REFLECTIONS ON LIFE
March 2017
REFLECTIONS ON HOME IN COLUMBIA
Spring is here! … and it played a trick on us this year.
Having excitedly observed the early opening of the crocus blooms
and the forsythia beginning to blossom, and then to experience the subsequent
frost reminded us again that we are not in control. Yet if this apparent result of lack of rain
and warmer temperatures IS related to global warming and thereby to
environmentally detrimental human behavior and public policy on our planet, we
are to that significant extent responsible.
On Friday, April 21, @ 7pm at the Howard County Nature
Conservancy, I, as one of six story tellers, will participate for the first
time in this entertaining tradition. I
have attended several story telling events and have been totally immersed in
and enthralled by the experience. Having
given literally hundreds and hundreds of “speeches” in my many years in public
office, I thought I would relate very easily.
Well, it is a totally different skill.
It took me a while to get my bearings, and when I did, I fell in love
with story telling. April 21 will be my
“coming out” telling of a story from my life. I would love it if you would join
me. The Howard County Nature Conservancy
is located at 10520 Old Frederick Rd. As
you may expect, the building and grounds are beautiful. Let me know if you plan to attend.
The arts are blooming right along with the flowers in our community.
Tonight I will attend the Judy Collins concert in Columbia. I will be going with Susan Jacobson, a
“girlfriend” of many years who was involved in local politics even before I
was. When I first met her, Susan was
heading up the McGovern campaign in our county.
I know the theater will be filled with so many women I have known for so
many years. We grew up to the melody of
Collins’ “Clouds.”
What a blessing to have so many memories still alive at my age
of 74.
Spring training and his beloved Phillies lured Lloyd one again
to spend a week in Florida. I flew down for the last weekend and joined him in
a beautiful rental apartment on Tampa Bay, amazingly secluded for that busy
area. We loved watching the birds. Eagles soared overhead and ducks paddled in
the water
Just as we love living in our community of Columbia and
travelling to distant and not so distant places, reading and discussing what we
read is a big part of our lives. Reading
and discussing the Washington Post and Baltimore Sun over coffee each morning
is an integral part of our day. Having
completed my explanation of the Sports section to Lloyd, we move on to the
editorials, following them with world, national, state, and local news. More than any other time that either of us
can remember in our lives, it would be so easy to allow ourselves to wallow in
negativity. Then one or both of us come
back to the moment and realize what beauty fills our lives, right alongside the
tragedy and apparent hopelessness of so many of our neighbors on planet earth.
We have cut down on periodicals to one monthly, The Atlantic,
and one weekly, The New Yorker. We find
that reading both thoroughly contributes to balance in our lives in these times
when we can so easily get off kilter.
The Atlantic March 2017
edition
There is a great article, “Professor Caveman,” about
author/college, professor Bill Schindler,
teaching college students right here in Maryland at Washington College to live like early
humans, obtaining and preparing their own food in nature.
The New Yorker March
20, 2017 edition
This weekly magazine was first published in 1925. I recall my
mom’s reading it when I was an elementary school kid. I first subscribed to The New Yorker in 1987
shortly after having been elected Howard County Executive and moving from
Ellicott City to our present home in Columbia.
I like the cartoons a lot. Lloyd, who had not been a reader of this
particular publication prior to our marriage in 1992, loves them. This month
the New Yorker announced that its cartoon editor for more than 20 years, Bob
Mankoff, is stepping down from that role in the spring. Having published his first New Yorker cartoon
in 1977, Bob said that the aspect of the role which he will miss most is “the
unwarranted adulation and respect that comes with the imprimatur of being
cartoon editor of the New Yorker.” I have a clear recollection of my mom’s
reading this weekly magazine when I was a kid.
I can see and hear her now laughing out loud at the cartoons. I have subscribed for about 40 years. Now I hear Lloyd laughing at them just as
loudly.
UU World
One of the seasonal publications that we receive by virtue of
membership is “UU World,” UU standing for Unitarian Universalist. The recently
released Spring edition contains an article by Elaine McArdle , a senior editor
and resident of Portland, Oregon, about three composers who died last
year. Categorized as “Inspiration,” it
is entitled “Bowie, Prince, and Cohen:
Saints of Freedom.”
Regarding Prince, McArdle tells how Bruce Springsteen spoke of
him as having “demolished barriers not just of sexuality, but race.” “ In ‘Controversy,’ Prince inquired ‘Am I
black or white, am I straight or gay?’
