Em's Followers

To my legions of followers. LOL, I think there may be two of you! Not much time these days to post but you can check me out on Sunday nights for All Things Anderson, an amazing Anderson Cooper blog ran by Phebe and her dedicated staff. FYI, my posts consist mainly of light-hearted fun for Anderson Cooper fans!

The Returning Soldier

We hear a lot about the empty chair at the table but not a lot about how hard it is for these men/women and their families when they return home. When they first leave you don't know how you are going to get by without them and worry constantly. Out of necessity, you gradually learn to adapt to their absence and your family develops a new rhythm to their daily life. The next thing you know, they are home. You are overwhelmed and feel blessed they were returned to you safely and seemingly in tact. The hard part comes when once again your family has to develop a new schedule, a new rhythm. Unless you have been there, it is hard to imagine the guilt you feel when after a few short days you find yourself resenting the toilet seat that was left up or the three course meal your farm boy husband expects when the kids would be happy with PB&J. Immediately, you think of those wives who would give anything to put the toilet seat down and fold those socks in the appropriate military fashion. At the same time, your S.O. is trying like mad to adjust back to a life that must seem mundane and inconsequential. After all, a clogged disposal is not exactly up there on the “urgency scale” with sniper fire. The coming home often becomes as emotionally draining as the leaving. As the wife of a vet, I can only imagine how much harder is must be when these families are faced with deployment after deployment after deployment.

God Bless our military men/women and their families...may they find the peace and happiness they deserve.

Tracker the Wonder Dog and Gus in their Easter bandana's!

"To Don't List"

Saw an interesting idea on Soul Pancake yesterday. It challenged people to make a "To Don't List.” The challenge is to make a list of 5 things you want to remember NOT to do. Thought it sounded like something I might benefit from. Here is my list, hope you will add yours...

1. Let other people define me.
2. Look at the cup as half empty.
3. Lose patience with people who are important to me.
4. Take myself too seriously.
5. Waste time on toxic relationships.

May God bless you and keep you Staff Sgt. Meyers

I has been 18 years since the media were granted access to cover the return of a fallen soldier. On Sunday night, the family of Staff Sgt Phillip Myers, Hopewell, VA approved the coverage of the arrival of his coffin at Dover Air Force Base. Staff Sgt Myers, 30 was killed by an IED in Afghanistan on April 4th. The arrival of his flag draped coffin serves as a stark reminder that men and women continue to serve and sacrifice in Afghanistan, Iraq and conflicts across the globe. God bless you Staff Sgt. Meyers…forever young, forever our hero.

Still wearing flannel pajama's and furry slippers...waiting out the April "snow" showers!

I couldn't resist this one...

Take a minute and watch Portia's "apology" for marrying Ellen...probably the best peice of satire I've seen regarding Prop 8 in California.

Madam President

I don't know about the rest of you, but I have been thrilled to watch Michelle Obama on her trip to Europe. Michelle is a shining example of the American woman; diverse, intelligent, and accomplished.

Don't forget to wear your green tomorrow!

Make a Smilebox greeting

Happy Valentines Day

Happy Birthday Andy and Alex!

Oh Lord, I do not ask for much,
Eternal beauty, or youth, or such.
Just give me a little hand to hold,
And I'll forget that I'm growing old.

I do not ask for cloudless skies,
A life that's free from tears and sighs.
Just give me a little face to kiss,
And anxious moments will turn to bliss.

For what is there, really, that means so much
As little hands that reach and touch,
As little eyes that search and see
Only the best in fragile me?

So let me grow more loving and wise
By looking at life through their wide eyes.
For through these little ones, you have given
This grateful grandmother a glimpse of Heaven.

Author: Barbara Burrows

Black History Month...Celebrating Ida Bell Wells-Barnett

"Is there no redress, no peace, no justice in this land for us? Tell the world the facts."

Ida Bell Wells-Barnet was a well-known journalist and civil rights activist. Ida spent much of her time fighting against injustice and for equality for blacks and women. Ida was a freed slave. After emancipation, she attended college and taught until she was dismissed for writing in protest of segregation in education. Ida went on to become part-owner and editor of a Memphis newspaper where she became most famous for articles she wrote protesting the terrible practice of lynching in the South. Ida’s writings angered many whites in the Memphis where she received death threats and eventually had the offices of her newspaper, Free Speech, destroyed by an angry mob. This did not stop Ida. Her tireless efforts in protest of lynching continued, eventually resulting in the passage of anti-lynching laws in six states. In addition to becoming a renowned anti-lynching activist, Ida successfully campaigned for women’s suffrage and helped found the NAACP. Ida is remembered today as an inspiration to activists and a role model for black women journalists.

Congratulations Lily

Today President Obama signed the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. Lily is a 70 year old woman from Alabama. She worked in a tire factory for many years. Shortly before retiring, she discovered her company had consitently paid her less than men in the same position. Lily took them to court. The jury found her employer guilty of pay discrimination. However, the company took the case to the Supreme Court where they ruled in a 5-4 decision that Lily did not file her suit within the legal time frame. Lily's case was brought to the forefront when President Obama used her story over and over again during his presidential campaign. Although she will never receive a dime, today Lily can take pride in the contribution she made toward leveling the playing field for women all over America. As the girls say, "Lily you rock!"

