June Love

It is not easy to focus these days. Or rather, it is not easy to focus on the simple joys that summer brings. There are wars brewing and bombs flying about. Billionaires running our world aground. Talk of a big bill that will cut funding for rural hospitals, children living in poverty, and people with disabilities, yet still raise our debt. Without granting attention to Washington we all know most ever decision this administration makes is a disaster in the making. You don’t even have to be a glass half-empty die-hard pessimist to agree with me.

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Juneteenth: a celebration of progress

Juneteenth may mark the end of slavery in the United States but must begin with acknowledgement for that bloody time in our history. This Federal holiday asks us to envision new horizons with opportunities for more than hope. Let us note how substantial change comes about, with people making their voices heard loud and clear, through peaceful protests and intentional voting. Looking backwards or forward, regardless, Juneteenth is provocative for it demands that we speak truth and face fact. We are a nation of mostly immigrants, some “Bought, sold, stolen, arriving on a nightmare” but at this moment we are all “Praying for a dream” “on the pulse of this new day” (Angelou).

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When Love Happens

He asked. She said yes. And so it begins…

One might say this sweet match was written in the stars, although complicated by time and proximity. Lined up against the odds yet a sure-fire thing, with generational pulls back to this very spot despite meeting on the West Coast. Why amble along the Hudson with the brilliance of Lady Liberty shinning down on them? Undoubtedly, the clearest response is family. Her’s with a direct hand in replacing the iconic torch, and his as part of a 5 generation tug boat company headquartered in the New York harbor. Destiny had a strong arm in bringing these two together, and we are all grateful they consented.

proposal in the NYC harbor

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