A series of essays.....
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| PARTIAL VIEW OF OUR LIBRARY VIA THE FRONT DOOR |
.....as seen through my eyes!
By: Jacqueline E. Hughes
Enjoying the opportunity to begin writing around six-thirty every weekday morning has its ups and its downs. Kissing the husband good-bye as he heads off to work, grabbing my mug filled to the brim with freshly brewed coffee, and making my way over to snuggle on the couch with i-Pad nestled on my lap.....is pure heaven for me. Now is my time to become totally immersed within the world inside my head, for better or worse.
One ‘down’ for this particular morning is having to listen to a crew ripping off a neighbor’s shingles, two houses down from us, in preparation for a new roof. They have decided to take advantage of our earlier sunrise and promote the resounding echos generated by the fruits of their labor which are bouncing around the subdivision like gigantic, rusty chains being scraped along metal grates! Add a little sandy grit to the mix and you can imagine the detrimental effect on me in terms of unanticipated distraction! Can the disagreeable rhythm of powerful nail guns be far behind?
There’s, also, the fact that I tend to hang-out in my sleeping attire far longer than most people are able to. As long as nobody requires me to open the front door for any medical emergency....I’m set to go, feet resting on the soft, beige ottoman and time becoming irrelevant to my current state of mind.
As with most of us who make a deliberate effort to care about the world and her people, the subjects of gun control, Dreamers, Immigrants, corruption and greed, bigotry, illicit affairs, and hate plague our thoughts on a daily basis. I believe that if we can find one ‘shining moment’ every day and concentrate on it for at least thirty minutes, this process will help to enlighten our moral outlook and keep us moving in a forward motion.
Last Thursday’s ‘shining moment’ presented itself to me in a unique manner. Not only did I keep it in my thoughts for a very long time, I decided that this enlightening moment had to be shared. It happened to be fortuitous that I’d already showered and changed into daytime clothing before it all went down!
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| POSTAL LETTER CARRIER UNIFORM ~ SUMMER BASEBALL CAP |
He rang the front doorbell. You would like to think that anyone standing on your front stoop would not take advantage of looking directly into your home via the sidelight but, he did.
Placing my i-Pad off to the side, I walked around our ‘Grandpa’s Chair’ (purchased for its larger yet cozy capacity for sitting and cuddling with Grandchildren) and into the foyer to gaze out at my unscheduled guest from my side of the sidelight before opening the front door. His broad smile along with a cap and shirtfront displaying the recognizable Seal of Delivery of the United States Postal Service gave him away. I opened the door.
“Are you Jacqueline Hughes?” he inquired in very good English but with a thick accent reminiscent of a Spanish speaking native who has lived in this the U.S. for many years. “Yes,” I replied. Next he was handing me a tiny machine and asking me to sign my Etch-a-Sketch signature before signing and printing my name on the registered letter itself. As I was signing my life away for one elongated, white envelope, he peeped through the open door and exclaimed, “Oh, I love your library!” Could he have endeared me more to him by saying anything else, I ask you?
“Thank you. You must be an avid reader,” I said.
“Oh, yes I am! I love books. I love to read. And, it’s so rare to see home libraries anymore. Your library is beautiful!” His excitement was contagious and heartwarming.
My new friend was beaming and I could sense that there was much more to this story than a huge smile and extreme fawning over our cozy library would tell me. And, there was....
“My oldest son was accepted to Harvard! He was just informed yesterday! We are so proud of him!” he blurted out in what seemed like one, long exhaled breath. “He’d been accepted at MIT, as well, but has always had his heart set on attending Harvard!” All five feet and close to five inches of him was shaking with pride and love and all of those happy, wonderful emotions that we parents feel and display so readily when it comes to the unique accomplishments of our offspring.
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| ~~SPRINGTIME AT HARVARD~~ |
Photo: Courtesy USA Today
“How wonderful that is for your son and for you, too!” I said while feeling myself bobbing up and down in mirrored rhythm to his ‘joy and happiness dance’ enforced by his exuberant vibes. “I am so happy for you and for your son and family. The hard work he has had to put into everything he does is paying off for him.”
“I know. I know. He has earned a partial scholarship and that is supplemented with various grants he’s applied for. It will be a long road, I understand this. But, he is strong and knows exactly what he wants in this world and that will help make a difference.”
I continued to bounce along with him as I looked into his sparkling eyes and thought about all of the kids from Parkland, Florida who have resumed their own high school studies this past week. They are the so-called ‘privileged’ white kids who, if accepted into Harvard or MIT or Northwestern University, may not have to depend on the supplemental grants to get them through their college careers. They may not have to take-on a part-time job in order to afford any little extras along the way.
Their baggage, however, now includes taking-on the memory of hate in its purest form. By having dodged the bullets of a deranged person hell-bent on leaving a legacy of death and destruction, they carry the burden of this hatred around with them for the rest of their lives. Judging by what I’ve read and seen, this baggage has already served to strengthen their moral courage and is directing many of them to stir-up change in current political policies that will help protect them and others from haters in the future. I think many of us are waiting for the November elections this year. Undoubtedly, much needed change will happen then.
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| SEVENTEEN YEAR OLD DAVID HOGG HID IN A CLOSET WHILE SHOOTER KILLED SEVENTEEN PEOPLE IN PARKLAND, FLORIDA HIGH SCHOOL. PARKLAND SURVIVOR HAS TURNED ACTIVIST. |
And, really, are they that much different than my postman’s son in the long run? The world rests upon all of their young shoulders. It doesn’t matter what personal struggles helped to shape their lives, when their educational values kick in and they become the new leaders of this world, the fields of Arts and Science, Education, Mathematics,Trade Schools, Industry, and so much more, will blossom like fresh new flowers on a warm and sunny spring day with energy and color bursting forth for all to see, learn and profit from, and enjoy!
Before my postman, sporting his thin, dark mustache and brown, penetrating eyes, could leave my front stoop, I wanted to reach out to him one last time and said, “Please know how proud we all are of you and your son. I know for a fact that a much brighter future revolves around him and the youth of this country. We need to let them all know how much their strength and intelligence is appreciated.” I was so grateful at that moment for this fellow human being, slave to his many emotions, who was unafraid to display them all to me!
Just by the look on his face, I was certain he knew exactly whom I was in reference to in this particular case; his son, as well as the Parkland students who will always remain near and dear to us and in our daily thoughts and prayers. I knew this because he stopped, turned back towards me and said, “Yes. Yes. They are the strong ones. We must help them along their journey....” And, he issued me a standard ‘thumbs up’ on his way back to his vehicle.
To think that my book-filled shelves helped to promote this entire conversation only encourages me to constantly support the power and wisdom behind a good education. This jubilant postman opened his heart to me and related one of the most auspicious moments of his family’s life. Together we delivered an homage to this young generation who are television and Social Media savvy warriors and will serve to catapult all Americans into the kind of world we wish to live in. #Progress #Youth #Resist....!
Copyright © 2018 by Jacqueline E. Hughes
All rights reserved
