The Woods

By Allison Foster
Staff Writer

With a win on Jan. 8 against IU-Southeast the Saint Mary-of-the-Woods basketball record increased to 9-7.
Freshmen, Chelsea Weaver hit a 25-foot 3-pointer just in time before the end of the first half taking the lead.
“The clock was running out and she only had one option, and that was to shoot immediately,” said head coach Deanna Bradley.  “Everyone was excited when she hit it because it gave us a four point lead.”
The lead changed several times throughout the second half, with neither team gaining more than a six point lead.
“All we can do as a team is prepare our best in practice. Our goal going into every game is to play our best,” Bradley said.
The Pomeroys were victorious and won the game against IU-Southeast with a final score of 77-74.
SMWC dropped a game to Lake Land College on Jan. 5 with the final score of 60-89 .
The Pomeroys have not been able to win all of their games, but Bradley knows exactly what they need to do to finish strong and move onto nationals; be more aggressive and consistent.
On Dec. 30, 2010, the Pomeroys took on Wheaton College in the Taylor Classic Tournament.
This was a challenging game for SMWC and Wheaton came out victorious, 59-93
On the second day of the Taylor Classic, SMWC played Trinity International University.
The Pomerory’s displayed more energy but were unable to pull through.  By 16 points, they were defeated by Trinity International with a final score of 80-96.
SMWC traveled to play the St. Joseph Lady Bears Dec. 28, 2010.
The Pomeroy’s, who were anked sixth in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) coaches poll the week before, took an early lead of 25-14.
Both teams shot over 60 percent from the field in the first half.  The Pomeroys were on a roll, shooting 80 percent (20 for 25) from the free throw line, and 57 percent from the field. The final score for this game was 93-79.
On Saturday, Dec. 18, 2010, the Pomeroys then traveled to Notre Dame to play the Saints of Holy Cross College.
The Pomeroys were down by 26 halfway through the second half but managed to cut the lead to 10 with three minutes to go during the second half.
But unfortunately the Pomeroys didn’t do enough to pull through for the win. The final score was in favor of Holy Cross, 74 and SMWC 63.
Dec. 17, 2010, SMWC traveled to Fort Wayne to play the Indiana Tech Warriors. Several lead changes happened throughout the first half.
Well into the second, Indiana Tech took a massive 24-2 run, and the Pomeroys were defeated with a 62-83 final score.
Dec. 14, 2010, marked the eighteenth time SMWC and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology have played each other for the Clabber Girl trophy.
The game started off slow on both sides.
“We weren’t as intense as I would have liked for us to have been, but then again, you have to go with what you’ve got and I felt  the team did a good job of making the most of what they had,” Bradley said.
During the second half of the game, it was a back and forth change of points.
As the second half came to an end, senior Brooke Brown stole the ball, got fouled and hit one of two free throws with three seconds remaining.
The final score for the game was 56-54.

Popularity: 33% [?]

