November 20 is my son's birthday, and it is also World Children's Day. Nothing shifted my consciousness quite like becoming a parent, and both of my children had a profound effect on me - and still do. The lessons I learned from them changed the way I taught my classes, and inspired my entire research journey into the relationship between clothing and gender. But even more important, their vulnerabilities and struggles heightened my awareness and concern for children in general. Some time ago, our choir performed a wonderful piece by UU composer Elizabeth Alexander titled "No Other People's Children". No Other People's Children So, in the spirit of World Children's Day, and in celebration of my son Danny, I donated to an organization that trains volunteers to be child advocates for abused and neglected children in our area. And in celebration of my own childhood, I am wearing my red sneakers and remembering the pure joy of recess.
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So Thanksgiving and Christmas are going to be different this year. Different from last year, different from what we had planned, and different from what we want them to be. In the immortal words of soon-to-be-former President Trump, "It is what it is", which is pretty much the subtitle for the film version of 2020. But we are clever, creative human beings and we can celebrate our biggest holidays in new ways. Who knows, they might even become new traditions! To make up for the diminished big holidays, I am going to celebrate as many holidays between now and the end of the pandemic as I can. There are a zillion of them. Take a look at the options at https://www.checkiday.com/ and get your party on with me!
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