Happy Day

 Have a happy day!

More to come!

Going to try to restructure my time to post more often.

Wish me luck!

The Inclusionary Oasis

 

This is a picture of Grace Epeiscopal's Reverend Kit at the Waycross/Ware County library as she donates a bicycle to a library patron in need. That kind of generosity makes me proud to be a member of Grace.  

Behind her, draped across the windows behind the library service counter, is a rainbow display meant to represent the diversity of library patrons and that all were welcome. And, yes, that includes the LGBTQ+ community.

It is a group of people that are often excluded, ignored, and, yes, demonized by some.  But that symbol lets them know that they are welcome at the library. They, and all others, are included in the library community.

Recently, one person objected to the rainbow display.  I won't go into all her objections.  The bottom line is that she wanted to exclude a group of people, at least in making them feel welcome.  To me, wanting to remove the rainbow display was just the beginning of what she would like to exclude.

She signed up to be a speaker at the next public meeting of the library board.  When this was known, the forces that wanted to stay inclusionary let the word out, and other speakers signed up, all to oppose her exclusionary point of view.  Even though they were only hours before the deadline to sign up to speak, over half a dozen signed up, including me.

By the time of the meeting, word of the meeting had gotten out.  I had never seen so many people at a library event (except Comic Book Day, which is more of a convention/festival).  They filled the room of the meeting.  They had to bring in benches.  They even had an overflow outside of the meeting room. And the crowd was overwhelmingly for inclusion!

The exclusionary woman had her say.  Again, I won't characterize all she said.  She was polite to the board, but she made it clear that her feelings were rooted in her faith, and she dropped the "indoctrination" word. There were visible groans at that monstrously inaccurate phrase.  I could write volumes on how nasty that is, but I want to stay focused.

Amazingly, when she was done, she and about a half-dozen of her friends left before she could hear any other speakers.  It was one of the rudest things I've ever seen.

Every speech given on the inclusionary side was heartfelt and compelling.  Whether members of the LGBTQ+ community or their allies, they all stressed what the open library meant to them.

I am posting my speech here mainly because it's the one I have a copy of.  This may not be word for word what I said.  I had a minute to speak and edited on the fly. Nevertheless, here it is -

When are there too few to count?

If there are only three patron families of Asian heritage, is that too few to have a display for not just May's Asian/Pacific Island Heritage Month but year-round?

If only two patron families have Native American heritage, is that too few to be welcomed, display their culture and accomplishments or their woes like the Trail of Tears?

If there is only one Jewish family, is that too few to be welcomed? Should their contributions be ignored, and no mention made of the Holocaust or one of the most important books of modern times, The Diary of Anne Frank?

The answer is clear. There is no such thing as too few. Everyone should feel welcome every day, all year round. Everyone counts—every single person.

It's interesting to note that the rainbow flag has black and white bars, representing allies of the LGBTQ community. And when you include these allies and supporters, I dare say they may very well represent the majority of the patrons walking through this library's doors.

That's interesting, but even if it was just one solitary individual, battered and badgered by some who may even consider them diseased and unwanted, who came to the library and saw the rainbow flag, knowing …Here, they are welcome…Here, they are respected…then it would be worth it.

Because in the rainbow of diversity that is our open, public library, everyone counts. Every. Single. Person.

The library board will not decide until its next meeting in October.  I hope the powers of inclusion are greater than the forces of exclusion.

We shall see.

Stockholm Swedrome

 

Benjamin's in Sweden!

Yep.  My 21-year-old baby boy is in the middle of a one-month visit to Sweden!  Except dips into Canada with us, it's his first visit to a foreign country.

I would love to show you dramatic pictures of Stockholm and the Swedish countryside, but that's not the pictures we're getting back. Instead, the picture above indicates where he's spending the most time - the Dragon's Lair, a gaming shop where they can play Magic and D&D*. 

I don't think he's having too many language issues.  Many speak Swenglish, a combination of English and Swedish.  The signage is often in English as well.  If not, his Swedish friends help him translate.

Benjamin also spends time eating.  This, I believe, is an entrance to one of those restaurants.

And what else would he get there but...Swedish meatballs!

