The assignment for our Writing Group here at the Waters of Excelsior on Friday, June 13, 2025 was to applaud someone. The following was what I presented in honor of a resident whom I chose to leave unnamed, but who represents so much that is good in what seems like a tragedy. Today I was in the process of filing it away when I thought you might enjoy the message. So, here it is.
I APPLAUD YOU.
goodness,At least every half hour.
You ask what day this is.
And in between you.
Inquire about the time.
Then you ask when they will be.
Playing the game you enjoy,
The one you will engage in.
With full understanding.
When it begins.
When nothing else is going on.
You read your book.
I don’t know if it’s the.
Same book over and over.
Like the stories of your life.
family, husband and occupation.
And always you are the first.
To clear the table to make space.
For the newcomer.
Or help place the wheelchaired person.
Comfortably at the table.
And fetch a glass of water.
For the person who wants it.
Even as you pick up what the.
Person with the walker has dropped.
You’re always there to open the door
When you think I want to come in.
I applaud you for all this.
What really matters.
The essence of who you really are.
Goodness, generosity, kindness.
Mona
What I really want to do right now is rant about the injustice and cruelty, and maybe even stupidity of the rampant urge to kick immigrants out of the country, even in some cases retroactively removing their earned rights to be here. I have to admit that some evil part of me hopes the best and brightest will end up in welcoming countries where their talents will be employed for development and strength that might have been ours.
But I’ll pass up that desire and focus instead on the much more optimistic teams, trees, vibes, and dreams I mentioned in a previous blog. This time just on the trees part. I’ll start with the memory of a drive home from a week on the shores of Lake Superior a few years back. The nice thing about being in the passenger seat is the freedom to let my mind and emotions wander. And that’s what happened as we passed through a beautiful canopy of trees reaching across the road like a tunnel of life. It struck me – even moved me – when I realized that the trees and I were literally exchanging Oxygen and CO2. We were breathing life into each other. It was life changing for me as I realized the very real connection between me and the natural world. – Gratitude, even.
And then I read Peter Wohlieben’s The Hidden Life of Trees: What they Feel and How they Communicate. I admit much of the content was beyond my ability to remember, but I do recall the life-giving sharing of active roots strengthening neighbors in trouble. Teams, you might say.
And I thought of nurturance and growth strengthening underground where we don’t see it unless we open ourselves to feel it.
And that’s what I’m trying to say here. However chaotic and fearful things might seem right now, there is, I’m sure, goodness and growth beneath it all.
I hope I’ll find better ways to say it in future entries.
monagustafsonaffinito 