“We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.”
-Thornton Wilder
I would not usually consider myself superstitious. Keen for traditions maybe, but not an irrational believer. However, there is one aspect of my life where I lean towards superstition—and an odd aspect at that. My jewelry. Having lost a good numbers of wonderful loved ones in my life, I feel especially connected to them in the jewelry that I have been blessed to have received from them. On days when I'm nervous about a presentation or a job interview, I wear a pair of silver and turquoise earrings that my dad gave me. He can ride shotgun on my earlobes to keep me from making a total fool of myself. On days when I'm missing my Momo, I wear her gold heart necklace that I remember hanging around her neck for so many years. From my own neck, she can comfort me and assure me it's all going to be okay.
For the last week and a half I have worn my pearls. They were a bridal gift from Poppy and Mary Lou. I wore them on my wedding day when Poppy walked me down the aisle. While they decorate my ears and neck, I believe that they also provide a link from my heart to his. Even when I manage to put his fragile condition out of mind for a moment, I can feel certain that he is never too far.
“Other things may change us, but we start and end with family”
-Anthony Brandt
The past few days, all conversations with my family have started and ended with the same dialogue, “I love you,” “I love you, too.” Six hundred miles away my grandfather lies in ICU, while my family waits for the approved visiting hours.
I'm not good at waiting, and I'm really uncomfortable in hospitals, but I hate being 3.5 states away even more. I wish I could be there. I wish I could run errands for them. I wish I could sit at the hospital, so they can go home and sleep or take a shower. With a nine-hour drive, a job that pays by the day, and flights that cost upwards of $1000, I'm not sure that I can get there, unless it's a real emergency. Yesterday I sent some homemade cookies in my place.
I hope that my family really knows how much love, how many prayers, and how many hugs are sent each time we exchange those simple words: “I love you.” “ I love you, too.”
Thoughts and prayers for my Poppy, please.
He suffered a stroke early yesterday morning, and is still in very critical condition. We're hoping that the blockage will clear up on its own, so they can avoid the life-threatening surgery.
“Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America. For everywhere we look, there is work to be done.”
-President Barack Obama
I’m sitting watching as the Inauguration begins, proud to be an American. I’m so thankful for today. I helped elect Barack Obama. He is the first major candidate who I’ve voted for who has actually won… I’m such a sap when it comes to national anthems and patriotic songs—have you ever listened to the words of these songs? I mean, really listened… “Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrims’ pride… let freedom ring.” How lucky I am to have born in this great nation! Sure, we may not do everything right, we might make some mistakes…but it could be much worse….I’m struck by YoYo Ma’s smile as he plays. He, too, is proud to be an American today. How surreal it must be to serenade the President-Elect just moments before he loses the “Elect.”
Having dived down deep into my genealogy, I can’t help but think about my own forefathers today. There are no politicians, few soldiers, and hardly anyone who’s worthy of a Wikipedia article, but yet, in their own quiet lives, they’ve loved, supported, and carried the weight of this nation on their backs… as they sharecropped, as they established businesses, as they raised their families.
I’ve heard some comments about how ridiculous it is for ordinary people, like you and me, to say today they felt like they were a part of history, by just being a part of the inaugural crowd. Those comments have been boiling inside of me. Today I was watching the inauguration live on C-SPAN while sitting in a classroom in Georgia, and I was a part of history. Obama was talking to me, just as he was talking to every other American. I become a part of history when I take part in the challenge that he set forth. Because I have chosen hope, I am hope, and I have hope, and that’s where history begins. If you don’t feel like you witnessed history today, whether you were freezing your butt off in D.C., streaming the coverage over the internet, or reading the transcripts online, then that’s your choice, but you’re welcome to take on the challenge with me—whoever you voted for.
My favorite line of the inaugural speech: “The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart - not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.” Must remember this for the next time I find myself defending my political position. I’m rarely so eloquent.
“Why don't you get a haircut? You look like a chrysanthemum.”
-P.G. Wodehouse
Before:
- Extra long bangs that still weren't long enough to put behind my ears
- Split ends—haven't had my hair cut since July, should have had a hair cut months ago
- Hair down past my shoulders—longer than it's been in a long while
After:
- Trimmed bangs—just to cut the nasty ends off
- Extra bounce—now that the length isn't weighing it down
- Hair just past my chin—but there's still enough for a teeny tiny ponytail
