This week on Wednesday, bell hooks passed away at the age of 69. bell hooks (who preferred their name not be capitalized) was an American scholar and activist whose work examined the connections between race, gender, and class. They often explored the varied perceptions of Black women and Black women writers and the development of feminist identities. Their work has shaped my perceptions of social justice, as well as many other people's. They will be missed.

I realize that the last time I did a German word it was...also not a very nice one, and I promise that next time I use German it will be a more fun word, because it really is, despite its reputation for harshness, a very beautiful language. But that is next time; this time, the word is weltschmerz. It is an amalgamation of the words for 'world' and 'pain', meaning the sense of weariness and hurt that one gets from thinking about the state of the world. It was coined by an author, Jean Paul, in 1827, in a novel he wrote, and ended up entering the common vernacular.

Some of you may watch the HBO reality show “We’re Here” and seen the episode in season 2 in which Rev. Craig Duke, a United Methodist clergy from Evansville, Indiana, participated. Rev. Duke accepted the invitation to be in the show “because,” he said, “I wanted to empathize, not just sympathize with LGBTQ people in my community and to express support for my daughter, who recently came out as pansexual.” The show aired on November 8th and even though Craig knew that not everyone will understand or support his decision, he did not think it would cost him his job.