Defender: Baby Sister of the Heart

I really hate it when I find someone important doesn't appear in my cast of characters. I could defend myself and say my baby-sister-of-the-heart just hadn't been outrageous enough to mention yet, and I only list someone when I talk about them. Certainly that doesn't mean I always talk good about folks, either.

But instead, I'm going to apologize, publicly, abjectly, and then tell the whole world about a really extraordinary woman whose been a part of my life about ten years or so.

Defender, so named for her fiery spirit that will take on any injustice with passion, has survived phenomenal odds to become a fantastic mother of three. She's about to marry (again, but that's a long story) the love of her life. Indeed, she's even asked my partner Cameron to officiate. I've watched her grow from a scrappy teen to a powerful woman who works hard, attends school, cares for her family, and still manages to be there for an entire group of survivors.

Defender, you are one of my heroes. Love you!!!

Acts of Kindness

I have a new hero. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett had dismissed his security detail to attend a county fair Saturday night. When he heard a woman’s voice screaming for someone to call 911, he rushed to see what has happening. A domestic violence incident was in process, and a grandmother struggled to protect her one-year-old granddaughter and herself. The mayor tried to sooth in the perpetrator, but when he took out his cell phone to call for help, the man attacked the mayor. The perpetrator hit the mayor on the head and torso with a metal pipe, and the mayor struck back with enough force to fracture his hand. The perpetrator was later arrested. The woman and child were uninjured.

After a spate of disillusioned posts bemoaning the state of the universe, I find it refreshing to read this front page story in the newspaper this morning. I need the reminder that there are good people out there who do good things because it is the right thing to do. Certainly the mayor's political position brought the shine of the spotlight on his good dead. I find that to be a beautiful thing with the disillusionment I feel with my government officials right now.

I am also mindful of the small kindnesses that have touched my own life. Often at the beginning of the semester, Mother L has sent Cameron and I $50 each to apply toward school book money. A friend gave Cameron a car so she could back to school, instead of using it as a down payment for her new vehicle. A lovely carpenter arrived at my home last fall and repaired the outside of my trailer, which otherwise was slated to be condemned. Someone gave me a cupcake and a smile. Each small act of kindness become a ripple and a catalyst of positive change.