The Election of 2016

It has been a while since I have posted and I welcome your thoughts. As you know, I started this page in honor of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, a pioneer for human rights. It has been a while and I wanted to share my thoughts with you about the presidential election and the letter I have written to Hillary Clinton.

Dearest Hillary:
How may I support and comfort you? It is with the deepest warmth, sincerity, and gratitude that I thank you for running for president of the United States of America.
You are a class act and I am proud to think of you as my sister. From the bottom of my heart and from all of the brave women and men who have come before, THANK YOU for your leadership, commitment, wisdom, dedication, professionalism, resilience, care, stability, determination and grace. My heart is very heavy with shock and grief. Yesterday, I went to work and told my students, as always; voting is a right that many Americans fought for – taking many years. Your campaign has been one that encouraged all Americans exercise their right to vote.
You are a beacon of resilience; like our sisters, Alice Paul, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and so many others who organized the Women’s Rights movement in 1848. Women have been patient waiting for over 140 years to get the right to vote in this country. I think of the little girls working in the mills of Lowell, Massachusetts, who fought for safe working conditions. They took their petition to the state legislature and were rejected. These same young ladies used their political power years later to vote out the officials who discounted their petition and turned them away. Our country is built on the principles of rights and freedoms for ALL citizens! My daughter once handed in a report that said, “There is liberty and justice for all, except…..” and she went on to list the many disenfranchised in our country. I found it to be a powerful insight for a young woman. It is hard to believe that it has taken almost another one hundred years in order for your name to appear on the ballot as the Democratic nominee for the president of the United States of America. Your campaign has been one that has remembered the disenfranchised of our country.
In school I learned many things; however, the most important thing that I learned was that all children want to be part of the learning process-NOT only the “smart” kids. I remember thinking that if I were ever to become a teacher; that I would try to treat all of the children with respect and let them know that there is enough academic success for all! Your campaign has been one of respect.
At the young age of thirteen, I was privileged to work in a nursing home and it taught me a great deal about the many forgotten people in our society. Many struggled with physical and mental afflictions. I have always been a person with empathy, and realized very early on that these seniors shared one thing in common-they wanted to be a part of things and share a sense of belonging. Your campaign has been one of inclusion.
I have learned a great deal from being the mother of three wonderful children. My daughters and son hugged me very closely when the election results were finalized. I am the most grateful for the lessons that my children have taught me; kindness, forgiveness, resilience, compassion and so many others. Some lessons were challenging. When I took the children to the doctor’s office it was an uncomfortable experience. With three young children, they would get sick and often pass the germs around to each other. Needless to say, we were often at the doctors and unable to keep the balance up to date even though my husband had health care coverage with his company. The receptionist would always greet me with – “you have an outstanding balance – are you going to pay it today? –if not what are you doing here?” It was embarrassing having other patients overhear the conversation, but, I needed to get medical attention for my children. Time passed and the doctor finally asked me to seek medical care for my children at the clinic. I did go to the clinic until I was able to pay the balance owed; however, I never forgot how my children were treated. I knew at the time that I would never want another parent to experience such treatment when reaching out to professionals for help. When you fought for healthcare for children; I decided at that very moment, that if you ever ran for office, I would be in your corner. Your campaign has included the support of ALL children.
Gratitude is the hardest of all emotions to express. There is no word capable of conveying all that I feel. Until we reach a world where thoughts can be adequately expressed in words, “THANK YOU” will have to do.
Respectfully yours,
Pai M.W.

It has been a while

I started writing in 2014; it is now 2016. We are ready to elect a new president in the US and we need to look for a leader prepared to resolve differences with brains instead of force.

Today is Saturday, July 23, 2016, and it has been a while since I have written. The last time that I wrote, it was Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 2014. I wrote about humanity and brutality and injustice. It is two and a half years later and there is still a need to look at our humanity. There have been so many deaths and brutal shootings and attacks in the world.

I send out my sincere condolences for all of the people brutally killed in attacks in the US and throughout the world. I pray for these people and their families and hope that they know that they are not forgotten. I pray for all humanity because human life is the most important thing of all.

There is more light in the world than darkness; it is time to find compassion, love, and kindness for each other. We must actively listen to one another in order to find our way.

Peace,

Pai M. W.

1-20-14

My Day Too 1-20-14

Today we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. He fought against the oppression of African Americans. He used his humanity not brutality to fight injustice.

Eleanor Roosevelt was also a champion of the rights of African Americans. She was influential in having Marion Anderson sing, My Country Tis of Thee at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, in 1939. Anderson had been rejected by the Daughters of the Revolution to sing at Constitution Hall. Mrs. Roosevelt responded and found a place for Marion Anderson to sing and share her gift.

On this day I encourage everyone to consider the word humanity – being humane, kindness, benevolence, being compassionate, tolerant, and sympathetic and understanding and contrast it with the word, brutality – harsh, unrelenting, cruel, ruthless, violent treatment against others.

As humans we have a choice each and every day to choose to treat ourselves and others with humanity or brutality. We can make a decision to behave towards ourselves, our parents, wives, husbands, daughters, sons, brothers, sisters, extended family, classmates, community, and the world with humane or brutal treatment. Take a look at your closest relationships and determine if they are influenced by humanity or brutality. If Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream is to be realized, we must first look at the way we choose to interact with those closest to us and that will be a direct reflection of how we engage the world outside our front door.

