Kinda Like a Hippie

Saying Good-bye to 10

Feeling bittersweet tonight. Tomorrow the Hippiekid will officially turn 11 years old. That means he's really already completed 11 years. That just dawned on me, now I feel worse. Like somehow I missed a year. But, for our purposes we are going with the number 10. The number he has said all year when someone asked how old he is. Well, until a few months ago when he started saying 10 and 3 quarters.

10 has been a good year for HK, a year full of exciting things and changes. And me, well, I've loved watching 10 so much that I've decided if I can come back as anything I am going to choose to be a 10 year old boy. He just looks like he is having so much fun. His mind is so quick and funny and we have finally moved on to jokes and humor beyond just burps and poo. He is so capable of so many things yet still a kid too. He doesn't have to be a big boy/man all the time. The creative things and games he and his friends come up with are amazing. I wish I could have captured hundreds of hours of this year on film and played it all over and over again. Sadly, I have mere minutes on grainy video from my point and shoot camera. How I wish I could make it all last longer. But, how I love knowing that he is ready and capable of moving on and growing up. That is what is supposed to happen and it is happening well.

 

   

 

Postscript to Daschevici Aliona (Aliona Daschevici) in Moldova or Ukraine (or anywhere): Thank you. Thank you. He is amazing. Read this - it is for you.

He won! He Won! He won!

I'm doin' the happy dance! No matter what happens now, it is history in the making. I am glad it is happening in my lifetime. No matter what happens now, it will be interesting-- and probably exciting.

Making things true-- another reason to vote for Obama

Or another reason to be glad if he wins.

When I was a kid my parents told me I could be anything I wanted to be. I guess parents all over the United States tell their kids that. The Hippiekid says he wants to be an architect and I tell him that is well within his reach. All he has to do is study hard, make good grades and work to his potential. I can't wait to have him design a house for me. And I know he can be anything he wants. Well, except President, since he was not born in the U.S.

I wonder how hard it has been for African American parents over the years to encourage their kids?  How hard has it been to say these words?  "You can be anything you want." I'm sure they did say it, with hope in their hearts that it was true. Yet, if you never see an example of it, you won't believe it. Children won't believe it, not deep in their hearts.

Barack Obama makes those words true. And yes, our country is right there helping him. Finally we have the chance to make those words true.

How can it be anything but good if another young black boy, or hundreds of them, or girls, feel that they can be President of the United States? This is a great thing. This is something that has the potential to change the makeup of our country. This can change attitudes and bring people together.

If young black men feel that they can achieve greatness and be recognized for that, how empowering could that be? How much more likely to stay in school and get an education and stay away from crime? If you know, and have a concrete example, that your aspirations can be reached, how encouraging might that be? 

I am hopeful. I am proud. I can imagine a generation of children growing up with hope in their hearts and confidence in their abilities.

 

The post where we all learn not to send me political propaganda e-mail

I got an e-mail from an acquaintance today with this link. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkWFzvITkO0  You've probably already heard it. It comes to us via Howard Stern. I first learned of it last week when another friend posted it on an online bulletin board.

This is my reply to the e-mail I received today. His last line was to me was "Isn't this crazy?"

I have already seen this. It is crazy. But what is even crazier it that some people take it as fact or a valid truth when it is really just entertainment. My hope is that no one will base their vote on something (anything) that is handed out by Howard Stern (or others like him who base their livleihood on being entertaining and grabbing attention).

On that clip we hear, what, 4 people? What thinking people will do is laugh at it and toss it out. A smart voter will realize that propaganda comes in all forms. What we don't know about that is so numerous. First is it even true? Was it a real reporter and real people? How do I know it was not a group of actors? Second, if it is real, how many people were interviewed? Was it 4 or 400? It makes a difference. Do we know how many people they interviewed that said, "What in the world are you talking about?" Third, I guarantee you that I can take a reporter and go out and go to a specific area and get the same result with McCain voters. Because of the way that was presented I really think it was pretty classless and really kind of racist. They made a point of stressing that it was in Harlem and making it obvious that it was the black community. Surely, you realize that that is not the typical Obama supporter. I think one of the accusations thrown out has been that Obama is elitist and appeals to the more educated voter. In contrast McCain/Palin are going for "Joe Six Pack", "Joe the Plumber" and "Hockey Mom". I wonder how many "Joe Six Pack" (Did you watch Palin in the debates? Those are her words.) guys you could find to answer correctly on policy specifics.

Sorry, if you are going to want to sway my opinion you are going to have to come up with someone better than Howard Stern. Because I have a brain, and am not afraid to use it, I find this clip sways me more in the direction they are fighting against. However, I do not delude myself into believing that many people will grasp all of this. Because, ultimately, you will not get me to argue against the "people are stupid" mantra.

