Hi folks,
First off, thank you to everyone who has reached out to me here, on Facebook, on Twitter, and offline to express their well wishes with respect to my post on Saturday about pursuing a Masters in Counseling. I cannot tell you how much it means to me, especially after months of waiting for admissions decisions, taking psychology prerequisite courses while teaching full-time, and wondering more than once what people would think once they learn about this shift in direction. At the very least, since beginning this process nearly a year ago, I have not yet felt like this has been a mistake. But all your kind words have alleviated much of my anxiety about this process, so thank you.

Of course, having the freedom and privilege to make such a professional change is no small thing in many places, and impossible in others. Here in the United States, both of these words have been hotly contested over the past year, from the George Floyd protests to the Capitol Insurrection and beyond. A lot of these conversations are not only necessary, but long overdue as Americans finally begin to reckon with a history that is far more complex and morally ambivalent than we’d probably like to believe. But I also believe that Memorial Day should cut through the noise and stand on its own merits as an opportunity to pay our respects and remember the hundreds of thousands of Americans who, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, and even birthplace, gave their lives in defense of our country.

Men like Clarence Wise and Mathew Agola, Elmer’s shipmates and the only two sailors from the USS Chew to perish during the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Men like Doris Miller, whose heroism saved many others on that day, but who for reasons that likely had more to do with his race than his courage was never granted a much-deserved Medal of Honor.

Women like Second Lieutenant Ellen Ainsworth, who died when an enemy shell hit her field hospital near Anzio (Italy) while she was treating wounded soldiers.

And the 800 Japanese American soldiers that died during World War II, who in spite of the internment of over 120,000 Americans of Japanese-descent during the war nonetheless gave their lives in that nation’s defense.

This is not to say that we cannot relax during a much-deserved day off, eat some barbecue, or enjoy a quiet morning bike ride with virtually no traffic (as I did). We certainly don’t need to spend the entire day flagellating ourselves in prayerful penance for the dead. But hopefully we can all find some way today to express our Appreciation for those who made the ultimate sacrifice, including their families.

Talk to you again soon—I’ve missed this whole blogging thing—and take care.