A Comfort Zone in Troubled Times

Photo collage: Alli and Chase;  a happy grandmother on Halloween night with grandsons Josh the monster, Kyle the soldier,  Philip the transformer and Chase the pumpkin; Josh and Philip, Philip next to Chase, holding Tony's leg, with flowers for his mom;  exploring on Main Street: "What is this?" falling off my couch, in fun; and Elissa's kids Julia and Tony.  

When the news gets bad, like it is now, and the world seems to be falling apart, I find comfort in the closeness of my family. We are close geographically for the first time in years, Elissa and Michelle and their kids, all happy to be almost next door to one another, and we are close emotionally and socially. We share daily life; we share Chase; we share stories; we share time and events; and we share gratitude.

For me the surrealistic political drama now playing out with the so-called Super Committee, in which we are merely pawns, is on my mind.  The committee charged with reducing the national debt, a debt that grew under the Bush presidency along with the gap in wealth and income, is super deadlocked.  Maybe that's good. Maybe the committee's failure might be better than "deals" and "compromises" that send the 99%--ordinary Americans, workers, and seniors--down the river without tax increases for the super rich, the 1% .    

But Thanksgiving is here, a time to give thanks for what we have: a roof over our  heads, food on the table, health, and family.  It's a time to pray for those less fortunate, and for a government that helps the poor and powerless, listens to the majority and restores the American dream.  For now, I'm a happy grandma, and I am grateful for that.