The season of...what?

I have to admit it’s very tempting these days to write and post screed after rant about politics. There is so much going wrong and so much wrong being said in our names that every trip to the news feeds has me coming away with jaws clenched and temples throbbing.

This does not make me unique, if the posts and comments I see on various social media are to be believed. Many of us are aghast, sickened by the horrific stances being taken by many people who are given the bully pulpit simply because ‘the media’ no longer include enough people I would describe as thoughtful journalists. I won’t name the screamers here because I’m sure there’s an algorithm running somewhere that would take the mention as a sign of support. But we all know to whom I refer.

I won’t let these people I see in the news define this season for me. I choose to define it for myself.

I look forward to time with family and friends. Bjorn and Susan and Mary and Daughter One and Boyfriend of Daughter One and Odin the Large and Lazy and Zoey the Small and Annoying and yours truly will gather for food, conversation, and scrutiny of said boyfriend. You know, the standard Thanksgiving Day observance. We don’t make a point of talking about being ‘thankful’ but we all are. Two and Boyfriend of Two will be celebrating at her apartment in Chicago and we’ll talk or Skype at some point.

This weekend in our corner of the country we have two days of dry sunshine to spend, so we’ll put up the lights. A big chore (you’d have to see our house during the holidays to understand how big) but we have fun with it and especially with all the cars that slow or stop each evening to look at what the ‘crazy people’ did this year.

With the passing of Thanksgiving we will of course go into prep mode for the Big Day (actually, Thanksgiving is my personal fave, but what the hell) which means among other things, gift shopping.

The tradition in our family, in which I am no different from a zillion other Dads and husbands in being impossible to shop for since I really, truly have everything I need, is to give me a little card saying that a present has been purchased and given to some kid through one of the ‘giving trees’ you find at our local malls. I’ve shared this idea before and I so love this little tradition.

There is another group of folks of whom I’ve become more and more aware the last couple of years. I speak of all the foster children who ‘age out’ at eighteen in most states and locales. I recall what a clueless bumpkin I was at that age and I had the love and support of a wonderful family and friends with whom I am still in touch today. I can’t imagine facing the transition from high school to the wide world the way many of these kids do: ‘Congrats on being eighteen; see ya!’

A couple of years ago I tried to find an organization through which I could channel some help to these kids…Sorry, young adults. The results of my research were underwhelming at the time – a couple or three well-meaning but not entirely thought through efforts.

The other day, my buddy Sheila forwarded to me the web address you’ll see below. If you have a moment or two to spare (and if not, how can I help?) please close your eyes and try to recall being eighteen. Remember your hopes and fears, your life plan or your terror because you didn’t have one. And then, imagine facing all that with no money, probably no job or a minimum wage job, being gently evicted from your latest foster home, no loving family or established support system.

See what I mean? Then, please follow the link below. If it isn’t a live link once it makes it to you please take the time to copy it into your browser. I promise these folks will explain the need much better than I.  

We do not have to spend the holidays cringing at the news. We can look forward to giving a stranger something to which to look forward. We need not allow the haters and cowards to convince us there is no future. We can instead proclaim the future by helping these kids embrace it.

Either use search criterion ‘foster care to success’ or follow this link: www.fc2success.org