Friday, April 15, 2011

Friends Standing in the Shoes....



Folks familiar with the Skagit Valley know that Jerry Sommerseth maintains a peace and social justice vigil every Friday at noon in front of the Skagit County Courthouse. Jerry has done this for about 25 years now, but this Friday, April 15, found him hospitalized after a fall. Word was passed around and many of Jerry's friends, including some from Central United Methodist, did their best to honor his commitment by "standing in for him" as best we could.

Jerry inspires us with his dedication to social justice, peace, and inclusivity. Out of his compassionate nature, Jerry reminds us regularly to pray for the people of Gaza and all who suffer in this world. He touches our hearts each and every Sunday with his piano music, always finding just the right music to lift our spirits. We can't imagine there's a hymn he doesn't already know.

And every Tuesday morning, there is Jerry, loading up his car with the week's "haul" of food for the Helping Hands Food Bank.

He inspires us in so many ways. We hope and pray for a quick recovery and look forward to him taking his familiar place among us soon.