The Final Thoughts of a President

     I have sometimes wondered how Presidents feel on the day they leave the Presidency.  Are they satisfied with the decisions they made?  Do they regret some of those decisions?  In past blogs I have quoted Washington's warning about the potential harm of political parties, yet political parties continue to exist. Have Presidents whose lives have been cut short while in office thought about things they wished they had completed, or have they wished they had spent more time with their families.  

    In his farewell speech, Ronald Reagan acknowledged the tradition of presidents ending their final speech with warnings.  The following 2 paragraphs are part of Reagan's farewell speech.    

"An informed patriotism is what we want.  And are we doing a good enough job teaching our children what America is and what America represents in the long history of the world.  Those of us who are over 35 or so years of age grew up in a different America.  We were taught, very directly what it means to be an American.  We absorbed almost in the air, a love of country, and an appreciation of its institutions.  If you didn't get these things from your family, you got them from the neighborhood, and if you didn't get them from the neighborhood, you got them from the father down the street who fought in Korea.    Or, you could get a sense of Patriotism from school.  And if that failed, you could get a sense of Patriotism from the popular culture.  The embroiled democratic values implicitly reinforced that idea. and TV was like that, too, through the mid-sixties.

But now, we're about to enter the nineties, and some things have changed.  Younger parents aren't sure that an ambivalent appreciation for America is the right thing to teach modern children.    As for those who teach modern culture, well-grounded patriotism is no longer the style.  Our spirit is back, but we haven't reinitiated it.  We've got to do a better job of getting across that America is freedom--freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of enterprise.  And freedom is special and rare.  It's fragile; it needs protection.  So, we have got to teach history based not on what's in fashion, but what's important."

    Was President Washington successful in his warning about political parties?  Was Ronald Reagan successful in his ideas about what needed to be done to regain respect for our precious Bill of Rights in a modern culture.  

    Do those we elect on all levels of government ignore the warnings of those who have served in offices before them?  Six men have held the office of President since Reagan made that speech.  Did we respond to his concerns, or was he just another politician whose words were forgotten the next day?

    

Holiday Traditions of Indigenous People

    A regular follower of my blog reminded me that I had not included the ways in which those earliest people to occupy the Northen Hemisphere celebrated the holiday season.  Having been made aware of that omission, I will add to my earlier post some of the interesting traditions celebrated by Indigenous People. as they too celebrated the Solstice with their own traditions. 

    Many of their celebrations are similar to those I described in my earlier blog.  Feasting is common, although the contents of the feasts vary. Dancing is also common, just as that is in many cultures.  However, there are wonderful traditions that are not practiced elsewhere.  

    While elderly relatives may be common guests in other cultures, it seems that Indigenous people regard the presence of elderly guests in a particularly respectful way.  The San Carlos in Arizona might invite an older man to visit, share a meal, and then tell stories most of the night.

    The Ojibwe Minnesota Chippewa Tribe also enjoy story telling.  A Storyteller is regarded as a gift.  As a matter of courtesy, the traditional stories including animals are told only in winter, when animals are less active, so they are less likely to hear stories about themselves being told.  

    The Syilx in Washington State and British Columbia have dance ceremonies, prayers for the new year to come, and songs, dancing, feasting, and a give-away. 

    In doing this research, I learned that while some of the traditions are similar to our own, other traditions are far less common to our own. In particular, we Americans seem to devote particular attention to children, while many of the Indigenous People focus more respectfully on the elderly.  Story telling is very common among most tribes.  In the Acoma Pueblo of New Mexico there is story telling of the coyote and other animals.  Also, there is more emphasis on the sharing of knowledge.

    As is true in many cultures, spiritual sensing and prayer, sometimes singing, and the lighting of sage, sweetgrass, or cedar, as other cultures light candles, are common.  Just as the elderly are important to the holiday traditions, some Indigenous people honor those who have passed.  

    In summary, some of our traditions are similar to traditions of Indigenous people, but in doing the research for this blog, I learned of other lovely traditions that they practice.  Perhaps as the New Year arrives, we all might choose to pause to remember those who are no longer with us to share the new year.  Thank you, my friend, for reminding that I had overlooked the Holiday and New Year traditions of Indigenous people.   

The Wisdom of Oz

 My husband and I are gifting our collection of the Wizard of Oz to Fort Hays State University, and I am going through all of the collection, getting it ready to deliver.  Along the way, I am enjoying reading bits of Oz Wisdom found among the many books.

I discovered that there are some of those bits of wisdom and advice that might be helpful to the thinking in Washington D.C. today, delivered with the humor and satire of L. Frank Baum.   For example, "Laws were never meant to be understood and it is foolish to make the attempt."  The Marvelous Land of Oz, 1904."

"The reason most people are bad is because they do not try to be good.  The Emerald City of Oz."

"Whenever an appeal is made to law, sorrow is almost certain to follow--even in a fairyland like Oz.  But it might be stated the people of Oz are generally so well behaved that there is not a single lawyer amidst them.  Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz. 1908."

" A good many laws seem foolish to those people who do not understand them, but no law is ever made without some purpose, and that purpose is usually to protect all the people and guard their welfare. The    Patchwork Girl of Oz, 1913."

