On one Sunday last month in the tiny church in my little swath of the Midwest, a trio of performers sang a couple of songs. But these performers were different than what was expected for w church worship service. These three were members of LGBTQIA+ continuum. They sang beautifully, but more importantly, they sang in a place where they were accepted and belonged, because that particular church decided over a year ago to make it so.
One of the songs that was sung was “O Holy Night”, a song that was originally was just a French poem and was written actually by an avowed atheist, Placide Cappeau, who lost a hand in an accident as a child. The third verse of the song, which was translated into English and added to by the transcendentalist music critic John Sullivan Dwight, goes like this:
“Truly He taught us to love one another; His law is love and His gospel is peace. Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother; And in His name all oppression shall cease. Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we; Let all within us praise His holy name.”
~ Placide Cappeau and John Sullivan Dwight, “O Holy Night”
But there was vitriol marred with the beautiful music and acceptance of the group. There was hatred that tried to tarnish the joy and love and peace of the moment. The tiny church had to deal with unsavory comments from others on their social medias. The reality was that most of the comments were from people who didn’t even live in this tiny swath of the Midwest but across the country. These comments came from those who were so steeped in their anger and hatred that they felt the need to project that anger and hate across the void of the internet. They tried to drown out the belonging and acceptance, using oppression and .
Also last month, eighteen people gathered in another church’s basement in this tiny swath of the Midwest, connected by the thread of a shared mutual hobby. It was a potluck, a mishmash of snacks and new recipes, junk food and produce, and lots and lots of puzzles. I was there, wearing a unicorn headband and being my normal “neurospicy” self…. and no one even blinked. Or if they did, they kept it to themselves. There was a sense of community and teamwork. There was a common love of geocaching and all that it entails. There was belonging and acceptance.
Photographic proof I did indeed wear a silly headband. Photo by K. S. Wood Jan 2026
We all desire to belong somewhere. We all want to fit in. But we also all feel different.
Much to my other half’s chagrin at times (since I play it often on our abode’s smart speakers), my current hyper-fixation of a song is one by the 502s called “Your Nonsense Makes Sense.” And currently, my favorite verse is this one:
“People tell me you’re a strange bird / But all my favorite folks in the world are a little absurd / Everybody’s trying to fit in / But I’m loving every moment of us being different.”
~ Edward Isola “Your Nonsense Makes Sense” sung by the 502s
We all are a little absurd, never making full sense to anyone. We become titled as “other” because we are different, weird even, in some way, shape or form. We are excluded because we are female. We are looked down upon because of the color of our skin. We are hated because we love in different ways or use pronouns that don’t match what we look like. We are shut out because of our neurodiversity or disability. We don’t fit the mold of a “good” conservative or “woke” liberal and thus we must be called names. We are square pegs that rock the status quo. We become subject to hate, shame and judgement because we act different, look different, think different. And yet, we still belong and we still find people who accept us for the difference we bring.
We belong despite our nonsense. And we find community where we can, despite the haters. We find people who just make sense to us. We find places that open their arms and embody that peace, love, joy, hope and light. We find places that allow us to sing those sweet hymns and show us that His law is love even as anger and hate wish to wipe us out.
Those voices on social media…. They were silenced by the mere delete button. Those friends I hung out with… some of them now send me unicorn memes and silly things. The communities that I spoke of still are around, being accepting places of belonging for others. And that love and peace, joy and hope, light and magic continue to shine. Because it just makes sense to us.
Let your nonsense make sense. Love one another. Find a place to belong.
Stay magical, friends.
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