brushfire"This, yes, this, it was always like this." -Stanley Koehler
REFLECTIONS OF AN EMPTY NESTER
|
There is so much appalling about Trump’s alleged statement — “Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?” — it’s hard to know where to begin. But let’s break it down point by point.
And where to begin with the apologists, the deflectors, the defenders and the cheerleaders? Maybe with the biggest cheerleader of them all, the former Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan and infamous white supremacist, David Duke. His wavering faith was clearly restored by Trump’s remarks. Duke tweets: “Just as the most ardent Trump supporters were about to give up on him in despair — he restores a lot of love in us by saying blunt but truthful things that no other President in our lifetime would dare say! NO DACA! NO COMPROMISE - NO Sh**thole America! Hail Trump!” You have to give him a little credit for his delicacy in replacing a vulgarity with “**”. God forbid his tweet should offend anyone. Does Trump's association with racists make him one? Or is he, in fact, just saying what everyone is thinking, as many of his defenders assert? It may be what they are thinking, but since when is sinking to the lowest common denominator considered a good thing? “I think people have the misconception that you can take the policies without the poison,” New York Times columnist Charles Blow said in a TV segment. “There is no difference between what I believe, what I say and what I do. There is no way to separate what Trump believes on a basic level from what he wants to do. That meeting in which he said this was a meeting about policy. There is no way to separate the racism that is coming out of his mouth from his intention with the policy.” CNN anchor Don Lemon was more blunt and focused on his supporters. “What does it say about you that no matter what, you continue to make excuses for this man, for his vile behavior? Doesn’t that make you just as bad, if not worse, than him?” A racist is in the eye of the beholder. Each of us must decide for ourselves, not based on what lies in Trump’s heart, but what lies within our own.
0 Comments
This time of year, we hear a lot about how we can live more positively and improve our lives. Now that 2018 is under way and my new year's resolutions already have fallen by the wayside, I realize everything I need to know to be happy, enjoy each day and get the most out of life year-round is right in front of me. It’s modeled by my dog, Ronnie. What makes Ronnie happy are the simple things. A bowl of food. A belly rub. A nap on a warm patch of sunlit carpet. A walk around the block with plenty of time to stop and smell the roses — or whatever. For Ronnie, the return of a beloved family member is cause for celebration — even if that person left only 15 minutes ago. Certain words and phrases bring joy, excitement and anticipation. Walk. Treat. Dad’s home. Others fill him with a sense of accomplishment or pride. Sit. Stay. Come. Good boy. Ronnie — true to a dog's reputation as man's best friend — embodies loyalty. He’s always there — literally: at my feet, by my side, on my lap. He’s an excellent listener and he never interrupts or argues. And he never holds a grudge, even if I accidentally step on his paw. The forgiveness is instantaneous and the way he wags his tail, it’s as if he’s apologizing to me rather than the other way around. Ronnie has good instincts. When I get his leash from the drawer, he automatically stretches. Upward dog. Downward dog. He appreciates the importance of routine. Wake up, scratch, shake, go out back, eat breakfast, take a nap. He also understands when he’s needed. When the kids were little, we used to call on his services whenever they were sick. “Nurse Ronnie,” they called him. He knew intuitively to be present, the comforting weight of his small body leaning against them, a warm tongue to offer reassurance, watchful brown eyes sending messages of love, calm, healing. Perhaps Ronnie’s most valuable asset is his boundless faith. Each day, after we leave, he knows we will return. All he must do is wait. Since time is not a concept relevant to his being, he is devoid of any of the anxiety you or I might feel as we watch — and worry — with the passing hours. If the wordless question — will they be back? — forms in his mind, the answer is always yes. When is immaterial. Such was the epic patience of Argos, Odysseus’s dog, who faithfully awaited his beloved master’s return from a 20-year odyssey, only to greet him with one last wag of his tail before he died. Where there is patience, there is abiding faith. Where there is absence of doubt, there is only hope. Where there is both faith and hope, there is love. This is what I learned from Ronnie I will take with me into the new year. This appeared in the Jan. 11, 2018 issue of the Grosse Pointe News. |
Mary Anne BrushJournalist, fiction writer, wife and mother |