Benjamin is not alone there.  Here are some of his Swedish friends.  He is staying at the home of his friend, Eddie, and Eddie's family.  Eddie is the blond on the left (?).  Yes, some Swedes are blond.  Is that a big surprise?

This is another restaurant.  It almost looks like something out of an amusement park.  Or Dave & Busters.  

We're glad Benjamin is having a great time.  He should be back a couple of days before returning to Milledgeville for his last year of college.

After that, who knows?  He'll have a degree that might allow him to work wherever he wants.

And the way things are going in this country, it's almost understandable if he leaves.  That is not what Mama and Dad would like.  We know he won't stay in Blackshear, but some places he's considering now seem so far away.

But, what we really want, is for him to be happy.

That's the important thing.

New York State of Mind

Pictured above are Alison and Benjamin.

Welcome to the Catskills!

My middle son, Doug, and his beautiful wife, Paige, moved from the Atlanta suburbs to New York last September.  They have a cabin on several acres in the Catskill mountains.

They have expanded their agricultural interests, including fruit trees and many planted fruits and vegetables.  I was able to swipe some fresh strawberries on the vine.  Tasty!  

Of course, our trip up there was not just to see Doug and Paige, as lovely as they are.  No, there was a little something more.

IT WAS TO SEE MY BRAND NEW GRANDDAUGHTER!

RETTA LOCKETT STRAIT

Two of my three sons, Benjamin and Doug.

I can't show you pictures of her, but trust me, she is gorgeous, the sweetest little baby I ever did see!

Just over three months, she smiles and responds. They sing a song to her about being the littlest wolf in the wolfpack and then sing "A-roo!" Retta will often repeat what they say.  It's a rudimentary imitation, but nevertheless, she is repeating it.  First word Mama and/or Dada?  No, it's a wolf howl!

I was able to read to her.  I'm not entirely sure what she got out of it, BUT I did hold her attention.

They got me a t-shirt that said " I'm not retired...I'm a professional Grandpa!" That is a shirt I will wear with great honor and pride!

The pictures that I do have were given to me by Alison.  They are from a nearby park called Pratt Rocks.  

I did not go on that trip.  My knees were still aggravated, and I was unsure how they would respond to the climb.  I took Prednisone, and that helped limit the pain. However, nothing was going to stop me from seeing my granddaughter.

The food was amazing, most prepared by Paige, including Pad Thai Ew and two types of chicken salad; we also had huge bagels (each big enough to feed a family of four) and some delicious ice cream sandwiches from a local dairy store.

It was a wonderful trip; we're already plotting how to get back there soon.  

I really am looking forward to being part of my granddaughter's life.

Thank you, Doug & Paige, for inviting us up there!

See y'all again soon!
 

Easing On Up

 

I'm back!

Well, it's still something I need to take day by day, but the good news is, my foot and knee pains are substantially reduced.

Don't get me wrong. I still need to use caution. And that means I'm still not back to my desktop as much as I want. And I'll need to watch the time I'm on it and take breaks -walk, move, whatever's needed - so it doesn't accelerate again.

I was able to enjoy my trip to the Catskills to see my Granddaughter. My foot doctor gave me something, Prednisone (which, trying to recall off the top of my head, I usually call PregnantZone), a steroid-type series of pills that at least kept my pain in check during my visit.

Even though I can't show pictures of her, I hope to be able to write a post soon about the trip.

We're going to be checking into my desk and chair and see if we can't come up with a more ergonomic setup that causes less pain. I'm not sure how to come up with the right thing, but I'm hoping we can get some guidance to a more comfortable solution.

Besides my Grandaughter, I hope to write soon about my son Benjamin's trip to Sweden!

Other topics I hope to get -

 - the miseries of lawn care

- the terrible, no-good, awful Supreme Court

- the overwhelming evidence of Trump's guilt

- supporting the strength and diversity of our public libraries

- another trip across the streaming universe

- and let's not forget the magnificent dog on the Otto-Man...Boss-A-Man!

Well, I probably should get up now.  Here's a blessing for you - most of my posts should be much shorter now!

Until next time.

T. M. Strait