Sunday, June 20, 2021

Juneteenth Conversation

 Juneteenth!  Parades and celebrations across the country. Here in my small city my husband Burton and I went to a gathering at Monroe Park.  It was small.  Mason City is small.  But no matter.  What I will remember the most is the three of us, Burton, Reginald, an African American man, and I sitting on a park bench together in the shade and talking. We had not met before, but we talked about Juneteenth and our lives and, well, a wide range of topics and issues.  We listened and learned from one another.

Between Juneteenth and July 4, I can just imagine what it might mean for each person in this country to have such a meeting and conversation, with one other person we had not met before of a different race or ethnicity.  Can you just imagine, 300 million such one-on-one conversations?  



Monday, June 14, 2021

Birth Stories

 Oldest son Mark's birthday was Saturday, June 12. Each of our three sons has a story.  Mark was born in 1963; We adopted him the day I graduated from seminary in 1964. Joel, was 10 two weeks late, born in 1967 the summer of the Detroit "riots" (Rebellion) He wasn't sure he wanted to come into this world of fire and guns. Kirk was born in 1969, the day the U.S. astronauts came back from their first trip to the moon. What are you stories? 

Mark with daughter Aimee

Joel and Kirk with Dad.


Joel with son Jackson and me


Kirk and me.


Mark and Dad Burton