Some Celebrations, 2020
In the midst of the pandemic, there are celebrations this week.
- For me, personally: My youngest son, Gus, graduated from Cheney Tech, at a celebration at the Mansfield Drive-In. The last time I was at that drive-in was in 2008, when I took my kids to see Speed Racer. I fell asleep half-way through the movie, exhausted from chasing a 4-year-old Gus. This week, Pomp and Circumstance blared through the speakers, and when my son took off his mask to accept his diploma, he was grinning, and I was certainly not asleep.
- Father’s Day: Restrictions are being lifted in Connecticut, and my father is medically fragile. If I see him on Father’s Day, I still will not hug him, and I still will wear a mask. I know he desperately wants a haircut — perhaps that will be his big Father’s Day gift. For all the dads who have been hit hard by the pandemic, who have become ill, or lost loved ones, or lost their jobs, or are estranged from their kids — I hope you are able to have a peaceful day. For all the dads who are doctors or nurses or first responders or garbage men or waiters or barbers — thank you, and Happy Father’s Day.
- Juneteenth: Juneteenth is a day for Black people to celebrate their freedom. This year Juneteenth is especially meaningful, as communities come together to protest Black lives recently lost to police brutality. As a white person, I am trying to find ways to learn about and talk about systemic racism, and to support Black people in their struggle for justice and equality.