.
- Why treat Israel different than any other ally?
- Israel is currently committing genocide against Palestine when the real offender is Hamas, who is supported by Iran.
- Why should we be paying the bill for this war?
I do not believe we should be supporting Israel in their goal in annihilating Palestine. Palestine is a country in need of help, not being destroyed. If Israel wants to continue to kill innocent people, let them do it by their own hand.
Please do not vote to pass this bill.
Sincerely,
Summer D Clemenson
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by Summer D Clemenson | Aug 5, 2025 | About Summer, Life, Opinions, Politics, Prayers & Thanksgiving
I recently have begun looking for old songs that have called to me throughout my life. I hummed a tune to Karen and she immediately began singing “Wade in the Water,” which, with a very small amount of research, I learned is an Underground Railroad Hymn. It was used to communicate how to travel from slavery to freedom.
“Wade in the water
Wade in the water, children
Wade in the water
God’s gonna trouble the water.”
These words tell people to make sure to stay off the path and get into the water because the slave hunter’s dogs couldn’t smell their scent when they went into the water and the rivers led to salvation. Wading also implies defiance. Unlike swimming or floating, you must push against the water and current to wade in the water; it is work to stay steady in the mud and rock and grasses.
Although my ancestors came from Europe and Canada, I have always seen a beauty and connection to Native American and Black culture. I feel connection with trees and tall grasses in the wind. I love to feel leaves, as though we are talking. Worshiping with Jerry Chapman, a local Native Pastor, showed me the beauty of drums and how we are all connected. In my 20’s I learned so many lessons about how I was made to understand more than one realm. Through nature God shows us that we are all one. Because He made the first man and breathed His breath into him and humanity was created.
I don’t need to read or listen to the news to know a catastrophe has happened. I can feel it. When I was a child, I would see things and have dreams that scared me. But as an adult, with the bible and more experienced teachers, I learned how to pray about these things, limit spiritual attack, and now I am learning to rest.
Recently someone sent me a short video of a white woman. Her message was that people make groups to divide us: Queer/Straight, Black/White, Disabled/Able-Bodied…and we just need to love everyone. Tee Hee (I am sorry that is what I heard in my head…and I know it is judgmental and not fair)
My problem with straight, white, healthy women telling me to just love everyone, is not that I don’t agree, or that I don’t think she might not be sincere, but she, or someone like her, has been saying something like that for a long time, while straight, white, healthy men keep making laws that make it harder for queer, or disabled, or people of color, or women to live their lives the way they want. God made free will for everyone, not just white men. I know not all white women support some of the terror in the world, not all white men are terrorist, and what I am saying might sound unfair. It is.
My black, queer, disabled family would like to invite you to research what other black families still are living with. Maybe read about what queer communities have to deal with. Have you read about some of the issues disabled people face? Yes we do need to love each other but we also need to know each other.
I think “Wade in the Water” is a universal song. We are still struggling and everyone struggles. We are all needing salvation.
“See those people dressed in red
Must be the children that Moses led.
Wade in the water
Wade in the water, children
Wade in the water
God’s gonna trouble the water.”
~
Feel free to leave your comments below!
My name is Summer. That is how you can call me. I hope that I am a blessing to you. I am not perfect. I will fall again. But I am forgiven. For anyone reading this that isn’t a Christian, unapologetically, I am a Jesus Follower, but I believe there is room for lots of beliefs and religions in the world. It is not my intent to offend people with different beliefs than I have and I would be open to open-minded conversations with no goals of changing anyone’s mind, but sharing information. If you are interested in becoming a Jesus Follower…Do you know Jesus? Do want the Holy Spirit to fill you and give you understanding and salvation? Ask Him. Want someone to pray with you? Contact me.
