In today’s newspaper, there were two cartoon strips knocking Millennials. Both found humor in the stereotype of the “entitled and technology distracted” young adult. I personally did not laugh…didn’t even smile.

As the proud mother of two millennials, I feel I must speak up.

Millennials are the generation that includes people born between 1980 and 1995, which would put them in the 21 to 36-year-old range. They were originally called Generation Y simply because they came after Generation X (1965-1979) …who were called that from their desire to not be defined.

The other tags that Millennials have been given are: Generation We, Global Generation, Generation Next (weren’t we all?), Net Generation (as in internet) and my favorite… Echo Boom Generation. This refers to the fact that these are the spawn of the Baby Boomers. In other words, they were raised by hippies. Not all of them, but far more than their parents are willing to admit.

I believe the “We”, “Global” and “Net” descriptions are all accurate and intertwined. With the advancement in technology and communication, they view the world internationally. They have the ability and responsibility to break barriers and recognize the similarities in all citizens of Earth.

Mix into this blend the term “Echo Boom” and we now have the reverberation of the messages of the ‘60s and ‘70s.

Through the relationships that my kids had, and still have with their peers, I’ve gotten to know quite a few Millennials. My opinion of the generation is not determined by just people that carry my DNA but rather an interesting cross section of personalities.

They are accused of thinking they are entitled. Now where do you think they got a crazy idea like that? Could it be from when we created sports environments where “Everybody wins and gets a trophy…no losers here”. Or every Science Fair project gets a ribbon because we don’t want to discourage anyone or make them feel bad, when in reality the only people feeling bad would be the parents who actually did the project. Think about it…they got that from us.

I’ve heard the adjective “lazy” used regarding Millennials. I do not agree with this at all. Yes, I’ve met a few who could have been sitting around a hookah and staring at psychedelic posters with me in the ‘70s. But for the most part, they are just as driven as any other generation.

Let’s look at the labyrinth we created for them to achieve “successful adulthood”.

First, we bring them into a world when technology is moving at warp speed. We were oblivious to that while we showered our children with praise, material goods and filled out all the forms and made all the arrangements for them.

We made a college education mandatory for an existence that will be respected. Then we price the education at such astronomical rates, that the graduating students are singing “Sixteen Tons” instead of “Pomp and Circumstance”.

Add to that, they are catapulted into a world when the unemployment rate was at its highest. Whenever I hear someone judging a Millennial that still lives with their parents, I remind them that this is the result of someone honoring their debt. With the inflated prices of virtually everything, it is impossible to pay back tens of thousands of dollars while paying the price of living on your own.

I say we stop bashing Millennials and start supporting them. They are a skeptical group, but who can blame them. Their world offers more global exploration opportunities, while at the same time we have created such a volatile world it’s not safe to go anywhere.

Their world is always here and now. More than any generation before it. Unfortunately, the here and now hasn’t been great for a while. But I see the optimism of the “love children” in them. The songs that we listened to on 8 track tapes, they are listening to on Pandora. Their lyrics echo the cries of the Baby Boomers. The term Revolution has been reborn. We had our McCarthy (Eugene, not Joe) and Gloria Steinem, they have their Bernie and Jill.

Let’s get behind them…they are entering a world of uncharted waters. With the introduction of Watson (the volleyball was Wilson) their world will be connected to one source. Actually, many are occupying the same cloud already.  The future can be incredible or horrendous based on how technology is utilized.

Just to emphasize how incredibly fast technology is advancing, academia cannot keep their instructors “up to speed”. By the time they are informed and ready to instruct, they are as outdated and obsolete as your cell phone. So now the tables have turned. Get the job first and learn along with the industry…let them pay YOU for your education.

I am looking forward to how this generation escorts us into the future. They have not only been my personal Geek Squad, but they are sympathetic to the challenge these newfangled contraptions present to my generation. Every time they have helped me with my cell or computer, they always work with a smile. I’m not sure if it is a reflection of how good they feel helping me, or if they are cracking up inside about what an idiot I am. Either way, I take their help.

If my beliefs are true, most of them have, shall we say, been around the block when it comes to life cycles. With each new cycle comes responsibility. Their responsibility is the future…theirs and ours. I trust them.

The turkey is brining, the yams are getting sweet and the cream of mushroom soup is elevating itself with green beans.

I think we can all agree that a Thanksgiving Meal is a production.  The supporting cast of side dishes do their best to compliment the star of the show…the turkey (who, by the way, is just another deli meat without them).

The real significance of this day, though, is to gather with loved ones and give Thanks for what we all have. After all, it is not called “Whatever Day”.

I do not cook to this magnitude often, but I give thanks daily.

When I go to bed at night, I have replaced “Now I lay me down to sleep…” (I never liked that “If I should die before I wake…” part) with a prayer of gratitude. I ask myself the question, “What if I woke up to only what I thanked God for the night before?”

