I believe in the value of each human life. I believe that we owe it to ourselves, our families, friends and communities to do all we can to protect and preserve our lives. As a clergyman, I can attest to the fact that one of the hardest situations that family members are left trying to cope with is the loss of a loved one. The loss of any life presents us with challenges that are hard to describe and even harder to deal with. So it is that I beg each and every person who hasn’t gotten vaccinated against COVID-19 to do so immediately and without hesitation.

The delta variant is sweeping through the unvaccinated population. Every day we hear of people dying for no good reason other than the victims hadn’t gotten those shots in their arms. If losing one’s own life isn’t tragic enough, think what this does to the person’s loved ones, to their friends and communities. Think of the loss of the future together. Think of the loss to the rest of us of the skills, wisdom and talents of these people. Most of all, think of how needless are the reports, night after night and day after day, of hospitalized spouses and couples who realized too late the simple path that, had been taken, would have prevented their demise. It doesn’t have to be this way.

Again, I beg every person who can tolerate the vaccine to go and get vaccinated. We need you and so do your loved ones. We know that this is each individual’s choice. The wisest in the medical world have told us over and over again that it isn’t worth dying from what is now raging through the world. Vaccination centers are waiting. Choose life. Get vaccinated.