His answer – loud and proud – was “Yes.”
Of the other two composers, McArdle wrote:
“Aware their time on earth was ending, Bowie and Cohen did not
go gentle into that good night but raged with creativity to the end. Two days before he died, Bowie released the
terrific album ‘Blackstar’ with an astonishing video exploring his imminent
death. Cohen’s final album, ‘You Want It
Darker,’
‘came out two weeks before he passed. Yet, wise men both, at their end they knew
dark was right. And so, their final gift
of freedom to us: the extraordinary
courage to stare into the maw of the infinite unknown – and not to recoil, but
to jump.”
NOTE: As usual, I had
planned to send out this “Reflections” on the last day of March,
yesterday. That didn’t work technically
this time, so we put it off until today, April 1. Last night, as planned, Lloyd and I attended
a Candlelight Concert at Howard Community College. A young string trio performed magnificently
one of their pieces: Leonard Cohen’s
“Hallelujia.” Had I not experienced that
technical difficulty, this reference to Cohen’s masterpiece would not be
included here.
Author and filmmaker, Amy Rosenthal, learned a couple of years
ago that she was terminally ill with
ovarian cancer. She spent her remaining
time on this earth composing an unconventional “textbook” - “Not Exactly a Memoir” in her “Mid-term
Essay” reflecting on her passion for life and middle age. “Invariably, I will have to move on before I
have had enough. My first word was
‘more.’ It may very well be my last.” In
a column she wrote for the New York Times, Rosenthal gave tribute to her
long-time husband, Jason, in the form of a dating profile titled “You May Want
to Marry My Husband.” I imagine that I
was probably not alone in thinking “What?
How inappropriate!” Then I saw
this writing more clearly – what a beautiful parting gift to a loving spouse .
REFLECTIONS ON ZACH
Reading the Washington Post this weekend and seeing an
advertisement for a new production of “Aladdin,” I experienced a flashback of
about 20 years. My sister Martha had
just moved in with Lloyd and me, having just learned that she likely had about
three more months on this earth due to leukemia. Zach was then three years old and staying
with us for the weekend. We four –
Martha, Zach, Lloyd and I – sat down to lunch.
Zach, having pulled himself up quite straight in his booster seat,
looked directly across the table to my sister and, in a somewhat formal voice,
enquired “Do you know Abu?” The question
was posed with a quite apparent and clear intention of starting a meal
conversation. We three adults,
fortunately having been able to resist the urge to laugh, learned that Zach had
very recently seen the popular film, “Aladdin” which was then playing in nearby
theaters. A delightful four-way
conversation, clearly led by Zach, ensued. Since then whenever I see or hear a
reference to “Aladdin” or hear its music, Zach shows up, poised and sitting
straight up in his booster seat.
In the Sunday Sun a few weeks ago that was a page dedicated to
the Annual Zaching Against Cancer fourth annual fundraiser/dinner/dance at
Raven’s stadium. There were about a dozen small photos of various family
members and friends and a half page sized one of Julia, Zach’s younger
sister. She is wearing a beautiful black
lace dress and beaming with a dazzling genuine smile
In the accompanying interview, a reporter asked Julia about the
“living the dream” philosophy of her brother.
I have heard, and read, many quotes about Zach given by many people who
knew him. Not one surpasses or even
comes close to the beauty and simplicity of Julia’s: “He always said to live every day to the
fullest. I like to keep that in mind
whether I do little things or big things.
As I pursue my dreams, I know he would be standing next to me telling me
to do whatever it takes.”
REFLECTIONS ON BALTIMORE, MY HOMETOWN
Baltimore City Councilmember, Mary Pat Clark, who has
unflaggingly continued to pursue for years the adoption of a $15 an hour
“living wage” in Baltimore finally succeeded in attaining passage. I have deep respect and admiration for her
work on this basic economic justice issue.
She met strong and persistent opposition from some segments of the
business community. I am deeply
disappointed that Mayor Pugh vetoed the bill.
Hopefully a sufficient number of the City Councilmembers will have the
wisdom and courage to vote to overturn the veto. This is about as bedrock an economic justice
issue as possible.