By Emma Campbell
Staff Writer

Theater enthusiasts are getting the chance another to flex their acting muscles at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College with the spring play.
For the first time since the 06-07 academic year, SMWC will be producing a William Shakespeare play.
This years installment of Shakespeare will be “The Winter’s Tale”.
As it is with all of Shakespeare’s works, “The Winter’s Tale” is a story of love, betrayal, loss, mourning, desire, treachery, reunions, and forgiveness.
It is a multi-faceted tragicomedy, which is to say that while the greater deal of the story is a tragedy, it has a happy ending.
Fifth year senior and women and theater major, Danielle O’Conner, encouraged students to try out for the play last semester, despite the fact that it is Shakespearean.
“Just relax! Shakespeare is too stilted, it’s been given a bad rap.” said O’Conner. “It’s so easy to understand once you take a deep breath and allow yourself to become immersed in his beautiful language!”
Auditions for the play were held on Wednesday, Dec. 1, and were open to all students. Even professors showed up, with Fr. Bernie LaMontagne cast in the role of Camillo and Sr. Rosemary Nudd acting the part of Mother Time.
Bernie said, “I am excited by the role of Camillo.  I did request that role because he is like me– loyal, very moral and always willing to help those that are victims.”
He continued, “ I could have played the roles of Leontes and Polixenes because I’m confident of my acting abilities and experience.  But it was Camillo that I wanted to play.”
Other roles include Sherry Bube, freshman, as female lead Hermione, Kelsie Uselman, sophomore, as her daughter Perdita, and guest artist Brandon Wentz, who plays the lead male role of Leontes.
Wentz is returning to the SMWC stage after preforming in the 2010 spring musical “Urintown”.
Female lead, Sherry Bube, shares her surprise at being cast as a lead.
“Being cast in a main role for the Spring production was surprising to me, but I am grateful to be given the opportunity to contribute to the community here at SMWC through the theatre.”
Bube also anticipates the work of learning Shakespearean performance.
“Having never before performed a Shakespearean play, I am anticipating much growth on my part as an actress as well as many educational moments,” Bube said.  “Overall, the new experiences of being a main character and performing Shakespeare will be personally rewarding for me – and I hope the audience can have an enjoyable time too!”
The spring play is slated to run starting Feb. 24 through Feb. 27.

Popularity: 41% [?]

By Lauren Nelson
Staff Writer

Montana, also known as the big sky country, is exactly that and more.
Over the summer I spent a little over a month for an internship when I left my home, family, friends, and everything that I knew and went into a situation of which my knowledge was limited.
When I came back I was a more well-rounded person from spending some time in learning the “tools of the trade” for the ranching life.
In northern Montana there is a tiny town just three minutes south of Canada and two hours away from the city of called Whitlash.
Whitlash is the type of town where everyone knows everyone, where any event is a community event, and mail comes three days a week if the weather permits.
But Whitlash is where all of the big ranches in Montana are.
I spent the first month of my summer break on the B&H ranch living with the owners of the ranch Buster and Helen Brown, their two sons Jack and BJ, and the other intern, Nicole.
Day to day life on the ranch was very similar from what I was already used to.
The time change from Indiana to Montana had messed me up so I had started my official first day at 4:30 a.m while no one else was even awake for another four hours!
That day I learned the routine of morning chores and went for long ride to move cows in six feet of snow.
All of the snow was from a storm that they had a few days prior to my arrival.  This had caused all of the animals to be mixed up and they wandered all over the ranches trying to find their home.
We ended our day early, which was around 10 p.m., after a day full of sorting out the cows and only taking short breaks for lunch, dinner, and evening chores.
I continued to wake up before everyone else for another three days and in those days most of the snow melted that had covered the land.
The only thing visible after the snow melted was rolling green fields and the buttes that separated Whitlash from any other city in Montana.
Those three days once the snow had disappeared I went roping with the Brown family, did more riding in one day than I ever done in a month, cleaned the barn, and absorbed as much information as I could about the ranch, the family, the animals they had, their business, their training methods and opinions on common practices in the equine industry.
As the weather got nicer and warmer we started only working for half days and spent the rest soaking up the sun.
By my fifth day there I knew the general routine: morning chores, breakfast ride, lunch, break, ride or miscellaneous tasks that needed to be done, dinner, ride, evening chores, and the riding some more to end the day.
My fifth day was my introduction to “hot branding” as they called it.
We gathered a few cows and pushed them through a chute into the branding gates.
The cow had to walk into the branding gates and as the cow started to walk through it a lever was pulled and they would contain the cow by squishing it in between the gates not allowing it to move until the leaver was pulled to release it.
While the cow was in between the gates it would get vaccinated, branded with a hot iron, and castrated if needed.
The scent that the branding iron created was nauseating.  Between the burning fur and flesh, it could make anyone that was not used to it sick.
After we branded, we rode for a few hours and ended our day early like we had been doing for a while.
On that fifth day I also learned some new slang and how to get by as a person that didn’t eat meat.
It was on my seventh day that the other intern, Nicole, arrived.  Man-oh-man was she a country girl.
Nicole vowed that by the time she and boys were done with me I would be shootin’, eatin’ meat, and wearin’ a cowboy hat with real boots instead of my regular riding boots.
Helen, the ranch owner, and I spent that day getting to know Nicole and cleaning out a room so she would have a place to sleep.
Almost every day after Nicole arrived we either went to community brandings, sorted cows, or roped.
Looking back on the experience I cannot believe how much I learned in just a month and how quickly I had gotten used to the lifestyle of living in Montana and on a ranch.
I was so nervous to travel across the country, with a family that I had never met, to be getting involved with things that I had never done before and that were so out of my discipline, and also working with cows.
As silly as it may seem, it was working with the cows that terrified me the most.
Thinking about the experience though I am very thankful for having the opportunity to get out of my shell and learn about a lifestyle I had never even dreamed of.
I made many friends from this experience and even got to take a trip up to Canada with just Nicole.
I can say I didn’t leave Whitlash as a country girl like Nicole wanted me to, but I did leave that small town and the state of Montana behind me with an understanding of the ranching industry that I never thought I would get.
Yes, I had to eat a lot of strange food and was put into situations that I would not have been put into had I spent that portion of my summer elsewhere.  But, when it comes down to it, I am very glad that I did because my experience in Montana is defiantly an experience I will never forget.

