This and That

I have had a busy couple of weeks and I finally have some quiet time today at home. It seems like a good time to write about this and that.

First, how is May halfway over already? It is one of my favorite months so of course it seems to fly by. If only January went this fast. Right?

Part of my time has been spent with helping and hanging out with my daughter and her family. She just had a new little baby girl so it has been a pleasure to hold the newborn and to help keep the 3 year old busy. These are special moments for sure. And they go by quickly. My older grandchildren, the twins, are already ‘little kids’ now busy with school and baseball, video games, etc. They are 6 1/2 and I find myself asking: How did that happen??

I also just got back from going with my daughter to a Tim McGraw concert. I have lost count on how many times I have seen him and his band live over the years. Maybe a dozen times. Probably more! There are a few artists that you never get tired of seeing in concert. I have a few, but Tim is my favorite. When I decided to listen to country music years ago I bought a Tim McGraw Greatest Hits CD. I wore it out. I started listening to all kinds of country music (really I have loved it all my life but I made the effort when I moved south). Over time, now in the download era, I have every Tim McGraw album on my phone. I love so many of the album cuts that have never made radio airplay. Of course, I also love the hits, and he has many of them. Part of the love of country music is how fans come together and sing together. We know the lyrics! Words are important. As they say: it’s 3 chords and a story! It’s storytelling.

Some of my days in May have been spent watching the Trump trial in Manhattan. This is the one where he is accused of knowing about, and wanting to lie on documents about ‘hush money’ being repaid to his ‘fixer’ Micheal Cohen. Trump had an affair with Karen McDoogel, but he also had a one night ‘wham bam thank you ma’m’ with a porn star, Stormy Daniels, and it is the money paid to her by Cohen, then reimbursed to Cohen, that was covered up. Why? To hide it from Americans about to vote? I find court trials interesting. I wish we could watch the Trump trial but since we can’t the reporters are sending out much of the happenings in the courtroom via text messages. I like listening to the on air lawyers and reporters as they analyze what is happening. I like to know as much as I can before I make an opinion.

That leads me to this: Lately I have been writing some posts about my childhood. I was just an average student in high school. I got mostly B’s, a few A’s, and even once got a D. I must not have applied myself much or felt the push to get better grades. Once I got to college I did do better and I graduated cum laude. I got my degree. I got my first job through a college internship my senior year. One of the reasons it worked out for me is that I was hard working, and did whatever was asked of me, and I was always kind. I learned so much from the people I worked for and with, at all my jobs over the years. I worked in radio and TV and I was just happy to be among the pros. One person I admired was a woman, Denise Oliver, who was the Program Director at the radio station where I worked, and she also had a daily on-air shift. It was rare for a woman back then to hold a management position. Denise was a perfect mix of seriousness, honesty, drive, and she remained a feminine woman. For a short time I was lucky enough to be her assistant. She moved on to a national broadcasting business out of New York.

The reason I write of Denise is that right now, in the news, we are reeling from the graduation speech given by Kansas City Chiefs kicker Bukner. He addressed the group of young people, who were about to receive their diplomas after 4 or more years of study, and instead of lauding that, he spoke of being a wife and mother. He was a man telling women that their purpose and greatest joy was in the home.

Well, for many women, yes, getting married and having children is very fulfilling. it is for me! I don’t know what direction my life would have taken me if I had not met my husband, had our daughters, and now our beautiful grandchildren. But, I do know that I had an education as a foundation, and I had work experience and I loved my vocation – and I would have been a happy and successful woman. I have always had belief in myself because I know I can take care of myself. As far as I know Denise never married and she became an amazingly successful woman in her career – and she was and is happy. We women make our ways by making our own choices.

Hmmm. And that should not be only in business. A woman’s life includes deciding on if and when to have a child. It’s a personal decision. Government has no place in that decision.

Separating government from religion…

That leads me to today – that it is Pentecost. Today is the day when the Christian faith I grew up in celebrates the day the Holy Spirit descended on to the people, and they had little tongues of fire over their heads. My Lutheran background tells me that God is a triune God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The spirit moves upon us, and can be like a little nudge, to help us, to quietly speak to us, to teach us the ways of the Father and the Son. Pentecost is also considered the Birthday of the Church. The people, filled with the Holy Spirit, left their homes, travelled, and spread the Word of God to people in other lands.

I’m going to end this so I can turn on the golf tournament in a few minutes. Sundays is always a great day to watch the final rounds. This one is a bit unusual with the arrest of the Number 1 golfer in the world, pro Scottie Scheffler, on Friday morning. What a crazy thing! What I know of Scottie is that he is a humble, and quiet guy. He never creates controversy. He just became a daddy for the first time. So, whatever happened with the cop that morning just seems like it must have been a big misunderstanding, and it was certainly nothing Scottie intentionally did. But, yet, I support the police and know they have a difficult job every single day.

One thing I have learned in all my years is that life is full of nuances. Small actions can change things. There is often no black and white. We must keep that in mind and take time to hear both sides – be it golf, or politics, or religion, or women’s rights and choices.

Do we judge before giving someone the benefit of innocence? Do we think WE KNOW better and we don’t allow for other possibilities??

Do we offer our opinions as just that…. And not judgements on others?