Delegate Cheryl Glenn from Baltimore, Chairperson of the Black
Caucus in the Maryland House of Delegates, is also demonstrating deep political
courage. She led that caucus to support
a tightening of the law re bail to the end that it would no longer be available
only to those of significant financial means - another bedrock justice issue
that had been strongly opposed by the moneyed bail bondsmen.
Thank you, Mary Pat and Cheryl.
I rarely use the term “hero.” It
definitely applies to both of you on these economic and social justice issues
REFLECTIONS ON PUBLIC POLICY IN OUR COUNTY, STATE AND
NATION
HOWARD COUNTY
Spring is budget season for county government. It will be interesting and very important to
keep an eye on whether the impact of any federal government changes will have
an impact on local and state government funding.
In these changing economic times it is also important for us to
remember the $90 million gift that our local government, with the support of
PATH (People Acting Together in Howard) gave to Howard Hughes Corporation, the
developer of Downtown Columbia, one of the largest and most profitable
development companies in the U.S. In
that instance, our county government certainly did not “save for a rainy day”
that may very well be imminent. By the
way, I have received questions from some of you about this gift of a TIF (tax
increment financing) as to whether it is paid for by all county taxpayers, or
just those of us living in Columbia. The
answer is all county taxpayers.
Columbia, in contrast to Jim Rouse’s priority of economic
justice, is becoming – by design – an elite community where support staff at
our schools and our community college and elsewhere cannot afford to live here.
STATE OF MARYLAND
With only one week remaining in this year’s legislative session
in Annapolis, it looks as if we may see several big improvements in social,
economic, and environmental justice in out state.
In the immediate prior section of this newsletter I covered the
bail bond issue as one that would create more economic justice in our state
The gross economic injustice of bail bonds being available only
to the rich. Bail bonding is a very
lucrative business that will resist regulation at all costs.
Pay Day Lending is a gouging economic practice offered to people
who cannot afford to do business with a legitimate bank or credit union, mostly
because there are none in their communities.
In my early years in the legislature, I served on the financial
institutions subcommittee and focused for years on making reliable services
available to low income Marylanders. We
met with quite a bit success and were for several years in the 90’s cited as a
model state in this area of public policy.
Times have changed and this year there is a big push to revive this
gouging practice. It looks quite hopeful
that the legislature may demonstrate the stamina to resist this very
economically unjust legislation.
******
I know it’s important for us to focus on the future, AND
sometimes the lessons from the past are so strong that we must repeatedly look
back so we won’t make similar mistakes.
The article below was so predictable. It was my biggest frustration in 20 years in
the Maryland legislature that I was not even successful in getting my own
constituents to see the handwriting on the wall.
“Abandoned children a big cost of gambling
As industry expands, more kids being left along in cars”
Baltimore Sun March 19, 2017
UNITED STATES
I will not even attempt to address all or even any of the major
public policy changes being considered by our president. It is more than difficult to keep track.
I hear more than a few friends say that they have stopped
following the news altogether because it is too troubling. Democracies fail when their members – us –
stop paying attention. Now I completely
agree that to watch TV or listen to the radio non stop is an equally bad and
unhealthy idea. For Lloyd and me, reading the Washington Post daily and
thoroughly suffices, although we do add some TV news. Then it is important to read poetry, a good
novel, more poetry, a good biography, more poetry, write a poem of your
own. Watch a good movie. Attend a good concert. Go for a walk in the
woods. Stand outside at night and watch
the stars, moon, and planets. Go to an
art museum. Make a big pot of vegetable
soup.
I also believe it is very important for each of to ask ourselves
this question. “What did we – each and every one of us – do to contribute to
the result of this election?” Social,
economic, and environmental injustice is all around us, and that would not be
the case if we were not participating in it in at least to a small extent. None
of us is free of at least some responsibility for this state of affairs. Then it is important for us to shift to the
question “What can we do to improve it?”
Those of us having the good fortune of living in Columbia – Jim
Rouse’s “Garden for Growing People” – are observing our beloved community
becoming – by intentional design – an elite community where support staff at
our excellent community college, our
hospital, our public schools and elsewhere cannot afford to live. We can still improve this situation, though
not unless we are willing to take the personal risk of being criticized.
REFLECTIONS ON OUR PLANET BEYOND THE UNITED STATES
International Women’s Day
TV news and the printed media gave considerable coverage to the
statue of a young girl being unveiled on Wall Street facing the brass bull
which has stood there since the stock market crash in the 80’s. It would be difficult to find a stronger
supporter than I of equal pay for equal work. Yes, we want equality for women
in the workforce, including the financial industry. We also must look at the
complete picture of injustice in our world.