Popularity: 35% [?]

By Shelby Richardson
Columnist

Making healthier choices in what you eat is a common New Year’s resolution. One option for people to consider is veganism.
Vegans don’t eat meat. However, they differ from vegetarians by also not eating any products that come from animals. This includes milk, cheese, butter, eggs, and, yes, ice cream.
Vegans also steer clear from  leather, make-up, or any product that contains animal by-products or may be tested on animals.
Finding food for a vegan diet is not difficult. According to PETA, you can find most vegan products at local stores.
A vegan diet consists of grains, beans, legumes, vegetables and fruits. Combining these foods can give vegans many more dishes to keep the diet interesting.
Many substitutes can be used for the foods restricted by the diet, including soy milk and tofu instead of milk and meat.There are also substitutes for everyday foods, such as hot dogs, ice cream, cheese and mayonnaise.
Vegans get protein through beans, nuts, and soy products. Many vegetables contain large amounts of protein that sustain a healthy diet without meat.  Vegans can actually consume more food than non-vegans and still maintain an extremely healthy diet. The more vitamins in a person’s diet, the better their immunity to illness.
It’s possible because vegetables, fruits, and beans are low in calories, allowing them to eat more food. Vegan.org has facts about how dairy and meat products can cause health problems such as cardiovascular disease, obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Popularity: 45% [?]

By Shelby Richardson
Staff Writer

Many American Woods students spent winter break visiting family and friends, putting up a Christmas tree, sitting around the fireplace, and celebrating the New Year.
But for international students who cannot make it to their home countries over the break,  American travel is a highlight.
Chinese student Angel Chen planned to spend a week in Florida and two weeks in Texas. She planned to spend the last week of break staying at a family’s home in Terre Haute.
She said traveling during her time in America is a good learning experience.
“I want to go travel in many different places because I want to see more and know more about American culture and [see] lots of beautiful views,” she said.
She said she likes the adventure of traveling and being able to exchange ideas with others.
“I am willing to share my culture with others and I am interested in new things,” Chen said.
Chinese student Sabrina Nie planned to travel with Irish Woods student Joy Dreaning. The two planned to visit various places around the country, in an effort to see more of America.
“Most of us are [here for the] first time in America, so except the school time, we all want to go out see something new,” Nie said.
Unlike many American Woods students, Nie said few Chinese students planned to celebrate Christmas, since only a small minority of Chinese are Christians.
“We celebrate New Year and Chinese new year. I’m so excited about my first Christmas in the U.S.,” Nie said.
Chen said Christmas in China is one giant shopping day for most people, who rush out to shopping centers in the morning to get great deals.
“Most people in China … seldom know the tradition of Christmas,” she said.
That is not to say that China doesn’t have its own major festivals and celebrations. Chen said the scale and grandeur of Christmas reminds her of a Chinese celebration.
“Families get together and enjoy themselves together. It is like the Spring Festival in China!”

