WHAT a week

This week marks the un-official beginning of summer. Memorial day, bar-b-que, beaches, Fleet Week (here in NY – SOOOO many military personal all looking spiffy in their dress uniforms as they walk around NY), the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor for the newest and only Hispanic ever nominated to the US Supreme Court a memorial day tribute and of course my personal favorite Dancing under the stars at Lincoln Center.

Ok so a bit at a time.
No Bar-b-que or beach for me…yet this year. The water is too cold still and I don’t have my dad’s hot dogs (truly the best on the planet) so I’ll pass until later on in the season.

I love Memorial Day and Fleet week. Not because of all the really cute guys that are in town, but because of what it stands for. I have several members of my family (including my own brother who was in the service) who have served and died for this country. I have loved a man from West Point (he went on to serve in both Iraq 1 and 2) and got to know first hand how seriously our young men (and women) take their military training – especially when they are training to become an officer (and of course a gentleman). This is in no way not to honor the amazing women that serve. You, are truly more woman than I, even though I almost went to the Air Force Academy. Wonder how my life would have changed if I did?

I also want to give a personal shout out to a young woman who is creating her own change. My adopted niece Melissa. Let me tell you about her and why she totally rocks!

Melissa is the daughter of a friend of mine, and she is what I think most would call a an old-soul. She sees things from a unique perspective and feels deeply. Very Deeply!! So much so that sometimes it’s hard to remember that she is not quite a teenager yet.

This amazing young lady was chosen this past week to read her speech about Memorial day in her hometown of Hillsdale, NJ. Why is this a big deal, because she beat out a bunch of other kids, she walked with their town mayor in the parade and well frankly…because I think it’s a big deal. You see Melissa and I have a very special connection.

She is a writer and photographer like me, she thinks too much (like me), she has a heart that is compassionate and she is brave. While not everything is a rose for my little friend, she has a capacity to give herself a time-out, think it out, and then come to a rational conclusion. Why tell you all that, because I think her paper about Memorial Day is telling of her depth.

In part she says the following:
“What does it mean to be unselfish? Not the textbook definition but the real meaning. The real meaning of unselfish is the men and women fighting and dying for their country everyday overseas. Memorial Day only comes once a year and on that one day everyone should think about all the men and women overseas. Many people just think of Memorial Day as a three-day weekend to escape from work but it is so much more than that it all started on May 5, 1868 when it was officially named a holiday that was when people finally took the time on that one day to remember the veterans and the people in the armed services now.

Memorial is one of the greatest holidays to celebrate because it is not a day to mourn or to be sad it is a time to celebrate the men and women who brought us to our freedom today.”

How smart is she? Personally I think Melissa will grow up to do something amazing. Maybe she will be like a Supreme Court Justice. Maybe she’ll be a world-class photographer, or teacher, or stay-at-home mom. I don’t know, but I do know that I’m grateful that she is a person of character, and who loves (and sometimes hurts) openly. I am proud that she understands that there is more to this holiday than just a day off. I, like her parents and sister Ally am very proud of her. This is among many reasons we need to nurture our young women and add another woman on the bench…the Supreme Court bench that is.

I am a believer that this is a good country that may have gone a bit off tilt in the past few years. This is not to say as I’ve said before, that Pres. Obama will create a miracle – there is just too much to clean up. I’m just hopeful that the rest of the world will see our new Commander and Chief as someone who is willing to listen and not dictate what other countries SHOULD do. Pres Obama seems to be a man that is looking for change, and is creating change to reflect the people of this country. I believe that one day, he just might put an openly gay person in a position of importance. Until that moment, he has taken a HUGE first step in creating a more “like me world” by nominating Judge Sonya Sotomayor.

Judge Sotomayor gets my vote immediately not because she is a woman (I’m not THAT sexist), but because she is a Yankee Fan. Secondly, being a former person in the law, I started reading some of her opinions when her name first started floating around. While I may not agree with them all, I do find that she is consistent, fair, and a scholar of the law to a depth that I am not. Hence why she is still a lawyer and I am not.

I believe that should she be confirmed, we will see some interesting fireworks on the court that we have never seen before. I also predict that this will NOT be the only appointment that Pres. Obama will make. There is at least 1 other judge that may be looking to retire. Mark this page when it happens.

Finally as for dancing…I want to dance. Not because I’m Dancing with the Stars worthy, not because I dance with my favorite guy when ever I can (yup that’s you dad!!), but because this is one of the things I have on my list to do. So if you are in NY, Lincoln center has dancing every night during the month of June. You can go take a class (yea, just meet someone and shake your tail feather for a small fee) and then spend the night dancing. Or…you can just stand on the outside of their outdoors space and dance anyway. It’s always so beautiful to watch couple that know (and those who don’t but love being close anyway) how to dance. Shouldn’t we all dance at least once with someone under the stars at least once in our lives?? This year, I will.