On wands and free will

This recent post your humble blogger came across has been on your humble blogger's mind as of late. It's quite an intriguing topic.

What came to mind is it's hard to say if yours truly would want a magic wand. It made me think of Langston Hughes' "Mother to Son", where despite the Mother's life not being a "crystal stair", she kept going. That's not to say that problems shouldn't be acknowledged or suffering shouldn't be alleviated whenever possible, but that sometimes reality can't always be fixed with a "magic wand ".  Even if it could,  it would seem to be up to the individual to take that wand.  That goes to another insight that came up when pondering this subject.

A wand doesn't work by itself.  There's someone else holding it. Wiping away problems,  while the choice of the individual,  seems to be also a community effort.  No man is an island, as the saying goes, and the sentiment gleaned from thinking about this is the "magic" happens when the wand and an other come together in purpose.

What's your take?

The "Werk from Home " Playlist

Your humble blogger decided to get on the curating tip and make a playlist to get you going in these current times.  This is for when you need a pick-me-up, get some chores done, or just have a good old dance party while home. Enjoy!

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7CxrDfHYsHQ4E1N3pfkl56?si=c-d4qBFCRh6AS-Q_mIMI9Q

"Dinner with 5 People, Living or Dead "- Women's History Month Edition

In honor of Women's History Month, your humble blogger figures it would be cool to give her answer to the question "If you were to have dinner with five people,  living or dead, who would it be and why?", featuring some unsung women who made history in their own way. This particular list isn't comprehensive, but a shout to those you probably wouldn't expect yours truly to mention

Ven. Henriette Delille

Venerable Henriette Delille was the founder of the Sisters of the Holy Family,  a Catholic women's religious congregation for free women of color in antebellum New Orleans. The congregation served among the sick poor in the city's black community in addition to founding a school for girls and an orphanage (1). Delille is declared Venerable, a step in the Catholic  Church's sainthood process.  Check out M. Shawn Copeland's The Subversive Power of Love for an intriguing look at her life and impact. (More on M. Shawn Copeland later)

Dorothy Day

Co-creator of the Catholic Worker movement, Day dedicated her life to those on the margins and to social justice. It's hard to say anything that hasn't already been said about her, so here's a great profile of her from the Sheen Center.

Thea Bowman 

(Picture courtesy of National Catholic Reporter)

Educator, evangelist and activist, Thea Bowman was the first Black sister in her Catholic religious congregation and the first black woman to address the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. She died 30 years ago today and is also on the road to sainthood in the Catholic Church (along with Delille and Day). Here's a nice profile on her and Claire Swinarski's fantastic interview on The with someone who knew her here

Mathilda Beasley

(Photo courtesy of Aleteia)

Like Henriette Delille, Mother Mathilda Beasley was a Black religious sister in the 19th Century South. Pre Civil War, she taught Black children, despite it being illegal in her hometown of Savannah, Georgia. That fact ialone was enough to put her on you humble blogger's list. Beasley went on to found the first Black Catholic women's religious order in Georgia.  Aleteia's article on her is one to check out.

M. Shawn Copeland 

(Picture courtesy of America Magazine)

Theologian and scholar M. Shawn Copeland's book Enfleshing Freedom was a game changer for your humble blogger when reading it. Thus, the list is rounded out with this former president of the Catholic Theological Society of America, the first Black woman to hold the position. It's easier to show rather  than explain why yours truly would love to have a dinner with this phenomenal figure,  so check out this.

On "Making our Way Home"

Your humble blogger just got through historian and activist Blair Imani's latest book, Making our Way Home: The Great Migration and the Black American Dream for Black History Month, and it's indeed worth to be on the shelves of every home in the country. Imani expertly weaves history and culture to present a necessary part of America's story.  Taut and comprehensive, it's an accessible exploration of over 60 years of not just Black history, but American history. Rachelle Baker's illustrations are gallery worthy.  Put together,  it is a work that deserves to be spread far and wide. In fact,  at her book signing I attended, Imani signed my copy to "share [the work] far and wide ", my hope is this does justice to her commission.

Inner G, or playing around with creativity

Thus far into 2020 your humble blogger decided to take an online course called Using Creative Problem Solving. One of the assignments inspired me to do tap into my playful side and come up with this

It's a "self portrait" I dub "Inner G" (Shout out to Janelle Monàe for the word play).

On World AIDS Day-A review of "The Gifts of the Body"

 

 

 

It's easy to let the adage "You have to know where you've been to know where you're going" go in one ear and out of the other.  However, in the fight against AIDS, the importance of remembrance can't be overstated.  Written in 1994, Rebecca Brown's The Gifts of the Body illustrates in simple yet gripping prose moments of those with the disease nearing their end and those caring for them.  The story is narrated by an unnamed home health care aide, who chronicles the stories of her clients (all of whom have AIDS) and events in her time with them.  In actuality, it's more than a chronicle.  Brown's writing has her narrator inviting the reader to the world she inhabits as opposed to detailing events. It is a heart rending display of the moments associated with caring for and being with someone as they prepare to leave this earth from a devastating disease. 

 

 Each page oozes with the sense of the dignity of the human person, and the moral heroism of upholding that through everyday actions, even as the recipient is nearing the end of life.  The narrator's respect for her clients as human beings and her determination to treat them as such are palpable.  Life is treated as a gift, which is even demonstrated how each chapter is titled "The Gift of...".  Such is necessary and illustrated so as the characters face the ravages of the AIDS virus.  The inevitable loss of death is treated with tender care, especially at the story's end. 

 

Things have come a long way in the AIDS battle since the era in which Rebecca Brown wrote Gifts.  Even then, as Brown illustrates, the fight has been about the right and duty for every person to be treated with dignity-especially in the face of illness and end of life.  At the same time, it's a timeless lesson. If we're going to progress, especially in the struggle against AIDS, honoring peoples' humanity has to be at it's core.



Book Review: Washington Through a Purple Veil

Many are familiar with noted political commentator of late memory Cokie Roberts.  The name of her mother, the late congresswoman Lindy Boggs, however, may not ring a bell. Boggs' memoir, Washington Through a Purple Veil: Memoirs of a Southern Woman, shows her to be a notable figure in her own right who deserves wider recognition.

The main word that came to mind when reading the book was astute.  Her ability to describe the world of politics, which had been a part of her life from her early years, demonstrates a keen awareness of how it works as well as the bigger picture of what it's for. She does it with the grace and charm typically associated with her heritage.   Entering the political scene through her work with husband Hale Boggs during his congressional career,  she went on to take over his seat when he disappeared during a plane trip. Hers was a rich life, full of faith,  family,  and service to the community.  

Washington through a Purple Veil is a worthwhile read, illustrating the best of what a life in politics can look like.  It's a beautifully woven portrait of a life dedicated to public service during a time of immense change.

Through ups and downs, Lindy Boggs demonstrated herself a character of remarkable strength and dogged devotion to serving others.