Stain-glass Eyes

My daughter, Elizabeth, graduated from the University of California, Irvine, this past weekend. Seeing her march up to the stage with other graduates was a huge moment for me. It was a memory I won’t ever forget. https://uci.stageclip.com/ clip/elizabeth-deluca-43pm3/ I’m pretty sure it was high on the scale of wonderful for her, too, even if the cap and gown and pomp and circumstance isn’t really her thing.   I have watched her determination and hard work for many years. Her high school honors, her undergrad work at Michigan State University. Her work at the University of Chicago for her Master’s degree and now her doctorate from UCI.   For her to have vision and strength to get herself to the top of all those mountaintops is incredible. And certainly not all of those peaks were a straight climb up.   She’s had to navigate many detours.     I’ve always been able to see the compassion in her, which to me is an accomplishment in itself. It’

It fascinates me when people ask, “What do you do for a living?” What happens when someone is working more than one job?   Or pursuing higher education along with having a job to pay the bills? I’d like to answer, “Take care of myself.” Instead I usually explain I spent years teaching elementary-age kids and I’m retired.   The problem with the easy way out is I don’t believe what I accomplished in the past is something I can rest my laurels on now. I’m proud of my past career, but what I do as a retired person has value too. The pressure of explaining “Making a living,” could just be in my head. If I feel inferior to a working person then I believe I’m less important or what I do is less valuable because it has no monetary value. Less viable.   Neither of these are true.   I consider being a musician, writer, parent, daughter, sister, friend and community member valuable. As is taking care of myself. I don’t like the words, “Making a living