The new "F" Word

A few days ago a heated discourse began after Anderson Cooper chose a shot of George HW Bush (41) telling a joke about an ugly women and her womb. During this discourse words such as sexism, crude, childish, and misogyny where used to describe not only the joke but the appearance that Anderson and CNN got a major kick out of replaying the joke ad naseum. After much debate, it seems it was okay to tell and retell this joke. Relax; after all, anyone offended must be the worst word of all, the “F” word, the FEMINIST!

Seems today when a woman expresses displeasure with a man making a joke because a women is angry or unattractive and said joke is linked to her womb the women risks being attacked by other females for being, of all things, a “feminist!”

So that got me thinking,"What does being a feminist mean"? After some research, I found that it may well mean you are a female dedicated to protecting a women’s right to contract, own property, vote, be autonomous, control her decisions about her body, be protected from domestic violence, sexual harassment and rape, and have rights in the workplace.

So a few words of caution:

When you complain about equal pay for equal work, you may be a feminist.

When you take your birth control pill this morning, you may be a feminist.

When you take maternity leave without fear of losing your job, you may be a feminist

When you play sports, attends school, and live in the same dorm as a man/boy, you may be a feminist.

When you buy your first car, rent your first apartment, or use that credit card, you may be a feminist.

When you exercise your right to vote and choose the person wearing a pantsuit, you may be a feminist.

When you say no and mean no, you may be a feminist.

When clueless men telling clueless jokes offend you, you may be a feminist.


You can see where I am going with this. Today, I am very thankful that I am actually old enough to understand what feminism is and to be glad it is one “F” word that is still in my dictionary.

Celebrating Dr Martin Luther King Jr.

I spent most of the weekend glued to CNN coverage of the inauguration celebrations for President-Elect Barack Obama. How fitting that we inaugurate our first Black-American president so close to the anniversary of Dr Martin Luther Kings 80th birthday. I was three years old when Dr King was assassinated and do not remember his famous speech or his terrible death. However, I remember vividly the assassination of RFK and the riots that occurred in the late 60's. This weekend’s events have me thinking about my place in history and my connections (good and bad) to Dr. King and his legacy.

When I think about Dr King, civil rights and the south, I think about my mom. Mom is a quiet woman who thinks she is rather ordinary and who does not have much to say. I think Mom is wrong. Mom was born in a small town in Alabama in 1941, raised in the San Francisco Bay area, and moved to Utah as young married women in 1963. Oh my, the stories she has to share. Stories of being told to be nice to the “colored” girl but not to bring her home again. Stories of being told, when she explained my father was a Portuguese American, “an N-word is an N-word just the same". Stories of people speaking only to her as though my father could not understand. Countless stories….stories told in bits and pieces that almost unknowingly chronicle racism in American.

The story I find myself thinking about today is the one in which mom traveled from California to Alabama by bus in the late 1950’s. Her story about her trip and her first real experiences with segregation and racism are fascinating. Fascinating memories of being forced to ride in the “front” of the bus, seeing white only signs on restrooms and drinking fountains for the first time, the elderly black man quaking in fear when she moved to let him pass on the sidewalk and of him moving into the street and crossing to the other side to avoid the appearance of being disrespectful to the white teenagers...so many stories. I have to admit, they all seemed like works of fiction to me, as though mom was reading from a book not from her memory.

A few years ago, I had the opportunity to experience some of my mom’s stories first hand. Two cousins and I accompanied our parents to Alabama for a funeral. During this visit we met many of our older relatives and listened in stunned silence as they told us about segregation, Governor Wallace, the bridge at Selma, and the 50’s and 60’s in Alabama. Our elders related all these stories as though we automatically understood their southern "white-folks" perspective. There we sat, the daughter of a Portuguese-American, wife of a Japanese citizen, and an openly gay young man listening to these incredible stories. In the evenings, we would return to our B&B and marvel that we even existed - thankful that our grandparents had stayed in the West after WWII. Ironically, we were sharing that B&B in that small Alabama town with a black family. This could not have happened in 1958 or maybe even 68 or 78. The whole experience was surreal.

I will admit, given my personal experiences, I told my husband months ago I did not trust the American people to vote for a black man. Sounds horrible to be so cynical but I only had my experience to go on. Tomorrow is a joyful day and hopefully a new beginning. I know we shouldn’t expect too much, I know Obama is just one man, I know we face huge challenges etc, etc but I am not going to care tomorrow. I am going to leave the cynicism at home and enjoy the celebration!

War and Our Children

Just watched the clips again by Nic Robertson and Christiane Amanpour on AC360 discussing the children caught in the nightmare in Gaza. No matter what your religion, I hope you will join me today in offering prayers for peace and for the safety of all the children trapped in sensless conflicts throughout the world.