Best of times; Worst of times

Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities (first completed book of 2025) contains one of my favorite literary bookends:

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way ..."

"It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to, than I have ever known."

In between this beginning and this ending, opportunities are seized and squandered. Honor is acknowledged and ignored. Love is found, declared, lost, and found anew. Villains are exposed and heroes arise. In short, life is lived in the broad strokes of the French Revolution and the small details of the  expatriate household of a doctor/shoemaker.

Reading the book this week, alongside various news sources, it felt like Dickens was writing about  thoughts and feelings across America. Depending on who you ask, it seems like either the best or worst of times. There is hope for some and despair for others. Some voice eager expectations and others bemoan an impending jeremiad. Many who are far brighter, more connected, and with deeper insights than I, have written, and will continue to write about how these themes play out in contemporary American civic and political life.

But this time through the book I was captivated by a different thought. In the midst of the multi-national turmoil of the French Revolution, Sydney Carton found redemption in a small corner of that upheaval by his very personal choice. Carton did not still the guillotines, or bring peace between the classes. Instead, Carton sacrificed his one life to save one family from the loss and grief that awaited those named  Evremonde. One man's life given made a way for Lucie and Darnay to enjoy life, love, and their family together.

I find myself thinking about immigration issues in contemporary America. I cannot fix that which ails our immigration system. I cannot fix what drives people to feel so desperate that they must leave all that they have known to try to make their way to the U.S. I cannot fix the strong emotions on all sides of these issues that are diving families, friends, and communities across our country. But, like Sydney Carton, I can do what I can to help who I can. In this coming year (and probably beyond), I have committed to working with an agency in the Minneapolis area that works in the area of refugee resettlement. Whether it will be tutoring for citizenship exams, or filing paperwork on behalf of refugee families, I will do what I can to make a difference in small ways, rather than merely lament the conditions in which we all find ourselves.

Perhaps your issue is something other than immigration. Maybe human trafficking. Maybe literacy. Maybe other kinds of education. Maybe health and wellness. Maybe hunger relief. Whatever it is, what small thing can you do in 2025 to make a difference? No one is looking to you (or to me) to fix whatever the big issue may be. But you can make a life-altering difference for one person, one family, one community!