Category: Civics

Finding Fútbol and Fireworks

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I have never been a sports fan, not really.  There was a time in high school when I cheered on our football team on Friday nights.  And I was an avid basketball fan for a short time in college, but I am not the type to tailgate and have a team to follow, whether that be football, baseball, basketball, or hockey.  However, this summer changed all that.  At first, I wasn’t even sure what FIFA was and thought soccer was something kids played in the park.  A few short weeks in June and July, and I’m now an avid fútbol fan. 

Revolutionary Spirit: Poet, Phillis Wheatley

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This week, as we look forward to the 250th birthday of America, I want to reflect on an unlikely Revolutionary heroine, Phillis Wheatley. Her history is remarkable.  Born in West Africa in 1753, she was brought on a slave ship, The Phillis, for which she was named.  She was sold to the Wheatley family of Boston, who raised and educated her.  Phillis learned English, Latin, and Greek and wrote her first poem at the age of fourteen.  She published a collection of poetry called Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral in 1773, making her the first enslaved person to publish a book.

Liftoff to the Moon: Human Hope & Courage

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Houston, we have liftoff.  My heart swells when I hear that phrase.  Today, I think of Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, the NASA astronauts and Jeremy Hansen, the Canadian Space Agency astronaut who are, as I write this, heading back to Earth on their spacecraft, Integrity, after being the first humans to see the far side of the moon. They are also the first humans to go the furthest away from the Earth, 252,760 miles.  Imagine being that far from home!  What does that feel like?  How courageous and optimistic do you have to be to venture that far?  I am amaze and proud that we still live in the Age of Exploration.  I was beginning to doubt if humans had that creative bravery anymore, and I’m please tonight to see that we do.

Book. Memory. Promise: Never Forget

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I am encouraged and so thankful that Lois Lowry has written Tree. Table. Book.  The octogenarian author of Number the Stars and The Giver, Ms. Lowry is an expert storyteller and isn’t afraid to take on controversial subjects.  She is a master at presenting hard situations and ethical problems to a young audience.  This most recent book spans generations and shows how stories can connect rather than tear people apart.  With story and memory, we can build bonds and begin to understand each other.  This connection between the old and young is crucial; it is the sticky hope that will ensure “never forget” leads to the promise of “never again.”

Art as Gratitude

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I hadn’t thought of art as a vehicle for gratitude, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it was exactly that – art is a prayer sent out to all calling for peace, beauty, love, all the colors of the rainbow, the rain coming softly down washing everything clean. This weekend, I looked back at some of the photos I’ve taken and suddenly saw prayers of gratitude embedded in their images.

A Jury of Our Peers: Part 2

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Exercising my civic duty is not as exciting as I thought it would be.  Mostly, it is waiting and trying to keep myself entertained.  I purposefully did not bring my laptop, and I’m trying not to engage my phone.  I want this day to be more reflective and in the moment.  I spend too many days rushing around from one task to the next.  Today, I have an opportunity to stop and reflect.