Hedreich Nichols

March 2017

And Crown Thy Good With Brotherhood

John F. Kennedy once said we don’t need to look for the Republican answer or the Democrat answer, but the right answer. This sentiment seems to be lost. As I watch politics play out in my country, I feel like I’m watching a bad reality TV show.  Wars are bloody, and this feels like war. Unless we are to parcel off land and divide it among the current warring factions, we must find a way to get to unifying ground, lest we sink in the mire of hatred and division. How many people will die if “Obamacare” explodes? What will the casualty count be if Trump fails at presiding? What are the costs if the only policy is to repeal any and everything Obama? What are the consequences if the GOP can’t unite and reach across the aisle to build policy with Democrats, or if Democrats petulantly say no to any olive branch offered?

Many who voiced vexation at Colin Kaepernick’s protest during the national anthem use that same voice to pledge allegiance to a flag and the indivisible nation for which it stands. Is there not deep hypocrisy in the casting of that stone, when we mumble by rote our allegiance to a nation that seems anything but indivisible? What can we do, other than to watch it all play out? We can keep our rocks inside our own glass houses. We can be informed. We can contact our congressmen and let our voices be heard. We can count each man as our brother and seek to see the good, especially where we think there is none. Mostly we can remind ourselves, as we smirk at the latest faux pas of the other side,  that either we all win or we all lose.

 

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A Motherless Child (Not)

               Two of my mother-sister-friends

Tomorrow marks the anniversary of my mother’s death. Even more than a decade on, I still feel her absence. When her grandson went to his first semi-formal dance, got a 1 at UIL in orchestra and played E-bass for the first time in the church band, I missed her. When I found a hair on my chinny chin chin hailing my induction into the middle aged momma club, I missed her. When I met a man who knows all the old BC&S songs, I missed her. But; rare are the times I feel like a motherless child. 

I have been blessed with the loving, continuous support of a group of mother-sister-friends who provide wisdom, solace, encouragement and a never-ending list of other good stuff. These women are beautiful inside and out. They are brilliant, witty women whose talents and outlook on life have influenced me since my childhood. They are the best part of my mother’s legacy. She chose friends wisely and their love for her has been passed on to me, engulfing my spirit in motherly love. My time with them, spent in conversation, song or not so shy giggles over the handsomeness of Morris Chestnut, Jesse Williams and Richard Burton always rejuvenates me and fills me with longing for our next meeting. These are women who laugh with me, pray for me and my boy, and who drive or fly hours just to spend time with me. 

In this month when I remember the mother who was gone too soon, I rejoice in the incredible birthright she’s handed down to me and to my child. Ladies, I love you and thank God for your presence in my life!❤️

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