A Trunk and Time

It is late on Sunday afternoon. As I sit down to write this column, I reflect upon my recent visit to attend an event at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR). UNR was where I attended graduate school and where I lived long ago for eight years. While there, visits happened with old friends. Conversations were full of appreciation. We shared fond memories. They reinforced the value that comes from doing positive things with positive people. When mated together they birthed gratitude. Gratitude gifts us with dividends for a good life.

As I sit down to write this column, I recognize that it will appear after the inauguration of a “return” President. Since I spent years upon the stages of politics and government, it is natural for me to make observations. That, however, is not the road I have chosen to script at this stage of my life. I prefer a practice that takes a high road, not a low one. In so-doing, I paraphrase the lyrics of Johnny Mercer to “accentuate the positive.” As words, they spirited hope during the darkness of the Great Depression and World War II. If then, why not now?

With that, I look upon a family heirloom. It is a small wood trunk. It dates to the late 19th century (see adjacent photograph). It stands 16 inches in height and width. It is 28 inches in length. The trunk belonged to a relative that risked her life to escape from poverty and hopelessness in Europe 130 years ago. Inside the trunk were the only possessions she had. Now, long after, I live a good life here in Castro Valley in the USA as a middle class American. The trunk provides a constant reminder about my roots and my life. As a new President takes an oath of office and a departing President retires, my oath remains one of gratefulness and appreciation. The trunk not only held the few possessions my relative had. It held her hopes and dreams. She made them happen, not only for herself, but for me and others as well.