My first Juneteenth

One of my first thoughts this morning was to ponder how to commemorate this day.

This date. This event of Juneteenth that I had not even heard of until we moved here three years ago.  I've learned so much in these three years - and even more in these last few weeks.  Mostly I've discovered that there is so,  SO much I don't know.

So I found myself making a commitment a few weeks ago - to learn.
I didn't even know where to start, but as soon as I began paying attention, the resources were suddenly coming at me from all directions!

So yes, today is important.
My daughter says it so well and is helping me.
Her words describe my heart - and so I am borrowing them and sharing them.
And I am joining her in honoring this day.
My first Juneteenth.

My first Juneteenth

by Stacy Brown

My heart is heavy today.

This is my first Juneteenth.

I wasn't taught about this in school.

I didn't hear about this in church.

I didn't grow up discussing this with friends.

My ignorance wasn't all my fault,

but it's all my responsibility to fix it.

Someday I'll celebrate Juneteenth,

but this year I'm starting

with humbly and solemnly honoring it:

Mourning so many horrors, of past and present,

that white washed history has swept under the rug, 

acknowledging my own ignorance and bias,

and committing to doing whatever I can to do better going forward.

Today is my first Juneteenth.

It won't be my last.

Thank you, thank you, Stacy, for giving voice to my heart.
But how does one honor such a momentous event?

The one instruction that keeps coming back to my mind... is to listen.
To really listen.
Listen and learn.
Read black authors
Hear black voices.

And so I am.
I have begun and I will continue.
One step at a time
One day at a time.
Starting on this day, my first Juneteenth...

Thankful Thursday: remembering my dad

Today I’m thankful for my dad.

We lost him way too soon - 24 years ago today.

His life was too short but his legacy is huge and expansive.

• I’m thankful for the lessons he taught and the examples he set.
• I’m thankful for the ways I am like him - well, except that he was such a pack-rat!
• He was a plodder and just kept working on things one step at a time - although he never did quite finish getting rid of everything from those shelves in the shed.  Drats!  I fear that as my destiny as well.

But he was kind and patient and compassionate - and so many remember him as someone who loved them.  I really want to be like that.

I’m pretty sure I got my love of words and writing from him.  I don’t know if he ever considered himself a writer, but he was definitely diligent about writing.  He researched and composed and printed a centennial history book for the church... but mostly he wrote long, loving letters to friends and family.  I lived less than a mile from him... but there were those four years when I was away at college and that one year we moved our family to the Dominican Republic.  Those years away qualified me to receive his famous chronicles in my mailbox and for that privilege I am thankful.  

Might be time to revisit my letter-writing plan.  Well, it also might be time to go find those packets of letters from him
 in my bins and boxes piled up on all those shelves!

You are invited

I’ve been intrigued by a recent phenomenon where friends offer a unique invitation on a special milestone birthday. They choose a favorite cause that they would like to support and invite their friends to join them in donating to that charity.  

I’ve been fascinated with the idea and thought about doing something similar on my next big “round-number year" because there are so many great causes I would love to help.

For example I used to think it would be great to provide clean water for a village in Africa and now I live in a city recovering from a water crisis.  Interesting.

I think of other grand ideas:

• Alleviate world hunger
• Discover a cure for cancer
• Remove the chains of oppression
• Save the planet
• Stamp out child abuse

Grand and noble causes, but how can I really make a difference?

On the other hand there are tons of other noble causes on a smaller scale.

• Words of compassion
• Gestures of kindness
• Gifts of generosity
• Volunteer opportunities galore
• Generally find ways to give more life
• Maybe check on friends and neighbors
• Maybe even write a real letter

You get the idea...  In fact, I bet you have even better ideas than these.

So anyway, here I am.

Yep, this is the year... 

... that next big round number birthday.

This is the week.

So here's what I think I wanna' do... 

I want to invite you to join me in thinking of something you can do for somebody.  

• To make the world a better place
• To promote life and health 
• To offer love instead of hate
• To speak hope rather than fear

I'm not gonna' tell you what it should be, but maybe I'll suggest a category.

Or maybe two.

How about life and love?

Yep, I like those.

Let's find ways to offer life and love.

One more thing...  

If you DO decide to join in on the fun, please leave a comment describing what you chose to do.  Hearing those stories would be such a fun birthday present for me!!!  

How are we doing?

How are you holding up?
How in the world are we all doing?
Not easy questions to answer, are they?
Part of me seems to be doing well when suddenly another part melts down.

• The introvert in me is doing quite well; thank you very much.
• The minimalist in me wishes I’d get my act together.
• The historian and the philosopher are working overtime making it impossible for the writer in me to even pretend to keep up.
• The multipotentialite in me still wonders how many things I can handle at once and the worrier in me still worries.  

• The mom in me would love to find a way to ease my daughters’ loads.
• The grandma in me is SO thankful for technology - that even four-year-olds can use.  Sort of.
• The daughter in me is scrambling pretty much every day trying to figure out how best to help my mom deal with the uncertainty.

• The neighbor in me hopes these wonderful young people are doing okay and gets excited when we get a chance to wave and holler across the street.  
• The Michigander in me is grateful for a governor who calmly does the research and makes the tough decisions to keep us safe.
• The global citizen in me is reminded that people all across the planet deal with terribly difficult stuff ALL the time.

How about you?

How are you doing?

Wisdom for dark days

So please don’t ever mistake

my silence for indifference. 

Don’t ever think my determination

to keep living my life

as fully and bountifully as possible

represents cold nonchalance.

And please don’t ever assume

that my cheerful silliness

is flagrant disrespect.

This is just simply me

choosing hope in the midst of despair,

choosing light while the dark is creeping in,

choosing good despite evil.

This is me choosing life.

Because that’s all I know how to do.

- Stacy Brown
April 18, 2013