Beautifully said. Days after the Jan 6th attack on the US Capitol, our teenage children wrote thank you notes to the staffers who cleaned up the horrible mess left behind. The Architect of the Capitol sent a thank you note back to us and it is now a cherished item that we also look to as a reminder that we can each work to establish a nation of civility and love.
Dustin, what a wonderful thing your children did. Sherrod so often talks of the sight of Capitol workers cleaning up the debris of the failed insurrectionists. Another haunting memory of that terrifying day.
Beautiful! The photograph says so much with the intense focus of the artist with his blue knee as he strategically avoids the cement cracks.
I was glued to MSNBC for trial recaps and then the verdict announcement and analysis. At the same time I continued writing post cards currently working on two campaigns.. Postcards to Swing States sending 200 cards to Michigan voters and Grandmothers for A Brighter Future sending 100 cards asking Ohio voters to support Sherrod Brown. Although I am not yet a grandmother, I send these cards with hope for the future of all children including your precious blue-kneed artist.
Someone said that patriotism is the veneration of real estate over justice, but I like to think it’s the veneration of justice over property. Property is a highly useful social tool, but it ought not to be foremost.
This post is so lovely. Thank you Connie! I just discovered your work and I'm so glad I did. I view myself as an optimistic patriot. I care deeply for this country yet I am so saddened and disappointed by too many events to name since 2016. I have to have faith for my children that the pendulum will swing back to a time when we can have healthy debates and disagreements yet are not so divided. Our country is at its best when we work together through compassion, curiosity, integrity, and respect for the law.
This one made me cry, such lovely sentiments and Milo's artwork took my breath away. I'm thankful for your family's commitment to the US. I pray everyday that we come up with the right answer in November as it's not clear how we survive another Trump presidency.
Patriotism is a cruel scam designed to get the poor and powerless to fight the hideous wars the rich and powerful design to increase their own wealth and power. "We" are no better than anyone else, no braver, more generous, more noble, more compassionate — none of it. To believe otherwise is to perpetuate tribalism.
Willliam Sloane Coffin spoke not infrequently at my high school when he was Chaplin at Yale. I always got goose bumps as I listened. Later when he became minister at Riverside Church and I was working in NYC, I again heard him preach. I loved watching him begin to combine religion with politics and he was always right on point, both in his speaking and in his books. I was fortunate enough to attend Riverside soon after his death for a commemorative reflection. He was a beacon of light in the world. I wonder how many people remember him and still are moved by his writings.
outstanding, Connie.
Here is my teary-eyed thank you for another piece written from your heart and sent to ours. ❤️
Beautifully said. Days after the Jan 6th attack on the US Capitol, our teenage children wrote thank you notes to the staffers who cleaned up the horrible mess left behind. The Architect of the Capitol sent a thank you note back to us and it is now a cherished item that we also look to as a reminder that we can each work to establish a nation of civility and love.
Dustin, what a wonderful thing your children did. Sherrod so often talks of the sight of Capitol workers cleaning up the debris of the failed insurrectionists. Another haunting memory of that terrifying day.
Thank you for such a lovely post. The image of a seated Lady Liberty is now tattooed on my heart. 🇺🇲
What a great story. We are truly all in this together and I pray that our country holds together.
Beautiful! The photograph says so much with the intense focus of the artist with his blue knee as he strategically avoids the cement cracks.
I was glued to MSNBC for trial recaps and then the verdict announcement and analysis. At the same time I continued writing post cards currently working on two campaigns.. Postcards to Swing States sending 200 cards to Michigan voters and Grandmothers for A Brighter Future sending 100 cards asking Ohio voters to support Sherrod Brown. Although I am not yet a grandmother, I send these cards with hope for the future of all children including your precious blue-kneed artist.
Thank you, Shirlz.
Someone said that patriotism is the veneration of real estate over justice, but I like to think it’s the veneration of justice over property. Property is a highly useful social tool, but it ought not to be foremost.
You can’t be patriots.
Not when you describe the jurors as legitimate.
So much wrong with this.
You’re not wrestling with “patriotism”.
You’re explaining away the self righteous liberal bs that brought us all here.
You think you can tell me who I am, but you are mistaken.
I am grateful for the wise words of poet Lucille Clifton, from a Plain Dealer interview in the early 2000s:
“What they call you is one thing.
“What you answer to is something else.”
Typical. Things are not that complicated.
There are only facts.
How you feel about anything, means nothing, except to you and a few of your friends.
I always love your columns but this one brought me to tears. Such a beautiful story.
This post is so lovely. Thank you Connie! I just discovered your work and I'm so glad I did. I view myself as an optimistic patriot. I care deeply for this country yet I am so saddened and disappointed by too many events to name since 2016. I have to have faith for my children that the pendulum will swing back to a time when we can have healthy debates and disagreements yet are not so divided. Our country is at its best when we work together through compassion, curiosity, integrity, and respect for the law.
This one made me cry, such lovely sentiments and Milo's artwork took my breath away. I'm thankful for your family's commitment to the US. I pray everyday that we come up with the right answer in November as it's not clear how we survive another Trump presidency.
Loved this!🙏🌹
Patriotism is a cruel scam designed to get the poor and powerless to fight the hideous wars the rich and powerful design to increase their own wealth and power. "We" are no better than anyone else, no braver, more generous, more noble, more compassionate — none of it. To believe otherwise is to perpetuate tribalism.
Willliam Sloane Coffin spoke not infrequently at my high school when he was Chaplin at Yale. I always got goose bumps as I listened. Later when he became minister at Riverside Church and I was working in NYC, I again heard him preach. I loved watching him begin to combine religion with politics and he was always right on point, both in his speaking and in his books. I was fortunate enough to attend Riverside soon after his death for a commemorative reflection. He was a beacon of light in the world. I wonder how many people remember him and still are moved by his writings.
As so often happens, Connie, your tender truths generate tears and chills. Thank you for sharing your family with us.
Beautiful