The Unsung Hero

Mother's Day was 2 days ago, and if you read my last post, I didn't really focus much on Mother's Day because something else HUGE was going on. My oldest was graduating college, the first ever to do so in our family. It was weird getting ready for the day. Almost like it feels getting ready for Christmas. It's exciting! You can't wait for it to get here, but you're also really anxious. Have I done everything? Is everything ready? Do I have all the things I need to wear? What time should we get to the service, and on, and on, and on! And, just like Christmas, all this time is spent planning, and before you know it, the day is over. It was a huge day for my daughter, for all of us!If you read this blog, you know that I am a single mother and have been for 18 years. It took a lot to enable my girl to take that short walk across the stage to receive her degree, and she did not take that walk alone, but this post is about one person in particular. She was also in the audience to support Leah. She gave up her mother's day to sit through 2 1/2 hours to see her take that stride toward her future. I am talking about my sister.
In 1998 when my ex-husband left, my sister was living in Florida. Her support of me and my girls started then as many times we visited for a little oasis from the stress of all things single parenthood entails. Once she had her own baby she moved back home to Richmond and many times she stood in for me if I couldn't attend a school program because I was working or doing a show. She has been with Leah all through her college journey starting with visits to campuses. She has always been willing to help in whatever way she could including driving Leah all the way to Pittsburgh for her audition for Point Park's Theatre program. I was doing a show and, obviously, could not go. I was doing the same show during Leah's first college orientation at Catawba in NC, and Jenna was there in my stead. When Leah moved home at the end of her sophomore year to transfer to the University of Richmond, my sister made the trek with me to pack the car with 2 college years accumulation and hung out at the Mall while we waited for Leah to complete her RA duties before she could leave. She has ordered books, and shopped around for bargains, and attended plays, and pretty much anything else we needed help with. She didn't get any congratulations on Sunday, but she deserved it as well. So.. Congratulations, Jenna! Job well done! oh, and THANKS!

Feed the Good

About two months ago, I wrote a post about an incident in the news of a young boy stabbing and killing an honor student at school because she would not go to prom with him. It was called The Monsters We've Created. I made a promise to myself when I started this blog that I would never write unless I was inspired to write. Sometimes tragedy or outrage inspires, but, sometimes, like today, pride and goodness inspire. I am an emotional patriot. I tear up when the National Anthem is played. I am touched when I see the pictures of the elderly veterans saluting the flag as it passes by in a parade. I will absolutely fall apart at a Military Funeral when the flag is presented to the loved ones left behind, and if Taps is played, forget it! I am done! So today when I read the story of Cpl. William (Kyle) Carpenter, I found there were tears slowly rolling down my cheeks. I will not retell the whole story here as you can read it from the link provided, but in a short summary, Kyle was awarded the Medal of Honor yesterday. He is 24, the youngest living recipient of the medal that has only been awarded to roughly 3500 men since its creation during the Civil War, 150 years ago. The act of bravery, putting himself between a grenade and a fellow soldier, happened in 2010. That means when Kyle made that choice he was 20 years old, barely out of high school, and not old enough to purchase or drink alcohol. In my opinion, a boy. How amazing that this very young man made such a selfless choice in a world that is all about ME. What's in it for ME? How will this benefit ME? I'm not doing that, I might get hurt. They can fend for themselves, it's not MY problem. But he did make that choice and saved the life of another. In yesterday's ceremony when the medal was presented to Cpl. Carpenter by President Barack Obama, Obama said this, "If any American seeks a model of the strength and resilience that define us as a people, including this newest 9/11 generation, I want you to consider Kyle..a shining example of what our nation needs to encourage." Has our culture created monsters? Yes, but we have also created and nurtured young men like Kyle, and all too often we focus on the tragedy and not the triumph. Hearing Kyle's story makes me believe in a future for this country, for the world. We just need to focus on nurturing the good, the compassion, the empathy and respect. There is a Native American legend of a story told to a grandson by his grandfather. He tells the boy of 2 wolves raging against each other inside of him. One is evil and  the other is good. The grandson asks the grandfather which one will win. The grandfather replies, "The one you feed." We need to , as a parent, as a nation, as a world, start feeding the good. Strive to embody the characteristics of Cpl. William (Kyle) Carpenter that led him to make the choices he made that day, and I am sure every day of his life. It is the only way we will survive!

Who Was That Masked Man?

Wow! It's been a really long time since I've posted! Part of the reason for that is I was involved in a production of "To Kill a Mockingbird" that just closed. It was a wonderful experience as the story has always been one of my favorites. I've seen the movie several times, but doing the stage production really made me explore some different sides to issues raised in the story. One question that came up particularly interested me. Each Friday night after the show we would have a talkback. For those who don't know or have never participated in one, a talkback is a time set aside after the show for the cast to answer questions from the audience. Because of the legal nature of the show, many times our moderator was someone from the world of law. Our moderator on this specific evening was a judge from juvenile court. SPOILER ALERT!! She posed the question that with Atticus Finch having so much legal integrity, why was he willing to participate in a cover-up in regards to the death of Bob Ewell? If you've never seen or read the story, Bob Ewell, the town pariah and general despicable human being, and a white man, has accused a black man, falsely, of raping his daughter in order to keep the real truth from coming out that she hugged and kissed  this man after inviting him into their home under the pretense of helping her with a chore. Atticus is appointed to defend the Negro, and even though he knows he is fighting a losing battle, the truth comes out in court. In retaliation Ewell goes after the Finch children one night with intent to harm them and very likely kill them. The town recluse and resident "crazy", Boo Radley, comes on the scene and stabs Bob Ewell with a kitchen knife and kills him. Upon the sheriff discovering the body, he tells Atticus that, "Bob Ewell fell on his knife." As sheriff, it is his decision how to handle the situation. Atticus doesn't challenge the sheriff, and the story ends with no one knowing the act of Boo Radley and he is left to live out his reclusive days in peace. So... did Boo Radley murder Bob Ewell? Was it a cover-up? Read the book or see the movie or play and draw your own conclusions, but my feeling is NO! In my opinion Boo was more a hero or guardian angel for the Finch children that night. If he had not shown up when he did, most certainly Bob Ewell would have killed them.  If you've ever seen any of the old Lone Ranger TV shows, he always rode in on his horse, Silver, saved the day, and then disappeared into the dust of the West without praise or adulation, leaving all to question, "Who was that masked man?" Boo Radley was Maycomb County's Lone Ranger for one night when he was needed the most and then never to be seen or heard from again. "High Ho, Silver and away, Boo!"