Popularity: 32% [?]

By Stephanie Dolan
Columnist

When it comes to victims, there are plenty of fish in the sea for a bully. Those with a proclivity for emotional torture typically make a beeline for those of different races or sexual orientations.
The lone black child in a sea of white faces, the “overly artistic” teenage boy or the girl labeled a “tomboy” are all usually easy prey for intimidating; the same who have no doubt plagued institutions of lower and higher learning since the opening of the first schoolhouse.
But back in those days there was a precursor to the longsuffering ethnic and lifestyle victims of these persecuting despots: the fat kids.
I mean no disrespect in my use of the F word.  I, myself, am nothing if not fat, fluffy, fleshy, fruitful and flabby.
I am also well aware of the toll constant harassment can take on a person’s spirit, sense of well-being and general outlook on life.
Going to school every day, believing that the only thing you can count on is that you will be menaced by your trusty local bully does tend to take the perpetual wind out of one’s sails.
Being bullied can lead to impaired self-esteem, depression, poor academic performance, trouble with anger management, violent tendencies and – in some unfortunate cases – suicide.
What can you do if you’re being bullied?  Don’t take it lying down.  If a bully believes you’re going to take his behavior, then he’ll certainly continue dishing it out.
Even if you don’t think you have a scathing retort to deliver, maintain eye contact.
In the end, a bully is a coward, and would much rather deliver insults to someone who has their shoulders bent and their eyes on the floor to someone with their spine straight and their head held high.
File a harassment report if necessary.  No one deserves to get away with this kind of behavior.  If someone bullies you then that someone will certainly bully someone else… and someone else after that… again and again and again.
Remember that the person bullying you is ultimately unhappy with themselves.  A happy person doesn’t intentionally inflict pain on others.
So, while this is no excuse for bad behavior, please remember that your being bullied is not your fault and has nothing to do with you or your worthiness as a human being.
It’s 2011, a completely new year.  But bullying is worse than it’s ever been.
I can only speak from personal experience, but – as much as I was harassed by bullies when I was a kid – those same kids today seem much meaner, more aggressive and more eager to do harm.
As a society, this is a problem that should have seen a solution long ago, but I believe that there is also an underlying thought pattern running through our DNA that almost expects bullying to be a twisted “rite of passage” for most people.
You’re either the bully or being bullied.

Popularity: 50% [?]

By Emma Campbell
Staff Writer

According to a government website, Volunteering in America, 2008 saw a total of 8.24 million young adults donate their time to volunteer work. This was an increase of about 441,000 people from 2007.
Volunteer work is becoming an increasingly important activity to young adults between ages 16 to 24.  College students should be well versed on the benefits of volunteering and community service considering most of them get lectured by counselors and teachers that, “it looks great on your college application.”
High school students are told that volunteering helps them better themselves for selection committees at their top choices for college. Some honors programs in high school even require a certain amount of community service hours to be logged before graduation.
At the very least it gets students involved in projects that they most likely otherwise wouldn’t have participated in.
But according to non-for-profit website Help Guide, studies show that volunteer work or community service gives more than just a warm, fuzzy feeling inside.
Volunteering can also greatly increase social and relationship skills, increase connectivity with other people, combat depression, and increase self-confidence.
The interest among young people in volunteering coincides with their reported increase in the belief that it is essential, or very important, to help other people in need.
The Higher Education Research Institute studies the attitudes of first-year college students each year and reported that in 2008, 69.7 percent of students held this belief. This is the highest rate documented since 1970.
For those that have the drive to help others and get involved, but are unsure where to start, websites such as Volunteer Indiana, which is the state’s Office of Faith-Based & Community Initiatives (http://www.in.gov/ofbci/volunteer/) and Volunteer Match (http://www.volunteermatch.org/) are great places to start.
To see what more than six million Hoosiers are doing to improve their communites, you may also go online to http://www.goodworksindiana.blogspot.com.

Popularity: 33% [?]