If you would like to know Jesus as your friend, but want to make this amazing commitment by yourself please pray something like this: Thank you Jesus that You are the Son of God, the God that created heaven and earth. Thank you Jesus that You came to earth in the form of a man so that You would be able to empathize with my humanity. Thank You that You did this in order to fulfill the promises You made at the foundation of the world. I realize that I am a sinner and do things that hurt myself and keep myself away from you. Thank You that You died for my sins so that You could defeat death and bring me into Your life. Please forgive me. I ask You to be Lord of my life. I ask you to heal my hurts and show me what my new life, empowered by You looks like. Thank You for Your mercy.
by Summer D Clemenson | Jul 29, 2025 | Opinions, Politics
I have realized I have to keep a relaxed mindset about politics. Although I care deeply, it is too much stress for me. I can’t seem to get away from it so I kind of let the information flow through my mind easily to allow myself to catch a big picture. I let go of most of it because I have accepted that there is little I can do to make a difference.
But I am aware that most days we wake to a new stressor from Trump. This causes groups of people that belong to the group he is picking on to become antagonized. If he hasn’t picked on every group, he has picked on a group that will pick on a group for him (like getting non-christians riled up so they feel like they have defend themselves against christians). Trump doesn’t pick on christians (christian nationalists) because they are a huge part of his followers.
I have been chewing on the fact that he enjoys having United States citizens so unstable all the time and it got me thinking; is this his normal? Was his childhood so chaotic that his life has to be this way? I already see signs of childhood trauma and neglect in him. Maybe he needs our pity and sympathy. He is so rich that he has never understood consequences which mold us into better people. (Reminder if you follow me on Facebook: I just watched all 6 Rocky movies) If he has never truly lost and had to really start over with nothing, how could he ever have any idea what the human condition is or the American Dream is?
These thoughts don’t change how I feel about him as our president, but they do make him more human in my mind.
~
Feel free to leave your comments below!
My name is Summer. That is how you can call me. I hope that I am a blessing to you. I am not perfect. I will fall again. But I am forgiven. For anyone reading this that isn’t a Christian, unapologetically, I am a Jesus Follower, but I believe there is room for lots of beliefs and religions in the world. It is not my intent to offend people with different beliefs than I have and I would be open to open-minded conversations with no goals of changing anyone’s mind, but sharing information. If you are interested in becoming a Jesus Follower…Do you know Jesus? Do want the Holy Spirit to fill you and give you understanding and salvation? Ask Him. Want someone to pray with you? Contact me.
If you would like to know Jesus as your friend, but want to make this amazing commitment by yourself please pray something like this: Thank you Jesus that You are the Son of God, the God that created heaven and earth. Thank you Jesus that You came to earth in the form of a man so that You would be able to empathize with my humanity. Thank You that You did this in order to fulfill the promises You made at the foundation of the world. I realize that I am a sinner and do things that hurt myself and keep myself away from you. Thank You that You died for my sins so that You could defeat death and bring me into Your life. Please forgive me. I ask You to be Lord of my life. I ask you to heal my hurts and show me what my new life, empowered by You looks like. Thank You for Your mercy.
by Summer D Clemenson | May 22, 2025 | Letters to My Representatives
Dear Representative,
I am writing to persuade you to not pass Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill. I don’t understand why Congress would want a plan that would raise the national debt ceiling to $4 trillion, while increasing taxes on people that make less than $157K, make huge cuts to SNAP and Medicaid, while requiring disabled people between the ages of 19-65 to work 20 hours a week, which might be a huge detriment to their health, while making them ineligible for their benefits. I don’t see why we are even considering pay increases to ICE when their budget is almost gone for the year. And why would a country that doesn’t care about its poor and sick enough to protect their health insurance and food assistance, even care about spending $75 billion on a Golden Dome? This program is a ridiculous waste of money from an administration that promised to get rid of waste and bloat, but has done nothing but create more of it.
Even if you personally are in agreement with me that this bill is actually a Monumental Malevolent Bill, you might be in the presence of someone who plans to vote for this reprehensible legislation and I need you to do whatever it takes to stop this bill from going through. This bill will cripple the people who actually do the work in this country so the rich can have their bonuses. The rich don’t need tax cuts, they already benefit from the hardworking people beneath them by hardly doing anything.
