-
Aging, Awesome Women, Castledawson, Coming of age, Family, grandmother, Irish culture, Irish mammies, Memoir, Mother Daughter Relationship, Mother's Day, Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland Culture, Seamus Heaney, Soundtracks of our Lives, Themes of Childhood
mother’s day from far away . . .
I have worked in schools long enough that it is not uncommon for me to encounter former students, some of whom are now married with careers and children. It is always surreal to meet these adults who, just a twinkling ago, were writing in their composition books about who they would become when they were all grown up. Likewise, they are incredulous to discover I am now the mother of a daughter who is older than they were when they were my fifth grade students. Equally perturbed by this scenario and all its implications is my daughter. It amuses me – my former students confronting the truth that there really was more to me…
-
Act Two, After death of a spouse, Antrim Guardian, Being a Widow, Blogging, Memoir, News Travels by Yvonne Watterson, Women and careers, Writing, Writing a book
‘time for a few small repairs’ she said . . .
~ perhaps you have stopped here because you too are considering the lilies and the view from where you are. Maybe you don’t know why or how you arrived at this particular corner of the blogosphere; you just took the road less traveled to get here. Whatever the reason, I’m glad you found Considering the Lilies & Lessons from the Field and hope you’ll stay a while. Myself, I am taking a break from writing here for a while. I’m not sure for how long. Four months ago Ken died. I don’t know when I stopped measuring the time in days (it would be 129) but I think that is a good thing.…
-
Antrim Guardian, Being young, Belfast, British Army, Family, Funerals, IRA, Loughinisland, Memoir, News Travels by Yvonne Watterson, Northern Ireland, Punishment, Sectarianism, The Good Friday Agreement, The Troubles, The Troubles, Themes of Childhood, Themes of childhood, UVF
loughinisland lingers . . .
To forget them would be a second death. I don’t think I am responsible for their first death. But I can be responsible, if I am not careful, in the second death.” ~ ELIE WIESEL Yes. It is important. To bear witness. To say their names. I was recently contacted by Colm Smyth who survived the heartless attack on 16 men who were gathered in a country pub to watch Ireland take on Italy in the World Cup football match being televised live from New Jersey. To our delight, Ireland won! Over 60,000 fans rocked Giants Stadium, horribly unaware of what had happened in the pub in Loughinisland right after…
-
American Dream, Arizona, Belfast, Borders, Bullying, Gay Marriage, Governor Jan Brewer, Human Rights, Immigration, Marriage, Politics, Racial Profiing, SB1062, SB1070, Soundtracks of our Lives, The Troubles
do the right thing this time, Governor Brewer.
A version of this article also appears at IrishCentral.com: Arizona Governor Could Show us That Lessons of History do not Apply to her Again. The last time I hoped Arizona Governor Jan Brewer would do the right thing was in the summer of 2010. I was sitting in my Principal’s office, only half-enjoying a visit from a former student – each of us was tense, awaiting announcement regarding SB1070. Surely our state’s Governor would do the humane and right thing? Surely she would refuse to sign an insidious and un-American piece of legislation that would criminalize undocumented immigrants and would require state and city police officers to check the immigration status of a…
