Let us share in a message of hope today. Let us remember our loved ones whether they be our spouses, children, family, friends or co-workers.
Setting aside the time it takes to work on my EdD for just one class has caused me to reflect more often. I am not only speaking of the requirement to reflect as an educator, but as a human being. I spend time on TikTok creating garden content to provide hope, teach, and inspire, but I also find incredible people there. One is a father whose son, Corrie’s age, unalived himself because of bullying at his school. You can visit Sammy’s Tree online to see how you can support families to end bullying. I stopped to listen to the father’s live because I saw myself four years ago in him, and I also sensed the section of myself that perhaps friends, acquittances, co-workers, or family members felt when seeing my raw grief.
Maybe I should skim past. Maybe I should move away from it, and not touch it because mourning and grief are scary. Then I felt ashamed because I know what mourning, grief, and loss feel like. Sammy’s mother and father need to speak out about their grief and bullying their son faced.
Rumors came to me through friends. “She speaks too much about her daughter.” I stopped speaking about Corrie for a while. I am here to tell you that none of us will ever be: “everyone’s cup of tea because we’re champagne, darling.”
Grief is not something you can shake off. I was still trying to rebuild myself in the two years after Corrie died, and in that time, I had a miscarriage and John battled cancer. Sometimes I have trouble as a neurodivergent figuring out how much of myself I can be around others without judgment, but that should not matter.
When I arrive home below the mountain, I am my happiest. I am usually dancing while I garden to some song, such as “Vogue” by Madonna or “Thriller” from Michael Jackson. I am John’s wife, Charles’s and Corrie’s mom, and the crazy gardener who makes 10 acres into a dance floor.
I say all that to share this: No matter which way you vote today, remember those who stood by you through the darkest days. Remember those who never spoke badly about you while you stood in the dark. Recall those people’s hearts who opened their windows to you when all other doors were shut. Share in the gratitude that they shone their light upon you, so that one day you could stand again.
I will never be everyone’s cup of tea, but I do make for a great glass of champagne.
Corrie's Season 