We’ve been through a lot lately. Rocky and I. Mysterious symptoms of ill health. Several weeks of that. Then to the ER and finally a diagnosis of a mass in the throat. Biopsy taken. Cancer found. Surgeon from thyroidectomy of nearly 3 years ago contacted. A visit was arranged. That ER visit was June 2nd. Two weeks later surgery was planned for July 9th. Another ER visit before then, and Rocky was admitted to hospital in Chicago with an ambulance ride between CDH in Winfield and Northwestern Hospital in Chicago. A few days of stabilization, then the operation on July 9th.
The rest you know. Recovery, recuperation, and now therapy in another hospital. Progress is noted. Adjustment to a new normal is on pace.
Through all of this meaning is drawn. For the now. But also to the past and a thrust into the future. Life is dynamic. It does not stand still. It moves ever forward through whatever is present or in the way.
We compare status of now with past experience. We wonder how this will define future. All we have is experience and present. We find meaning there. We steel ourselves for the unknown. We find solace in the familiar, but a thrill of expectation for the future. All is not lost. We have what we have. And it is good. Not perfect, but good.
The past is prologue. My mind has often returned to 1968 and the upheaval of that time. Assassinations, riots, burning neighborhoods, beatings in the street, looting, upraised angry fists. It was not easy. Change was everywhere.
We survived 1968. We will survive 2019 and 2020.
Our society is in turmoil. We are challenged to see the world as it is, not as we want it to be. What will be will result from what we do – each of us, all of us – together as a society, whether the actions are coordinated or not. The all-together-ness of our social order will inch forward in whatever fashion it takes. A new order will emerge. Slowly we shall see the new normal.
We hope the values held dear in the past still matter today. We hope those values will be kept for our future use. We will adopt diversity as a universal truth of what defines America. Multiple races, creeds, religions, cultures, cuisines, artistic expression, and colors. All together we have been and will be again. Education available for each person’s own discovery and development of life plan. Economic opportunity for all to sustain self and family. Justice for all in a society that respects and accepts differences. Who we are as a people is much more than just one. It is all of us.
As we encounter the future, I have to stand fast to what I believe. I must stand fast for your freedom to believe your truth. Together we will stand shoulder to shoulder in difference but in unity, too. That is America. It has not always been easy. But in the end we have survived. We have done well in new normals.
We will get through this.
July 25, 2019
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