Ive been somewhat paralyzed by multiple heartaches the last couple weeks. Thanksgiving alone is usually pretty dicey, as it has always carried a gentle river of melancholy and longing for my mother, combined with sorrow about the rewriting of the history of Indigenous people and the intrinsic and systemic malaise that the holiday continues to feed. This time now also marks the loss of my brother-in-law, the father of two gorgeous-hearted children, now suddenly on a different path, with a mother who can offer the bittersweet knowledge and comfort of what its like to lose a parent at a young age. All the while, these last days have also continued to mark inexplicable heartbreak over the inhuman reinforcement of centuries of overt and covert institutionalized racism and denial. Injustice. Wrong. And then, World AIDS Day on Monday, existing to acknowledge an epidemic steeped in a similarly condoned silencing and violence, which led to the now generational stigmatization, loss, and absence of so many, including my mother. I was supposed to finish writing these childrens book reviews last night. Its difficult to conjure innocence. Even my kid- when I asked her what she wanted for the holidays, she said she wanted to bring presents to the homeless folks she sees on the corners. The book review... Well, its turned into a bit of a critical thinking manifesto. Im going to get back to it, but before I do- I wanted to say thank you for all of the loving thoughts and messages for our family. There is so much suffering going on right now, so deeply embedded in even each breath of polluted air were living with; Im praying for deep, empathetic, compassionate, systemic reconciliation and restoration.
Posted on: Thu, 04 Dec 2014 07:23:14 +0000
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