We want to encourage young girls to seek equality in the financial
sector, and yet we must be very careful not to encourage them to participate in
spreading economic injustice, as is often done on Wall Street. All forms of
injustice are running rampant in our nation and the world – social, economic,
and environmental. We must work to
eradicate all three.
GERMANY
Chancellor visits the U.S.
I was in a local coffee shop having a skim milk latte and
catching up on my e-mails when Andrea Merkel and our president came on the TV
screen above me. President Trump was in
the midst of a talk on international relations during which, with his trademark
great fanfare, he castigated the Germans for allegedly poor behavior on the
international stage including owing millions in back dues to NATO. I was struck by the poise and grace with
which the chancellor listened, eyes sometimes on the perpetrator of untruths
and sometimes looking straight ahead, calm, dignified and serious. An image came to mind of the respective leaders
of these two nations in the year I was born, 1943.
NETHERLANDS
Washington Post
Editorial - March 16, 2017
Dutch prime minister claims victory
Anti-Muslim firebrand’s defeat may blunt populist momentum in
Europe
After so much negative publicity in our world for so long, I
found some solace in this “major blow to anti-immigrant populism.”
SYRIA
Washington Post Editorial
March 16, 2017
The worst year for Syria’s children
A U.N. report documents staggering atrocities in 2016. Will 2017 be a repeat?
In the face of absolutely unbearable suffering in this nation of
Syria – old and young – men and women, I cannot find words. So I turn to a magnificent poet.
“On Joy and Sorrow” - Kahil Gibran (from Lebanon which is
virtually encompassed, by Syria)
“Your joy is your sorrow unmasked
And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises
Was oftentimes filled with your tears.
And how else can it be?
The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more
Joy you can contain
Some of you say, ‘Joy is greater than sorrow,’ and others
say, ‘Nay, sorrow is the greater.’
But I say unto you, they are inseparable
Together they come, and when one sits, alone with you
At your board, remember that the other is asleep upon
Your bed….”
CUBA
OK, I know that Tampa Bay isn’t Cuba, although there are
certainly many delicious Cuban restaurants nearby. Lloyd rented an apartment on a secluded part
of that bay’s coast after flying to Florida to watch his precious Phillies in
spring training. I flew down for the
weekend. For reason unknown I had
grabbed a copy of Hemingway’s “The Old Man and the Sea” on the way out the door
to go to the airport. Our Florida
apartment was on ground level and had virtually all glass walls. So whether I was in the apartment or outside
by the bay’s coast, I had a full spectrum view of the bay along with the
spectrum of birds soaring above it.
I have written of some of my mom’s favorite authors. Ernest Hemingway was not among them, although
his “Old Man and the Sea” was among her favorite books. It was published in
1952. I was nine years old and at peak
influence from my mom’s reading and what she shared with me about it.
When the old man was preparing his skiff to go out to sea to
fish with a young boy, that boy was able to provide some provisions which the
old man could not afford. “’Thank you,”
the old man said. He was too simple to
wonder when he had attained humility.
But he knew he had attained it and he knew it was not disgraceful and it
carried no loss of true pride.”
Attaining humility. Now there’s a
life achievement to be valued.
Sitting alone by Tampa Bay, I realized that my mom attained
humility in her lifetime, and I was aware of coming closer to it myself as time
passes. Blessings.
REFLECTIONS ON OUR UNIVERSE
The night skies during the month of March called to mind one of
my favorite Rumi poems, “The Planets are Throwing a Party Tonight.” During this month we inhabitants of planet
earth were treated to some exceptionally brilliant performances by Venus and
Jupiter. Several nights I did overtime
looking out of the window by my side of our bed. On March 20, the Vernal
Equinox, from our human-centric perspective on the earth, the sun appeared to
cross the equator into the northern hemisphere.
Truth be told, earth moved. The sun
remained in place. I find meditating on
that fact alone helps to keep my mind from flying off in all directions when
observing the state of public policy and the relationships among us humans in
our nation and on planet earth.
*******
“Pools of sorrow,
waves of joy
Are
drifting through my open mind
Possessing
and caressing me
Across the
Universe
~Lennon and
McCartney
Be
well and love life.
~
Liz