I am not in favor or totally in agreement with everything that Obama says, but I think that many of the negatives said about him are ludicrous and ridiculous. It annoys me that people will decide they like a candidate or political party and then turn into sheeple that will believe and follow along with everything thrown out there. I do not, and can not, believe that he is a Muslim, terrorist, or socialist-- I would not believe that even if I did not like him at all. He himself has shown me none of that- those are only things that have been said. Are you aware that as well as going to a Muslim school for a short time when he lived in Indonesia (which is a largely Muslim country, so it makes sense that most of their good private schools would match that), he also went to a Catholic school for a time? Does that make him a Catholic? You notice we have not heard much about that. It does not serve a purpose, since after all, JFK managed to overcome that particular handicap. I was not there to remember it personally, but I have read history. At the time of Kennedy's campaign many people were appalled and afraid. Afraid of what a Catholic would do in the Oval Office. Appalled that he would even be considered. He was also considered to be too young. And then? He was loved and revered as a President. (Now, also because I read history, I am not so sure in hindsight, as time passes, that he is wholly deserving of that reverence. But the fact remains.)

One important thing JFK had going for him at the time was a military record that was deemed heroic. Well, guess what? Many people of my generation did not have to go to war, so for a while we are going to have men of importance and intellect and quality that do not have military experience. That is a good thing, a thing our country should be proud of. We should honor the fact that the years between the Viet Nam "conflict" and this war that most of our battles were relatively small and short lived. Among people of my age, there was a time when, among my peers, the only guys going into the military were the ones who could not make it in school, or the ones who had no where else to go. Are those the only ones who went in? Of course not, but among my social group, the military was looked upon, for a time, as the last resort. Would I still support and admire those guys for fighting for my feedom. You bet. Do I think they were among our country's best and brightest? I would have to say no. Many, many bright, courageous men of my age went to college, got degrees and moved up in the world without ever serving in the military.

Barack Obama, is one of those men that did not enlist in the military-- just like most of the men I know and love. Obama is, however, very educated. He has a degree from Columbia University and a law degree from HARVARD. He was the first African American president for The Harvard Law Review. He also taught at Harvard. Do you know what he taught? I have asked many people this and have yet to find someone who could tell me. He taught Constitutional Law. Constitutional Law. Seems to me this would be good for a President to know. Seems to me our current president could have studied it a bit more. I won't even start on the things he has done to the constitution during his terms. I believe that Barack Obama knows very well that there is no way that he, as one person, can change our society from a democratic to a socialist one. Fortunately, I know that as well, even if I believed that was his intent. Which it is not.

Now, as a woman, there is no way I can vote for McCain/Palin. I am surprised that you, who seem to have an interest in protecting women and girls, as well as a genuine interest in their health and well being, can overlook the callous way McCain deals with the issues concerning women. I also am saddened by the fact that after finally having a woman on the Presidential ballot it is one that hinders rather than helps a woman's rights.

Honoring

 

I've picked today to come back to my blog because my heart is touched and it seemed a good time. I am vowing that I will post more. I am going to hold myself to a once a week standard, and hopefully I will be able to increase that. There is no good reason to blog. I don't expect many people to read it. I don't expect comments. I am always totally surprised and excited when get one, but I am not distressed or upset if none are there.  And I don't even expect to say anything of importance. I suppose it is a purely selfish, self centered act. I like it. I like clicking on a link or typing in a web address and seeing my page. I am like a kid in school who keeps looking at her paper the teacher has posted on the bulletin board, even if everyone in the class has one up there. I like the play time it gives me with my computer and the fact that it looks like I am doing something productive.

So, today is a new start. 

Yet, on this day, I want to take time to remember and honor a past hurt. September 11th has a different meaning now than it did 7 years ago. September 11th is one of those life defining days. One of those days that change how you think and feel about things. We all have those days all the time, but generally we don't remember them as one specific day, or if we do, we don't remember the exact date. We almost never share those life defining moments and days with a multitude of other people. Today our whole country is sharing.

9/11 is one of those days that you can mention and people will remember where they were and what they were doing. (Like the JFK assassination for those of us old enough to remember. I was 3 for that.) We all have our stories. I know I remember it exactly, not just the actions of my day, but the emotions as well.

I want to remember. I want to share the grief and hurt of the families who lost loved ones and the nation who lost a part of itself. I am proud that my town put American flags up in town in a display of remembrance. We need to remember. It is the right thing to do.

But I know grief too. It's okay to forget a little. It's okay to go on as if nothing happened sometimes. I think we have to forget some of it. Or we'd never be able to go on at all.

Just in case anyone is still around

I really didn't mean to leave the blogosphere! I just left town without saying good-bye and without a good plan on how to blog while I was gone. I'm actually not even back now, well, I'm somewhere and I'm here but I'm not home and.... as usual ....I sound like a raving lunatic. But, I'm thinking a lot-- a scarey prospect in its own right--and have many new decisions and things to ponder.

I have been traveling since June to various places for various reasons and hopefully in a week or so I will be back to bore the few kind souls who might come back to read this.