I don’t thank Him for bad knees, I thank Him that I can walk. I don’t thank Him for bills, I thank Him that we can pay them. I don’t thank Him for the problems that my loved ones’ face, I thank him for the opportunity to face them together, and with His grace, prevail. I think you get the idea.

I admit, I use generalities. Instead of listing each piece of furniture…it’s just “my home”. And I don’t name all the bearers of love bars by name…but you’re all there.

On this Thursday I wish for you a special day filled with food, family, love and laughter.

And going forward let’s all make sure that Thanks and Giving are part of every day.

God bless us all.

Following the volcanic election, I’ve stayed out of range of the magma, rock and ash shower. With music playing in the background, I try to keep myself informed of real news by watching the ticker tape scroll across the bottom of the TV screen.

The TV is muted, unless I’m watching (and doing) the Hot Dog Dance on Mickey Mouse with my granddaughter, Sophie. (seriously, I just had to go through the song to see if there is an “e” in Mickey…there is).

I will capsulize what I have learned about the “state” of the Union from perusing the TV screen.

White supremacists love Trump. Who’d have thought? He has not denounced them. Another surprise?

Trump is not going after Hillary legally. That’s nice. But, from what I’ve read, he will still probably be seeing the inside of a courtroom himself. Might be taking his family with him.

His cabinet and staff selections make me feel like I’ve walked into a gaming room. The names are spinning as fast as windows on a slot machine or bouncing between bumpers in a pinball machine. Yikes! The one name that did make my heart pound was Ted Cruz for the Supreme Court. That cannot happen.

So, while all this dust is settling let me share my opinion regarding the magic of music. I am surrounded by musically gifted people. My husband and son are incredible drummers and my daughter is equally as talented on the piano. The only rhythm that I’ve got is being Catholic. Oh wait, I can play the tonette.

In the 1950’s we had a radio in the kitchen that played my Mother’s music. We would sing along with the Andrews Sisters or the Ink Spots. Big Band music was my first memory of musical style and “String of Pearls” by Glenn Miller was my first favorite song.

Many a summer afternoon was spent in the upstairs bedroom in front of the big round vanity mirror with microphone (hairbrush) in hand while Patti Page and I sang a duet of “Around the World”. I had to make all the moves and facial expressions since she was locked in the 45 record.

Then when TV entered our home, it introduced us to Lawrence Welk and Ed Sullivan. There was also music based game shows such as “Name That Tune” and “Musical Chairs”.  And let us not forget American Bandstand. Those “cool” kids in Philadelphia would determine my fashion choices, hair styles and dance moves.

To avoid writing a “War and Peace” sized piece on the music of the ‘60s and ‘70s, let’s just say that I now daily immerse myself into that era.

For my birthday, last month, David bought me two JBL portable Bluetooth speakers. My house has become a large boom box and it can take me wherever I want to go.

Whether it’s singing along to protest songs with Don McLean or love songs with Adele I’m singing and dancin’. For memories of bedtimes with Nick & Nora I listen to Joanie Bartels sing “You Can Close Your Eyes”. This always washes my eyes with good tears. And my early marriage years with David can be summed up with any Country Western song. We had “Crazy” times with both Patsy and KD.

Everyone can mark their lives with musical memories. Most memories conjured by music are usually good and are yours for the taking. Even the sad moments, like when I played “Tears of a Clown” over and over while suffering the devastating loss of what’s his name, now make me smile.

I challenge you to turn off the news and turn on the music. With technology, you can replay any musical memory you want. You will find that it draws from and, in turn, strengthens your emotional base. I think your spirit will feel lighter…mine does.

The beauty is that no two people have the same music historical profile. Yours is unique and you lay claim to those memories…take them out of storage and enjoy them.

Another reason that I appreciate technology… I now know the real lyrics to “Louie, Louie”.

 

PS: I will have a Thanksgiving Day post for my kindred spirits.

The word “love” appears 310 times in the King James Bible, 348 times in the New American Standard Bible, 551 times in the New International Version and 538 times in the New Revised Standard Version.

Seems like the newer the version, the more Love is mentioned. I don’t quite know how that happened, but I’ll take more Love wherever I can get it.

I use the word love a LOT… and I mean it every time.

When I first meet someone I obviously don’t know who they are…but I know they’re someone new. Everyone presents uniqueness that I can get only from them. Ahh, more spice for my “stew of life”.

I have liked probably 95% of all people I’ve met in my 65 years. With each person I’ve met a “loading bar” is created. The dot at the far left of the bar is “like”. As we share time, laughs and experiences together the bar starts to fill with color… we’re filling the “love bar”. Liking someone is just a starting point for creating love.

Nora, my daughter has synesthesia. This is a neurological phenomenon in which she sees numbers and letters simultaneously as colors. In the same manner, I see each person’s love bar in color. No two are the same and everyone adds unique colors to my mural of Life.

I am aware there are different types of love. For example, the love I feel for David is one unique love. To simplify it, I would say that I wanted THAT love in my life every day. In 44 years (40 of them married) I have never felt that about another person…other than my children. This to me is “being” in love. (Can’t say I’ve always liked him, but I’ve always loved him).