By Jade Scott
Editor-in-Chief

As the end of the 2010 semester approaches both Saint Mary-of-the-Woods Equestrian teams, Hunt and Western, have wrapped up their fall season and look ahead to their first shows of the New Year.
The Hunt Seat team ended the season at a show on Nov. 20 and 21, hosted by Taylor University and Ball State University at Black Dog Farms.
Since both days of shows were located in an in-door arena, weather was not a problem.
“As a whole it went really well because it was run very well,” said Jennifer Kieras, freshman. “It made a difference that we were all there together as a team instead of being separated like we are when we host a show.”
The Nov. 20 show resulted in SMWC as the High Point Team.

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
Open Fences:  Alex Amos-3rd

Intermediate Fences:  Whitney Mahloch-1st, Darby Hall-2nd, and  Hannah Reeley-3rd

Novice Fences:  Chelsey Sears-2nd, Ali Mahloch-  3rd, and Hannah Bardo-6th

Open Flat:  Whitney Mahloch-2nd, and Alex Amos-5th

Intermediate Flat:  Darby Hall-5th and Hannah Bardo-6th

Novice Flat:  Chelsey Sears-1st, Ali Mahloch-2nd, Bethany Erli-2nd, Cortni Bigley-3rd, and Lauren Broderick-5th

Advanced Walk-Trot-Canter:  Abigail Paul-4th

Beginning Walk-Trot-Canter:  Tracey Dykstra-1st

Walk-Trot:  Whitney Damron-3rd

The Nov. 21 show once again resulted in SMWC as the High Point Team.

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
Open Fences:  Alex Amos-3rd and Whitney Mahloch-6th

Intermediate Fences:  Hannah Reeley-3rd and Darby Hall-4th

Novice Fences:  Lauren Broderick-2nd, Ali
Mahloch-2nd, Bethany Erli-5th, and Hannah Bardo-6th

Open Flat:  Whitney Mahloch-2nd and Alex  Amos-6th

Intermediate Flat:  Hannah Reeley-1st and Hannah Bardo-3rd

Novice Flat:  Ali Mahloch-1st, Chelsey Sears- 2nd, Jennifer Kieras-3rd, Cortni Bigley-3rd, Lauren Broderick-4th, and Bethany Erli-5th

Advanced Walk-Trot-Canter:  Abigail Paul-2nd

Beginning Walk-Trot-Canter:  Tracey Dykstra- 3rd

Walk-Trot:  Whitney Damron-2nd

“With this season ending I feel that it has overall gone well,” said Paul.  “I have personally pointed up into a new division, qualified for regionals in Western, and I am close to qualifying for regionals in Hunt Seat.”
Several members of the Equine teams ride in both Hunt and Western shows.  Those riders would be Karen Cannon, freshman, Tracy Dykstra, freshman, Ali Mahloch, freshman, Whitney Mahloch, junior, Abigail Paul, senior, Jordyn Perrott, junior, and Chelsey Sears, senior.
“Sometimes it is annoying to switch back and forth between Hunt and Western because of the different body positions,” Paul said.  “But in the end I am getting more experience and more riding time.”
The Western team ended their fall season on Nov. 13 at a show in Brookston, hosted by Purdue University and Purdue-Calumet.
The weather seemed to cooperate for the morning show but as the day went on it began to rain.
“We had to make sure that the horses were taken to either the barn or back to the trailer if they were already done for the day,” said Katrina Muhs, freshman.  “This was because we didn’t want the saddles getting wet and we just wanted to make sure the horses were in good condition.”
In the morning show Purdue University came away with the High Point Team with 22 points, SMWC came in right behind with Reserve Team at 18 points, and Morgan Purdy was named the High Point Rider.

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS

Reining: Morgyn Purdy-1st

Open Rail:  Morgyn Purdy-5th

Advanced: Chelsey Sears-2nd and Ashley Bruner- 4th

Novice: Erika Stanley-2nd, Victoria Toy-3rd, Jordyn Perrot-4th, and Ali Mahloch-6th

Intermediate II: Tracey Dykstra-1st, Karen Cannon-2nd, Emily Theising-2nd, Katrina Muhs- 3rd, Abigail Paul-3rd, and Madison Haruff-6th

Walk Trot: Jena Thralls-2nd, Logan Fry-3rd, and Kaitlyn Wainscott-5th

The afternoon show once again resulted in Purdue University coming away with the High Point Team with 26 points and SMWC with the Reserve at 16 points.