Hopefully I will have time to read and comment on other blogs as well. I've missed it. I did manage to live some real life and have some real fun though. Even had some IRL fun with some online friends when we met up in the flesh in Chicago for our own personal get together.

So, consider this a place holder and official announcement of my  still kicking existence.

This is the really hard part

Yesterday I got a call that all teachers dread, but realistically we know we are going to get. We teach a lot of people over the years. I have anywhere from 100 to 160 students each year. I had 120 this year. Multiply that by 15 years of teaching and you know there are some tragic stories in there.

That knowledge does not help.

It does not keep your heart from falling to your feet when you get a call that one of your students has been killed. It does not help you breathe when you are told it is one of your favorites. (Sorry, but yes, we do have them.) When the other teacher calling says, "I know Klayte was special to you", the knowledge that this happens does not shield you from your emotions.

I am sad this Memorial Day. I will be sad for a while. I could tell you why Klayte is special and why I, and some of his other teachers, are so proud of him, and you would be amazed if you are not a teacher. If you are a teacher, you would nod your head and think, "yep, I know that story".

I will instead tell you that the world is less because Klayte is gone. He was smart, cute, funny, cheerful and had a good heart. He was more mature than most of his peers in many of his thought processes, yet he was a typical 8th grade boy in many ways. He would have been an asset to the world. I had high hopes for him. Perhaps he would have been a great success at something. But no matter what he did I know he would have been a person that made the world around him better for the people he knew.

Klayte is not the first for me. I wish I could think with certainty that he will be the last. I can't. I love a lot of people and with that comes the risk.

Before Klayte, there was Lee. Lee who used to stand and tease me while I was on afterschool duty, who changed girlfriends weekly (he was not very nice to them, but they all wanted to be his girlfriend). Lee, who showed hogs with his little brother in the stock show, and said they were going to go into business together.

And Shane, who was so tall in 7th grade that I had to let him sit at a table on the side of the room because the desks were not big enough.

Regina, I never actually taught Regina. She was a cheerleader the year I was conned into being the sponsor (my first- I needed the job). The other girls were not very nice to her and yet she never fought back. She just persevered in her quiet way.She graduated with scholarships and was successful in her field and working in New York. She was killed in a car wreck in Texas when she came back to help care for her dying father.

Erin, who told such tall tales with such imagination and sincerity that we all believed them. So smart. So rebellious.

There was also Bridget, sweet Bridget. Bridget was kidnapped, raped and murdered...by another former student.

I remember you all.

I want to remember Klayte's smile. I want to remember that he volunteered, again, to help me pack up my classroom for the summer. I want to remember how, when his dad shaved all his nice blonde hair off (that all the girls loved), that he took it with grace and humor, when most kids would have been hurt and sullen. I want to remember how he looked when he assisted the special ed kids to class and the uplift he gave them to be walking with him.

Klayte, I will miss you. I miss you all.

I've been meaning to write....

But... Baseball season. If you have a 10 year old boy child you will understand. If not, well, it's probably beyond comprehension.

We have a game or practice every other day. Monday night the game lasted from 7:30 until 10:15. I know! On a school night! I hear the people now, saying "Why does she let that happen?" "I wouldn't let my child stay up that late and participate in all those things." Ummm... I'm not sure how we ended up here really. Wasn't in my grand plan of parenthood. I've found that whatever plans I did have must have been misplaced along the way. All I know is that the boy loves it. It makes him happy. While that may not be my way to happiness I do love to see him achieving it. There is no way now I could deny him that. I've come to realize that watching him live his happy life makes mine so much more so. (Yes, crackers will be served with the cheese from now on.)

Let's hope Jesus has a sense of humor

Got this from the Hippiekid today.

HK: Mom, What is it we're celebrating on Easter?

(He knows this, but for some reason was wanting me to explain again. Or it was a test- he does that sometimes.  I was frosting our Easter Cake and frankly, was in no mood to do a whole Sunday school lesson. Yeah, I'm lazy like that.)

Me: When Jesus arose from the dead. The resurrection of Jesus Christ.

HK: Well, it sure took him long enough. Me, I'd a jumped right up and said 'Hey, who made me dead? I'm not dead'

Things you will now know about me (m)

I love quilts.

I want a new one.

It is very hard for me to resist enterering a contest. I get that from my dad, but, unfortunately I did not get his luck in an equal percentage.

I am not very good at math so I am in a quandry as to whether I am doing the right thing here. Hang on it's coming. ...

Go to this wesite and you will understand, and you can enter to win a quilt too. http://oldredbarnco.blogspot.com/2008/03/giving-away-quilt.html

 

I just wonder which would be the better odds? Enter and keep the knowledge to myself so fewer people will enter or spread the word and get my 5 extra entries?

Too late now. Oh, well, there's only like 20 of y'all anyway. If you win you have to let me know though. I'll take vicarious luck if I have to.