I am disabled. I have 13 chronic mental and physical illnesses plus cancer. The energy I do have before my body gives out on me, each day, is spent making sure my wife has clean clothes to wear and good food to eat so she can focus on her 3 jobs. We also help my friend that is disabled and has no spouse. This bill causes me a lot of stress. It is personal to me. I don’t care if you send a canned response to my message. What I want is to see that this rape against our society stops.
Trump is the worst president, I think, we have ever seen because he is completely removed from normal, everyday people. He hasn’t a clue what it is like to live under $100,000 a year, or less. Being poor is not evil or illegal, why should we pay so highly for it?
Please do your job. Please don’t let Trump stomp the life out of poor United States citizens.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Summer D Clemenson
PS I tried to read this bill. I have read several bills and this one was too much.
~
by Summer D Clemenson | Apr 29, 2025 | Letters to My Representatives, Politics
Dear Representative,
I am writing in regards to Trump’s Presidential Action: Strengthening and Unleashing America’s Law Enforcement to Pursue Criminals and Protect Innocent Citizens aka Martial Law.
Trump says he wants to “firmly police dangerous criminal behavior and protect innocent citizens,” stop citizens from “demonizing law enforcement and impose legal and political hand cuffs,” and stop cities that “unlawfully engage in discrimination or civil rights violations under the guise of ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion‘ initiatives that restrict law enforcement activity or endanger citizens. But these are all rights that should be left for the states to decide. Trump has said that the states should govern themselves, but he has changed his ways as he has tasted power that has gone unchecked by Congress and the Judicial Branch. He is establishing Martial Laws as he has been found guilty of breaking the laws he is supposed to uphold. I do not believe that the general public requires military intervention on our streets. I am seeing government failure and it makes me sad.
I have read articles that talk about civil war and world war and if it happens, it will be because you did not do your job. You are supposed to hold the president accountable. Judges are supposed to hold the president accountable. Yet he is being allowed to continue to blindly fire people and dismantle important institutions, Kilmar Abrego Garcia is still in El Salvador, regardless of what the court said, tariffs are ridiculous, civil rights are being stripped and Trump spends millions of dollars playing golf while pushing for massive cuts to Medicare and Social Security for people that can’t help themselves.
So you have 90 days to stop this executive order from coming to fruition and I am asking you to do something different than what has been happening. This 100 days has been so stressful and I am afraid of what is going to happen if we keep heading in this direction. Please impeach Trump.
Sincerely,
Summer D Clemenson
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by Summer D Clemenson | Apr 28, 2025 | Letters to My Representatives, Politics
Dear Representative,
I saw a very moving testimony by Jason Deford, aka Jelly Roll, before the House about the Halt Fentanyl Act or H. R. 27. I see that it passed the House and I am glad.
I appreciate that this bill would permanently make fentanyl a class 1 controlled substance. I see that this bill would empower authorities to incarcerate drug dealers that sell substances containing this dangerous drug to longer sentences and hopefully this is an incentive to not sell, or at least get dealers off the streets. I also believe opening this drug up to more research opportunities is probably beneficial.
Please don’t let this bill die. Please make sure this bill is brought up for vote and when you have an opportunity to vote, please vote to pass H. R. 27.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Summer D Clemenson
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by Summer D Clemenson | Apr 24, 2025 | Letters to My Representatives, Politics
Dear Representative,
Senate Bill 5393 is horrendous! I am disgusted that the democrats voted for the largest budget in Washington State‘s history, including huge tax increases, all while our nation is being attacked by Trump and his MAGAs, and now, with all the money you have, you still want to shut down schools for humans with severe disabilities. Shame on you!
This is not what I voted for and not what I want to continue to vote for again. Please do better. Find a way to keep these people in their home and not shut down their school.
Sincerely,
Summer D Clemenson
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