"When we try to deceive people, we always make mistakes.  The Emerald City of Oz, 1910."

"People often do a good deed without hope of reward, but for an evil deed they always demand payment.  The Emerald City of Oz. 1910."

"It is such an uncomfortable feeling to know you are a fool."  The Wonderful World of Oz.  1900."  

"The Princess looked at her more closely. 'Tell me, she resumed.  Are you of Royal blood.?'  'Better than that Ma'am, said Dorothy.  'I came from Kansas.'  Oz of Oz, 1907." 

"In Oz we are loved for ourselves alone, and for our kindness to one another, and for our good deeds.  Ozma, The Road to Oz, 1909.

        Thank you, people, from Oz for helping me write this Christmas blog, (and thank you Linda Sunshine for your book, collecting 'All Things' from all the Oz books.  

    Wishing Happy Holidays to all of you!    I could not think of a better message to share with you than these thoughts from Oz, and if you are still shopping, I cannot think of a better gift to children, or those of us who are kids at heart, than the gift of Oz books!

    For those of you who live near Hays, Kansas, or for those who might be traveling near-by, the Larry and Lyn Fenwick Collection will be open for viewing this spring in the FHSU Library.

Something to Think About

 We are in the midst of the winter holiday season.  It is a good time to reflect on the special nature of our history.  Certainly, the traditions passed to us from our childhood tend to be repeated from year to year until we begin to define the traditional holidays as what we grew up enjoying.  More recently, some families have become less traditional, with family gatherings at Thanksgiving but Christmas more flexible, like ski trips or holidays some place warm. Children are out of school longer.  This year may be the exception, with concerns about whether they can afford trips away from home.

In America, we have our traditions, but we are a nation of many ethnicities.  Sometimes, the majority overlooks the traditions and customs of smaller populations of Americans.  I found some interesting traditions among smaller American cultures.      

German emigrants observed Krampus Night. when the Christmas Devil scared bad children.  The next day, Saint Nicholas rewarded children who were good.   Germans represent a rather large number of early settlers in America, and they brought many traditions. 

Hindus, who now represent perhaps 3 million citizens in America today, celebrate the Winter Solstice.

St. Nichola comes from the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg, representing a population in America of 11 percent.  Their practice was giving gifts.  They called St. Nicholas Sinterklaas, which evolved to our Santa Claus.  

On December 8, Buddhists celebrate Bodhi Day, on which thy remember Buddha, who determined to sit under a tree until he was enlightened.  The memory of his decision is honored by studying and meditation and also performing kind acts.

Latin countries have a religious holiday recognizing Mary's nine month's pregnancy.  Jewish families celebrate an eight-day festival by lighting a candle on the menorah.  A more recently created group, called Kwanzaa, is a holiday honoring Africa culture,

These are only some examples of the various faiths in America, past and present.  Without agreeing or condemning the faith of others, from the past or the present, it is relevant to remember that faith came to America from its beginning.  Part of that is the wisdom of the founding fathers to respect the faith of Americans, whether of the majority or the minority or the nonbelievers.  

 

 

Reflections on Time

     There has been so much reporting on the news about immigration, a topic I assumed was a distant matter in my own family.  However, one day I realized that my grandmother was an immigrant.  She came to America in her mother's arms. 

    I do not know why her parents made that decision.  My Great Grandfather's brother came ahead of him, and they were very close, but that does not explain why either one of them came to America.  The rest of their family remained in England and seemed to be doing well.  The decision to come to America proved to be a successful decision.  

    The realization that I was closer historically to someone who had chosen to immigrate was a surprise, although not particularly significant, yet it does make me wonder if many people living today are unaware of the close history of their own family's immigration.  

    Emigration was not always controlled by the federal government. Yet, early on we chose to open the door for some and close it to others.  That included bringing men to America to do dangerous work but refusing to let them stay when the work was done.  

    Some examples of immigrant labor, whether by those who were refused citizenship or those who became citizens provide an example of the enormous value of emigrants to America: The suspension of the Brooklyn Bridge, Mount Vernon was created by Immigrant Craftsmen, Immigrants were Transcontinental Railroad workers, and the construction of the Hoover Dam are all examples, as well as many more.  

    Even today there are many examples of those who brought a variety of talents to America.  Some examples are Albert Einstein, Germany; Audrey Hepburn Belgium; Henry Kissinger, Germany; Andrew Carnegie, Scotland, and many more.  

    Yes, many immigrants of the past and the present are not famous, nor do they do daring or beautiful things. Yet, farmers depend on immigrants to work on their farms, they work in hospitals, hotels, and restaurants--or open restaurants of their own.  They baby sit our children, work in slaughter houses, and clean our houses, schools, and nursing.  The do what many of our ancestors have done to get a start and make a better life for their children. 

    We see these things every day, but if my "discovery" is an example, we often fail to consider that not many generations ago our own families took the risk of coming to America to make a better life for their children.  It is obvious that current immigrant issues are in a mess, and decisions and appropriate actions are needed.  But, my personal realization that I exist because my grandmother's father decided to come to America in search of a better life for his family made me reflect on the dreamers of today a little more sympathetically than before.