Skip to main content

Crossroads

So what was happening yesterday at that mythical place where Columbia and Howard County intersect?

  • Some folks still complaining about Merriweather
  • County Exec offers then withdraws loan idea for rehabbing older homes
  • Friday night means movie night at the Lakefront
  • Fresh produce stand reappears at Kendall Hardware
  • Colonel Gateway is having a poetry contest
  • Folks party at UUCC from 7-9

It's the last one that intrigues me--a local event tied to news of national import. While our lives are immersed in the very local day-to-day, sometimes something bigger reaches right down into our neighborhoods. That was yesterday.

For a while on Friday, all our hyperlocal cares slowed down a little bit as we took in the news from the Supreme Court. Okay, maybe a lot. My day pretty much stopped for this, but I am on vacation. And my social media feed is pretty well trimmed at this point as I witnessed no outrage or complaints. I did, however, see a woman post her joy along with a fearful apology that she knew friends would be angry at her. Another woman posted something positive only to have her happiness dashed by a comment from her parish priest.

But overall my Facebook and Twitter accounts looked like this. And for that I am truly grateful. Because yesterday's decision was a joyful one for me and I wanted the whole world to celebrate along with me. Say what you will about the healthiness of encountering opposing points of view. A carefully curated social media stream can be a truly beautiful thing. After all, these are my people. People who:

  • Love, and don't judge
  • Have walked the walk, or
  • Are committed allies
  • Rejoice in others' joys
  • Share the light

So, three cheers for the folks at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbia who were ready at the drop of a hat to party. ("BYO Champagne and a snack to share.") I know a few of them and they are good people. Sometimes you just need to stop and celebrate. I hope they had a wonderful time.

 

Me? Well, we didn't do anything in particular. There were hugs, and smiles, and many virtual rainbows were exchanged. And we all went to bed feeling that marriage has been strengthened for everyone by acknowledging that love is love.

 

 

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Teacher Gifts

Today is the last day of school before the Winter Break. It’s a good time to remember the far-reaching nature of our public school system. You may not have children. You may have sent your children to independent schools. It matters not. You will be impacted one way or another. Yesterday I read a long thread on Facebook about several waves of illness in the schools right now. There’s influenza A and norovirus, I believe. And of course there’s COVID. Apparently in some individual schools the rate of illness is high enough for school admin to notify parents.  When I was little the acceptable holiday gift for a teacher was one of those lovely floral handkerchief squares. (I don’t know what it was for male teachers. They were rare in my elementary years.) These days the range of teacher gifts is wider and I have fond memories of Target gift cards which I have written about before. I think it’s safe to say that giving one’s teacher Influenza, norovirus, or COVID is not the ideal holiday...
1 comment
Read more

They Can Wait

This is not a typical Saturday post. That’s because, in my community, it’s not a typical Saturday.  Oakland Mills High School, after years of deferred repair, needs massive renovation. It’s pretty simple: when you don’t fix a problem it gets bigger. The school system itself said the the OMHS school building was  "no longer conducive to learning" back in 2018.  2018 .  But Thursday the Boad of Education voted to push it out of the lineup of important projects which will be given the go-ahead to proceed soonest.  In my opinion it’s a terrible decision and sets a dangerous precedent. To explain, here’s the advocacy letter I sent in support of Oakland Mills High School. I was rather proud of it. I am writing to ask you to proceed with needed renovation at Oakland Mills High School in the most timely and comprehensive manner humanly possible. I have read the letter sent to you by the Oakland Mills Community Association and I am in complete agreement. You are extremel...
1 comment
Read more

Columbia Chance Connection

  Last night, as my husband and I were about to sit down to dinner, our front door swung open and a cheery voice announced, “I’m ba—ack!”  We weren’t expecting anyone. Clearly the only people who’d walk right in to our house would be one of our offspring. I had my reading glasses on so I wasn’t seeing too clearly. It seemed too tall for our youngest, but we knew our eldest was at work. I took off my glasses to see a friendly but confused face scanning our living room. When her gaze landed on us we all had a sudden realization. We didn’t know eachother. “Oh I’m so sorry! I’m in the wrong house! My daughter just moved in and she needed hooks for the kitchen so I ran out to get them.” She waved the package. “All these houses look the same and I don’t know the neighborhood yet. I thought this was my daughter’s house.” We were all getting a bit giggly. “That’s okay. For a quick second we thought you were our daughter,” said my husband. I told her our names and said she should defin...
Post a Comment
Read more