Samain Thanksgiving Moon
This may turn out to be a pivotal week for our family. Jon’s coping well with the aftermath of his court hearing. And, ta dah, we have likely uncovered the reason for Kate’s problems with eating and weight loss. Stenosis of the superior mesenteric artery. Obviously not something you want, but now, after 18 months or so, we have a reason. And there are possible treatments, too.
This diagnosis came quickly. We went in yesterday morning for the imaging work. It was the ultrasound that found it. Dr. Rhee called in the afternoon.
If Jon and Kate can find ways to move on from their respective difficulties, life on the mountain will take on a different tone. And, a welcome one. In neither case is a positive outcome assured, but in my view both of them may have altered the direction of their lives. This week. Wow.
Yesterday evening I drove in to Swigert Elementary for Gabe’s 5th grade concert. The drive in is always an ordeal because Stapleton, the new urban neighborhood built on the grounds of the former Stapleton Airport, is all the way across metro Denver from the foothills. The concerts are at 6:00 pm which means driving on city streets during the height of rush hour. Big fun.
But, I made it just as the 5th graders filed into the gym and mounted the stage like scaffolding. After a drive of an hour and twenty minutes. Whew. I was there not only for Gabe, but for Jon who was prevented from going by a more restrictive version of the restraining order generated during his court hearing on Tuesday. I found a front row seat and Gabe saw me right away. They sang four songs, beginning with Bob Marley’s, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” Given the new information I had the song went right into my heart.
The third song, the name of which I don’t recall right now, involved twenty fifth graders coming out front to do a short dance piece from the musical Hairspray. Swigert will put on Hairspray in the spring. They danced and in their movements, their eagerness, their smiles radiated the innocence, the possibility of childhood.
It was a surprisingly powerful moment for me as was the thought that came as I watched. “We’ve failed these kids.” Though that sentiment is true of all generations to some extent, the world we hope for for our kids is not the one we’ve created, in this case I meant it literally and profoundly. Climate change. These kids, 5th graders, are ten years old. If they live a normal life expectancy, let’s say 80 years for convenience, they will be alive in 2088. Here’s the problem in a single for instance: “Most cities might be too hot to host the summer Olympic Games after 2085 because of climate change, according to an analysis in The Lancet1.” Nature
This is what we’ve done, allowed to happen. They will, of course, be responsible for how they handle the challenges we’ve left them. Maybe they’ll do really well at adaptation and mitigation. Maybe not. In either case their world and ours will be so different as to be almost unrecognizable. We should all bow our heads in shame.
