My Monday Hero - Sensational Sabra!

My cousin Sabra (who used to spell it Sabre'!), is one of my very favorite people in the world! She is a one-woman show, truly. I have literally known her all of my life, and we've been buds the entire time. Consider that I've pushed past the half-century range. . .that's a very long time ~ in people years! 


I recall visiting Sabra and her family when we were children and hearing her father wish her and her sisters a good-night over the radio where he deejay-ed. Radio was a natural element for this family, as they are the ultimate talent when it comes to music and singing. All they have to do is stand all together and begin a song, a cappella, and the most glorious harmonies appear out of nowhere! Including biology and half-siblings, Sabra's family boasts seven girls and two boys. What an incredibly awesome choir to behold!


Yet, as this week's Monday Hero, Sabra tops the list not because of her melodious forte, but because of her phenomenal strength, leadership, charity, and intense love for her family. Recently Sabra posted on her facebook page that she has found the "language of love; it is Alzheimer's." This simple statement brought tears to my eyes and a deep outpouring of love for this extraordinary cousin. 

Sabra ~ who owns and runs her own mortgage business ~ has taken her mother, diagnosed with Alzheimer's only a few short years ago, into her home to care for her day and night. Somehow she has created the capacity to stretch time and space into whatever is needed. With so many siblings, Sabra certainly has help, yet the most compelling thing. . .she would do the same whether she had siblings or not! 


A comedian, a singer, a businesswoman, a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a cousin, and more ~ Sabra is and always will be at the top of my Hero List! She cracks me up without even trying, while at the same time showing forth a tenderness and kindliness beyond compare. She is energy and might and strength in one package who loves deeply and cares fiercely. 

Sabra, you are my family and you are my friend. Having a cousin who has so profoundly become a best friend ~ what a glorious blessing! I adore you, I love you beyond compare, and I strive to become what you exemplify with the strength of character you exhibit. You are my hero!




06.07.2011 - CLARIFICATION:
After posting yesterday, my dear cousin Sabra clarified that her Mom does not actually live with her in her home. In Sabra's words: 


"Mom, thanks to her pension, social security, and part of Ted's pension, lives in a memory care center called Legacy Village. It is five minutes from my house and work. It is about two blocks away from Aunt Fern, and when Ted lived with his son, Donny, it was about five minutes away for him......centrally located, Mom has visits from your sister, Aunt Lucile, Elma Leta and Linda Anne, and Cristi's work is just down the street. So we have been fortunate to find a spot where everyone can visit when they want." 


Thank you for assuring my information is accurate; doing so speaks even more fully to the honorable and extraordinary woman you are! That being said, Sabra, you are and will always remain my hero for the many and multiple things I have listed above. You are awesome, incredible, and wonderful. If I could put you on a plane to Alaska once a month, I would do so, just to get my "Sabra-hit," which is all too rare these days! 

My Monday Heroes - Women Across the Globe

At this Memorial Day weekend, our thoughts turn to those we love who have passed on, who have made a difference in our lives and for our country. Generally, we reminisce about those who have served in battle and fought for the freedoms we have come to expect throughout the free world. 

As we recall those special people, let us also think of the strength, courage, tenacity, valor, and determination of the women we know, the women we have known, the women we know of, and all women throughout this planet who have made a difference. 

In consideration of this, I think about the ancients, the pioneers, and the contemporary women who have influenced my life. . .there are so many. 

Putting it very simply, let me ask all the women who read this blog: Do you have a credit card or a mortgage or a vehicle in your name? If so, are you aware that as recently as thirty years ago, this likely would not be the case? It took women of great stamina ~ essentially, modern pioneers ~ to bring us forward to this place. 

We have a voice and it is a voice of compassion and learning, a voice of hope and might, a voice understood by women across the globe regardless of our native tongue or what language we speak.

Remember who we are, and act accordingly. We hold precious lives in our hands, we shore up those around us who are in need, we have the strength to be someone's shoulder and the tenderness to pull them close in comfort.

These are such natural pieces of each of our characters ~ let us have cheer and joy and charity in our hearts for who we are, and let us be who we are, when we are, where we are, and why we are . . . just because we are! 

My Monday Hero ~ Marvelous Marci!

Marci is quite a interesting character. She is someone I watch out of the corner of my eye ~ I never quite know what I will see, but I know that it will always be fascinating and I will learn from watching. 


Marci works in her daily life with teenagers. While she is technically a high school teacher, she is really much more than that. Mt. Edgecumbe High School is one of Alaska's boarding schools which provides opportunity for all high school aged teens to attend, regardless of where they live.  In our huge state (over 650,000 square miles!), each is given the opportunity to go to high school even if their home is in the tiniest of villages in the northern-most or western-most or other-most regions. The downside is that most have to leave their homes for up to four years in order to obtain that high school diploma.  


Thus, Marci is much, much more than a high school teacher. She becomes a mentor, a counselor, a guide. She becomes a very informal "parens patriae," an official term used when a child's natural parent is unable to provide parenting at a given time. In the case of Marci, her "parens patriae" role is by default ~ that is, because Mt. Edgecumbe High School students have are living away from their natural parents, Marci naturally (and quite easily) falls into that role. Not only does it happen naturally, but she does this with the compassion and concern for the whole-person-well-being of each student with whom she comes into contact. This is an incredible feat, in my mind, and one which can be accomplished only by those with the greatest devotion to those under their care.  Marci is, indeed, one of those.

I am in awe of the ability of women to bring all into their fold, to love without condition, to share without concern for themselves. I see Marci ~ out of the corner of my eye ~ doing this seemingly without effort. It comes to her so naturally and so beautifully.


Marci, you are my hero and I feel so very blessed to be able to witness your incomprehensible abilities to love so freely. Your skills, your gifts, your innate compassion, and the classy manner in which you live your life are an example to me each time I think about you. Thank you for being such an awesome woman!