Category: Red Poppies

Fathers’ Day marks a time of remembrance. I grew up with a father who took pride in his six children. A high school education was absent from his resume. The man never had enough sleep He provided the basics to his loved while he spoke of higher expectations for his sons”I don’t want you to work as hard as I do.” Finish high school and find a paying job in the trades.” This advice echoed throughout the “Back of the Yards, ” an area in Chicago so named because it was located south of the stock yards of Chicago) households.

Dad counseled counseled his daughters,(well at least to me) to find a husband who was capable of providing for me and our family. This speech echoed throughout the 1950s and early 1960s. I am the first born child, the prototype. Perhaps my siblings’ reflections on Fathers’ Day portrays another reality.

My father, a man who wanted his children to work hard and make a better life for themselves educationally and financially reflected his desire for his children to succeed. Is this a sad remembrance? His unique laugh and tenderness towards my mother revealed his softness..

He was short-tempered in his younger years. I attribute this anger on his years of minimal sleep. It was in my early twenties when my father got the job of his dream, a Chicago “Garbage Man.” The workers rode on the back of the truck, rain, snow, and the miserable humid heat of the summer. The cans lifted into truck by the men. (The automated lifts appeared after his retirement.)

Never owned a car until the 1970s. The family walked everywhere, rode the bus, or a friend or family member would “pick up all eight of us.

When I possessed his undivided attention, usually on the seven block walk from my grandmother’s bakery, he bestowed wisdom. The times being alone with my dad revealed his pride in me, but would add “you can do better.” Thiis phrase he imprinted in my DNA. Harsh? Perhaps, but it made me feel he saw potential. Dad wanted more for me because he noticed my grit and ability.

Thanks “Daddy!” I listened, observed and learned.

This happy, harmonious 1950’s song from the musical Oklahoma celebrated warmer days, gorgeous blooming flowers, and the opening of parks. Today, the media reports an America on fire, unruly demonstrators, shootings at workplaces, from cars, and between neighbors. What does Summer mean to you?

The 20th Century summer time offered Americans an opportunity to enjoy living easy, watching June Bugs, fireflies, and swinging in a hammock with a glass of lemonade. Hide and seek at dusk, neighbors sitting or swinging on the porch. Card games, checkers, or board games brought on laughter, shouts of joy or groans of loss.

Air conditioning, cable TV, electronic games, give neighbors cool comfort and entertainment. Living easy today depends on comfort and convenience. Heaven forbid if the electricity goes out. Many of us avoid walking, let alone strolling through our neighborhoods as the sun goes down. If we want a better nation, we need to focus on the gifts of summer.

Yes, the days are hot! Air conditioning is a must for our health and our comfort. We need to look for ways to teach our children the joys of summer. The crack of a ball against a bat brings smiles and a sense of satisfaction. A walk through your neighborhood. Take a journey to a safe green spot and take in the sights, sounds, and smells.

A slow stroll through a park with your children or loved one sets a stage for conversations. Ask your partner or children to tell you their choices of sights that make them happy.

Create an ice cream social at home by buying ice cream cones and filling them with your favorite and a few of your families favorite of the cold, creamy taste. Go all out and create a “sundae” gathering. Be brave and ask your neighbor to join you in the joy of the cool taste of a cone or sundae smothered in chocolate, caramel or strawberry syrup.

Neighbors respond to other neighbors who simply say “Hello” to them. If you live in an apartment building, don’t be afraid to say “Hello” with a smile.

Courtesy, kindness, and listening contribute to understanding. Enjoy June’s welcoming of summer and the genuine beauty in our lives.

The news of the voting changes in multiple states makes me angry. I feel those of us who believe in the concept of American entitlement to vote need to challenge the insidious bi-partisan changes multiple states considered or are considering

I’m calling for all major corporations and business owners to examine what’s happening in your state. Let’s begin with you Georgia. Your state’s controlled republican legislature and its governor constructed the strictest voter rules since the Jim Crow Era.

Check out your state’s current voting laws.

According to the Brennan Center for Justice, a voting rights advocacy group, 253 bills restricting voting access have been introduced in 43 state legislatures as of Feb. 19, 2021. According to the Brennan Center, at least 53 additional bills have been introduced since then.¹ Of these 306 bills, 89 percent were sponsored entirely or primarily by Republicans, according to the bill-tracking service LegiScan.

– February 10, 2014

Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be for lovers. Yes, the card shops, restaurants, flower shops, jewelers flood the media with ads reminding you to remember your sweetheart, your loved one, your lover, et cetera, et cetera.

We all should stop and take stock in how we love ourselves. Yes, you read it right. We can’t love someone else, be faithful and supportive, if we aren’t loving towards ourselves.  Oh, I know we all read books or watched movies where the hero or heroine are long-suffering with an unrequited love. Wake up folks! How healthy is that?
Today’s model of love should portray balanced individuals seeking other balanced individuals. We need role models of men and woman who take care of themselves emotional, physically, intellectually, and spiritually.  Heroes or heroines should be seeking partners not prototypes from books, plays, movies, and all types of media.  Idealistic? Probably, we are human after all. 

So back to reality, we all like to be wooed every once in awhile, but we don’t have to be weak. So, if you don’t have a significant other in your life, here are a few suggestions on how to woo yourself:

• indulge in a long hot bath
• buy a small amount of very expensive chocolates for yourself
• buy a bottle of your favorite wine and share it with a friend who also will appreciate it
• splurge at the spa-pick your favorite treatment or one you never selected

By now, I bet you have a few ideas of your own. Once you have found something for your self, do something for someone else:

• visit a relative or neighbor who lives alone and bring a Valentine treat
• select a Valentine card and send it to someone who has been there for you through a tough time
• buy or make Valentine treats for the office (do this only if it will make you happy)
• send Valentine flowers to someone you think would love a bouquet from an anonymous admirer

Again, the Valentine nod doesn’t have to be a big item. It should be an appropriate action, token, or expression that simply says:

“I acknowledge you for being a good human being. I am glad you are here.” 
Be a sweetheart, give someone a smile with an act of kindness on Valentine’s Day.

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