Sunday Somethings

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Hello, Sunday.  Hello, Easter.

I hope you are all doing well out there, because whether or not Easter is your thing, I’m sure Sunday is.

Today, before we get to the Somethings, I’m going to share a story. A personal one, not necessarily mine, but one that has affected my family and so many others’ time and again, and waking up this sunny Easter morning, it wholly occupied my thoughts. 

You may know if you’ve checked out my About page that I come from a mixed-race  marriage, one that has produced two ethnically ambiguous looking children. While I am the spitting image of my European mother (albeit with a  much more olive complexion), Little Buddha’s resemblances are a little bit harder to pinpoint.  I get mistaken for Spanish, or recently, Costa Rican. He gets mistaken for Al-Qaeda.  Or, last night, ISIS.

Since 9/11, he’s been pulled off of airplanes, or not even permitted on board.  For a while, it was so commonplace that we came to almost expect that he’d arrive home a day after he had planned.  I think it got better for a while, but then recently, with everything that’s been going on around the world, most recently in Brussels this week, it’s gotten worse.

Last night for him was a rough one, being not only pulled over and his car improperly (illegally, I’m sure) searched, but he then had to endure taunting in a bar from three obviously bigoted and ignorant people, in my mom’s too-small-for-its-own-good Michigan town.  

When he tells me of his experiences, I feel helpless. Horrible. Angry to tears. There’s nothing to be done about it, and it’s censure neither fitting nor deserved. And I know he’s not alone.  Amongst my group of friends, stories like this aren’t uncommon, whether African-American, Latino, Asian or, like LB, just having an “unfortunate” look.  

I bring this up because 1) it’s on my mind and 2) I think that with all the garbage and hate constantly streaming on all forms of media, it’s a good reminder for us all that behind every stereotype is a story, and often times first impressions are wrong ones.  I’ve been lucky enough to not face the sort of profiling that so many in our world are forced to endure, and seeing it in the pained experience of my dearest friend, a person that, let’s be honest, is much more likely to lend a sympathetic ear than yours truly, is unbearable.   So on this Easter Sunday, let’s remember that none of us are guiltless, and all of us were saved.

Despite the unhappiness above, I did actually find the internet to be quite amusing this week, so here’s what I found:

While there is so much hate, there is also so much love.  Heartwarming.

Turns out, science and religion are friends, especially in how they affect the way we think.

Terror in Brussels, terror on the Ivory Coast.  

Despite the terror, travel we must.  

Related:  I can proudly say that I do spend my money on experiences over things.

I like to think I am, but how highly evolved are you?

Seems we could slow climate change by all becoming vegetarians. Would you be able to do it? I don’t know if I could…I really like meat.

The visit to Cuba, through the eyes of one who left.  

Related:  Cuba has a lung cancer vaccine, and we’d like them to share it. 

I’d like to think my lawyer skillz will one day be good for something real-life applicable, like parenting.

Got lemons?  Make this lemon syrup.  I will be!

And finally, though it’s busted my bracket, GO IRISH.

Book of the last week:  Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie.

Written after church, but before brunch.


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4 thoughts on “Sunday Somethings”

  • Wow. That is so horrible for your brother. I fear our nation is becoming ever more bigoted. And that is awful.

  • Aww, poor Little B; and there is just nothing he can do, which is awful. My Dad’s been held for questioning before. His skin is pale but the man has lots of hella black hair all over.

    Spread love & compassion, right? We can each only do so much and hope it affects at least one person to make their day brighter.

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