The IP Weekly

I know it’s been a few weeks since my last post making the name of this blog somewhat inaccurate and misleading. I am considering changing the spelling of weekly however.

There is much to write about as we approach Thanksgiving. My daughter returned home from college the other day as have many college freshman around the country and many parents, like myself, rejoiced. It is amazing to me how we all adjust to change so quickly. It isn’t that long ago that we settled our children into their new collegiate homes, yet it feels like forever. It is so nice to know that both my children are reunited again, even for this brief time, under one roof. I am very aware of how important it is to enjoy these moments as my children age. The amount of time we all spend together will decline as their own lives expand. I encourage us all to be present, laugh and love one another. The time is precious.

The juxtaposition of the peace and joy I feel when my kids are together and the reality of the horrific tragedies that have taken place around the country can be chilling. It seems, for longer than I care to remember, that there is no shortage of tragedy around our country regularly. This past week brought us shooting deaths at The University of Virginia, more shooting deaths at a Colorado nightclub, an additional shooting on the campus of New Mexico State, and the stabbings just off the University of Idaho campus.

For now these events haven’t sparked the same recriminations from our political leaders as other shootings have and I don’t know if I am relieved or disappointed by that. I can’t tell if we are all so numb to senseless violence and murder that we can just move on so quickly or if there is a collective exasperation about how little it seems we can do to prevent them. With everything seen through the prism of politics we know if there isn’t enough political will to make a change, no change will ever happen.

Like so many other events, there is a macro and micro approach to how to think of them. The macro allows us to disassociate ourselves from the emotion of it all and think only of the larger issues at play. I prefer, especially this time of year, to think on a micro level. Here, as my family reunites, are families torn apart, destroyed. I don’t know how those families find the courage, the strength to move ahead in the face of this. My family will gather Thursday for Thanksgiving, that so many others will not is hard to fathom.

I wish I had a warm, heartfelt Thanksgiving message to share this year. I remain filled with optimism about our country. I continue to see the goodness of people on a daily basis and believe, sadly, that we spend too much demonizing each other causing all sorts of permanent damage. Still, Thanksgiving is Thursday and I hope there is time to treasure my family and stay positive that change can come…I hope sooner rather than later.