I encourage every person to start by looking inside ourselves for the changes we want to see that will improve our world.

I invite you to think for yourself and share your day too.

Peace,

Pai M. W.

 

1-3-14

My Day Too

1-3-14

I am inspired to write to you today by the My Day, column written by Eleanor Roosevelt. Reviewing a column from 1936, where Eleanor Roosevelt shared a story about her father. He had given his best coat away to someone in need. Her father had been punished for his impulsive act of giving; however, he was pleased with his decision. This brought me back to a time in my life when I wanted to give my coat to a little boy that I would see on the street, fourth Ave, in my neighborhood. He was poor, his nose was running and he always looked cold. I thought about handing him my coat many times and then I would start to think – Think too much and not act. I went to my head and thought that I might embarrass the boy and make him feel badly. I didn’t think about my mother or father being angry with me because I was a child who lost many things, including coats, but I thought the boy would misinterpret my gesture as pity instead of empathy. It also crossed my mind that an eight or nine year old boy would not know what to do with a little girl’s coat. I regret not giving the coat away and if the little boy is out there somewhere, I want him to know that I saw his need and felt true empathy.

My objective in writing today is to share my thoughts with you. Eleanor Roosevelt was a person who championed many political and social causes and I admire her a great deal. She was a person who had the ability to see the need in our world and made efforts to change things for the better.

I have determined that all people have some things in common, whether it is a baby in Thailand, a school age child in Portugal, a young adult in Yemen, a new parent in Columbia, a worker in Canada, a grandparent in Australia, or a senior citizen in the US, we all have the day ahead of us. Each day is an opportunity to see ourselves, others around us, the neighborhood and world we live in. We start out with different levels of education, resources and support; however, we are alive and beginning a new day too.

In closing, I would like you to know that I think a great deal and I came to the realization that all of these thoughts racing around in my head are there for a reason and the reason may be to share them with others. I know that we are all graced with different abilities or gifts and I was born with the ability to empathize with others. Gifts, thoughts and abilities, without action may be a symptom of the world these days. We may tend to become disconnected from others.

I invite you to think for yourself and share your day too.

Peace,

Pai M. W. 

1-11-14

My Day Too 1-11-14
This week there was quite a buzz about the lane closures at the George Washington Bridge in September. The governor is an elected public official responsible for conducting the policies, actions, and affairs of the state.
A friend at work shared a spot from the Stewart show about the incident and I laughed. It would probably help the people living in the state of New Jersey to have a good sense of humor. I shared the same piece from the show with some family and friends and my brother told me to be careful about laughing at-possibly the next president of the United States. I asked him if he meant the talk show host or the governor.
It is my understanding that the NJ governor’s staff orchestrated the shutdown of lanes on the George Washington Bridge in retaliation against the mayor of Fort Lee because he didn’t endorse Christie for governor. The governor says that he was not aware of his staff’s actions; however, I suggest that being responsible for the actions of your appointed staff is your job. In making these appointments, hopefully, you gave careful consideration to who you determined to be the best candidate for the position. I encourage you to be much more thoughtful with the replacement staff members. In the past, I have heard the governor use some very colorful adjectives and scream at people; however, in the lengthy news conference his demeanor was different. He used the word unacceptable many times and it seemed like he’d like to move on and leave this incident behind. I’m sure the people held up in the traffic may feel differently. Let’s look at that for a moment. Traffic jams in the state are not an unusual occurrence because of the size of our population in relation to the geographic size of NJ. Whether or not the governor knew about the lane closures before they happened or after may never be known; however, what is known is that many NJ residents were affected in a very negative way.
I’m thinking of the emergency responders who were delayed giving care to those people in need. (I would be very upset if my family member was in need of help and they were not taken care of) I think of the people on their way to work and if they punch a clock, they lost their pay. (it would be very difficult to lose several hours of pay) For the workers who are on salary, they need to make up the work that was missed while they were sitting in traffic. (Making up the work would take me away from my other responsibilities) I think of the truck drivers, like my Dad, who may not see their children that night because the deliveries must be made, whether it takes them ten minutes to cross the bridge or four hours. I think about the school children trying to get to school. (Sitting in a traffic jam that was orchestrated by the staff of the governor is quite a civics lesson for those children-it probably meets the 21st Century Learning criteria of real life learning under the state standards) One of the e-mails from the governor’s staff said that the kids were those of Buono voters. Well, that is probably so; however, they are also the kids of Christie voters too. The majority of citizens in the state of New Jersey don’t have the resources to send their children to private schools, so they attend public schools and many take the bus. The buses were late because they were sitting in traffic and the students missed their classes and instruction during the first week of school.
I encourage the governor and his staff to think about their actions and the consequences for those who took the direct hit from your actions. How will you take responsibility for the loss to all of these people?
I encourage the people responsible for this very purposeful sabotage to make amends monetarily to all those affected. As a resident and voter, I would like the elected officials to have a sense of fair play! People elect you with the idea that you will conduct the policies, actions, and affairs of the state in a way that is fair and equitable, well, I am not surprised by the lane closures or by the reason, but I am disgusted.
Breath in what you have done, own what you have done, and correct it by responding directly to the people you troubled.
I invite you to think for yourself and share your day too.
Peace,
Pai M. W.