I believe that people too often think that “being” in love is the only relationship that can get beyond “like”.  I wish to remind them that it’s mentioned up to 551 times in Bibles…not just once.

Yes, you can love throngs of people all at the same time. I know it can be done, because I do.

You might wonder about the 5% that I don’t like on first meet basis. Some of them have been poopy people and I just avoid them. The rest, I wait to see if at another time and another place, we might like each other. If we do, a new “bar” is created.

So, you can imagine my joy when I’m in a group of people that I love. The explosion of colors I see are better than any “trip” I took in the ‘60s & 70’s.

So, Trump took the 5^th set.

Last night I could see the writing on the wall, we were going to have another MR. President.

With a knot in my stomach, heart pounding and acid flowing through my system I withdrew to the bedroom to watch anything but election coverage. I watched the Weather Channel for a while as they played music and showed scenes of nature’s beauty.

At one point, with the sound muted, I flipped through the major news channels. Everyone’s faces looked like they were at Devil’s Tower when the aliens exited their craft in “Close Encounters of the 3^rd Kind”. I didn’t need to read what was written on the ticker tape scrolling across the bottom of the screen , the faces said it all.

I went to sleep with Perry Mason as background sound while I made my personal connection to God through prayer. I controlled what I could.

I woke up at 2:20am and couldn’t go back to sleep so I bravely decided to face my demons. Turning on the TV I noticed that the channel David last watched was TCM. I knew he had accepted the inevitable when, before I had dozed off last night, he asked me what I thought about living in Canada.

When I turned to CNN, there he was…President Trump flanked by his android Pence and his youngest son “Mini-Me”.  The strange thing is that I didn’t feel sick. I wasn’t devastated. I felt surprisingly calm. My prayers had worked. In my conversation with God I asked for strength, clarity and compassion going forward. I controlled what I could.

It struck me that yesterday I had a vote. Today I have a voice.

I will continue to post my observations. even more religiously than I have in the past. (pardon the pun)

I will look for every path laid before me where I can make a difference.

In the days and months ahead we will be hearing who will be in positions of power. Trump’s cabinet will be interesting, as will be his Supreme Court candidate. Excellent fodder for my posts

I am moving forward with faith and strength knowing “We’re not in Kansas anymore”.

It’s been exactly one month since I’ve exposed myself to the Presidential campaign land mines and the resulting shrapnel. I went to bed each night feeling so much better than when I was absorbing the toxins of the daily campaign. I controlled what I could.

Tonight, will be the first time the sound will be turned up for the news networks when I watch the election results.

It’s 3pm and I’ve voted. I have not ever had this much apprehension before a Presidential election. Over the years, I’ve won some and I’ve lost some. With the elections that I “lost”, I never felt that my future would be drastically changed by someone that embodies everything that opposes my morale convictions. The two choices have no shades of grey for me, just black and white. I controlled what I could.

Equally as frightening are the hordes of Trump followers. They honestly don’t see that the King has no clothes! Whether they win or lose, I still expect many of them to act like hooligans.

Not knowing who the next President will be, what would each candidate do if elected regarding just a couple of issues happening today that they will face tomorrow?

Item one, today, in Marrakech, Morocco, climates negotiators representing 100 countries are meeting to implement the Paris Agreement on global warming. This is BIG. Hillary supports the agreement. Donald, on the other hand has said that he would “cancel” the deal if he is elected. When French Environment Minister Segolene Royal said, “The wealthiest countries live as if there were three planets” he could have included Donald in that group.

Item two, yesterday, Kurdish forces entered the ISIS held city of Hamam al-Alil in Iraq. During their advancement into the city, they discovered a mass grave containing over 100 decapitated bodies. One hint of the atrocities that will be discovered as they canvas the city.

Meanwhile, the combined forces of at least 9 military groups and countries are successfully taking back Mosul in Iraq and they are also making headway into Ragga, Syria. These two cities are major hubs for ISIS. The advancing forces have encountered a wave of car bombs that ISIS uses as an offensive weapon. The collateral damage from these huge bombs is devastating. But, they are advancing.

If elected, Hillary would continue to support this initiative understanding from experience what a challenge is was to coordinate all the different countries, groups and militias to work together for a common cause and goal. Especially since they all hate each other…just not as much as they hate ISIS.

Trump on the other hand has called the coalition effort a “total disaster” criticizing them for giving notice of their attack.  But then he doesn’t see the citizens hovering in the corners of the buildings being bombed. Maybe he knows how to defeat ISIS without all those other guys, but he’ll only tell us after he’s elected…like all his policies.

That’s only two issues that will be affected by the decision we make tonight. Add to that the differences between them on healthcare, deregulation, tax reform and human dignity.

Am I nervous? Heck, yes! If Scarlet were here I’d tell her “… tomorrow is NOT just another day”.