A Day For Those Who Truly Care
National Caregivers Day is on the third Friday in February. Started in 2016, it sets to honor the health care professionals across the country providing long-term and hospice care. Caregiving is by no means an easy job so we are all here for the richly deserved recognition. Caregiving takes many shapes and forms, however, so today I would like to extend the honor not just to the professional caregivers, but also those that have had to step into the role for their own family members. Those brave, dedicated and unsung heroes that give unbridled support in any way that they can muster - the visitors, the chauffeurs, the cooks, the food blenders, the shoppers, the bill payers, the appointment makers, the medicine administrators, the organizers, the entertainers, the listeners. The ones that wake up in the middle of the night and are up at the crack of dawn. The ones who think of what is needed before they are even asked. The list is endless for those that are continually out there in the trenches doing whatever it takes to improve the lives of someone close to them who is going through. This too, on top of their own lives and responsibilities, is not an easy job.
The Heroic Hustle of Ermias Asghedom
On March 31st I was in Starbucks and overheard two barristas say that Nipsey Hussle was shot. My initial thought was I’m sorry for his loss; other than that I did not think much of it. It’s unfortunate that during these times someone getting shot is not something I usually pause at anymore. Seems to happen every day, if not on the news then at least I assume someone somewhere is losing their life for some senseless reason. In general I cast a daily prayer for us all. I pray that our world will have respect for life again. So on March 31st, I left Starbucks not thinking back about Nipsey Hussle. He was just someone else apparently gone too soon….
The Best History Is Your Own
Today would have been my grandmother’s 86th birthday. “Gran” as she liked to be called. She only lived to see 78 of them, but she lived her life to the fullest, hopefully with few regrets. She is the only one of my grandparents born in February. She is almost the only family member born this month really, which got me to thinking about “Black History.”
I encourage you to go a step further this year, a step closer to your roots. By all means please engage in all of the resources available, but sometimes the best look at Black History is to look within your family to your own history. How many of us really know the experiences of our parents, our aunts and uncles, and for those lucky enough to still have them with us our grandparents?