Naming of squirrels and birds

When I was little, my cousin Sarah and I gathered and Gram and Papa's house most weekends for sleep-overs to get away from our pesky little brothers. Gram would pamper us and Papa would sneak us an extra bowl of breyers' vanilla bean ice cream. We'd sit in the kitchen overlooking that opened up to this porch and make up stories about Sam the Squirrel. Sam the Squirrel always made it to the porch first for the nuts Gram set out. We also created a place at the table for him - a chair with books stacked high so he could reach the table. Unfortunately, he never made it inside despite the fact that I often opened the door for him.

{l}

Like Sam the Squirrel, Lester the Flying Crow was another friend that hung out on Gram and Papa's porch. He often stole the nuts Gram put out for Sam and his friends. Lester had his own song, which went:

Lester the flying crow

Who he is

We don't know

He swoops down into our yard

Maybe he's meeting friends or playing cards.

Gram, I always thought, was much more partial to Lester than she was to Sam. I loved Sam because I was convinced that he read books like I did. He always wore awesome Ben Franklin spectacles. Lester played cards and the only games I liked as a kid were Old Maid, Go Fish, and Crazy Eights. 

I still sing about Lester when I see a crow flying about. Last week there was one outside my bedroom window. I wonder if Lester (or Lester's ancestor) made a trip up north to check in on me.

travels home

A few highlights from my Christmas trip back home. It went by entirely too fast and I find myself missing the comfort of Ohio while I'm here. In 6 months I'll be back.

Celebrating Christmas at St. Pat's with this Charlie Brown tree.

cousins on Christmas discussing the merits of something or another.

guy cousins sporting snazzy jackets from Gram.

scrabble games (that I won)

because we're awesome

New Year's Eve lunch with these lovely ladies.

brother and his dog, buddy.

Why can't I ever be in a mall when things like this happen?

Christmas wishes

Merry Christmas!



The Digital Story of the Nativity

We are saying Thank You

A much belated Thanksgiving update. Thanksgiving is the holiday in my family. Everyone gathers at Gram and Papa's to celebrate the day. This year was different without Papa, but we managed to have fun. I told the people up here that it was more important for me to go home for Thanksgiving that it was for Christmas.

This year I am thankful for:

Time with the brother.

meeting up with part of the alphabet.

Southwest airlines.

Gram and this little guy (Colin Daniel, my baby cousin)

these lovely ladies

Gram and Papa. <3

Racism

As part of my volunteer year, I live and work in St. Cloud with a refugee resettlement program. The majority of the refugees I help resettle hail from Somalia. They've spent the past 15-20 years living in refugee camps in Kenya, Ethiopia, Yemen, and a few other countries while a civil war has raged on in their home country. I've had a chance to get to know this refugee community. Like all of us, they have their strengths and their faults. I've learning about the Muslim culture. This experience is completely different than anything I have ever experienced.

St. Cloud, while pretty and situated nicely along the Mississippi river, is a racist town. Despite welcoming refugees into their city for upwards of 10 years, there are still many people who don't hesitate to voice their hatred of the refugee community. St. Cloud is a primarily white, German, and Catholic town. The Somali refugees are Muslim. They speak a different language. They look different. They have different dietary needs and prayer needs. Some people have embraced them as neighbors. Others...not so much.

Why do I write about this? This morning, weeks after the November election, I stumbled across two articles about a man who was elected to the school board. He has definite feelings about how Muslim students should be treated in the school district - feelings that I don't agree with. Frankly, his one statement made me sick. (Nevermind the fact that I don't think he is qualified to be an elected member of the school board). This article, originally published in the St. Cloud Times, includes the comment that I saw this morning. How he was elected to the school board, I will never understand.

After conversations with my other volunteers, I know that I (we) cannot remain silent and ignore the racism in the city that we are calling home for 10 months.