I don’t get to watch much football these days. But a friend was telling me that this past weekend during the NFL playoffs, players on all the teams had the words “Choose Love” on the back of their helmets. The NFL adopted those words in memory of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the day that honors him. The phrase summarizes his quote, “I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.”
I really, really like both the two-word statement and the full quote, and I see them in action every day at the Well Community in our staff, volunteers, donors and members themselves. I see our members “Choose Love” when they work hard to overcome the stigma and rejection they experience from strangers on the streets. I watch them “Choose Love” when social systems and society fail them.
Our donors and volunteers “Choose Love” when they spend their time and resources on the Well Community. When groups come to feed our members on Thursday Nights, they are showing love. When donors give that extra gift or sign on to the Well Wishers Circle, they are expressing love. And when our staff muster up an extra measure of patience or explode with creativity, they are loving our members well.
I know some people like to have a word or phrase as their motto for the year. Let’s commit to continuing to “Choose Love” for 2026.
Alice