The individual results are as follow:

Advanced: Whitney Mahloch-3rd

Novice: Jordyn Perrott-1st, Erika Stanley-1st, Ali Mahloch-5th, and Victoria Toy-5th

Intermediate II: Katrina Muhs-1st, Karen Cannon-1st, Abigail Paul-2nd, Tracey Dykstra-4th, and Maidson Haruff-6th

Walk Trot:  Logan Fry-1st and Kaitlyn Wainscott- 2nd

Western will return in January with its first show of the new year hosted by SMWC on Jan. 29. The Hunt Seat team will have its next show on Feb. 5-6 at Black Dog Farms, hosted Taylor University and Ball State University.

Popularity: 52% [?]

By Allison Foster
Staff Writer

The Pomeroys were unable to bounce back against the College of Mount St. Joseph in a weekend tourney game Nov. 19 and 20. The final score was 55-74.
On the weekend of Nov. 19 and 20 Saint Mary-of-the-Woods basketball took on the host team, College of Mount St. Joseph. The Pomeroys took a three-hour ride to Cincinnati, Ohio for this game.
“It was an easy trip down to Cincinnati,” said Head Coach  Deanna Bradley.
There were about 100 people in attendance for the game.
“After coaching for more than 20 years, I rarely get nervous before games,” Bradley said.  “If we prepare well in practice, the team should perform well in games and that is our goal.”
Once halftime came around on during the Nov. 19 game, the Pomeroys found themselves down by 10 points, but there was still time.
One important factor about the SMWC team is that they never give up and that is what helps them win their games Bradley explained.
Luckily after halftime the team played a very good second half and they were able to get the victory for the game within the last 36 seconds by three points.
“Mount St. Joseph has a good team, and the players are very aggressive. We were evenly matched,” Bradley said of the MSJ team players.
On Saturday Nov. 20 at 5 p.m., the Pomeroys went up against United States Corporate Athletic Association (USCAA) opponent Spalding University from Louisville for the championship game. SMWC is a long-standing rival of Spalding’s women’s basketball team. At halftime, the Pomeroys were behind by 13 points.
“This early in the season, teams are figuring out what they can do,” Bradley said.  “We still have a long way to perform at the pace level we would like for the entire game.”
Chelsey Barron, junior, and Jordan Barton, freshman were named to the All-Tournament team at the end of the game.
“It’s always nice to have players awarded for their performances, yet everyone on this team knows, those two would give up the award to have won the game,” Bradley explained.  “That’s what I really like about this group, they are so unselfish.”

Popularity: 25% [?]

By Eileen Vera
Columnist

“When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.” – Kahlil Gibran

My 84-year-old mother passed away just weeks ago, on Veteran’s Day, after many months of suffering.  My father, who passed away nine years earlier, was a veteran of World War II and Korea.  I’d like to believe he greeted her with a patriotic parade!  Although this is a very comforting thought for me, Thanksgiving was very sad this year.   There were no family get-togethers.  None of us felt like celebrating.  It just felt wrong.
I’m sure many of us can relate to this.  How do we cope with our grief during the holidays when everyone around us is celebrating?  Even though we may put on a brave face, inside we may feel sad and alone.
Grief, for whatever reason, can make the holidays difficult to endure.  Maybe a loved-one recently passed away, or perhaps a parent, sibling or spouse is serving in Iraq or Afghanistan, and you miss them terribly.
Whatever the cause of your grief, it’s important to know that you are not alone, and there are some constructive ways to cope.  Sutter Children’s Center in Sacramento, Calif., offers some good advice for coping with grief during the holidays:
• Pace Yourself:  Eat right and get plenty of rest and exercise.  Resist the temptation to get caught up in a hectic schedule of meaningless activities.
• Make a Plan:  Look ahead to where, how and with whom you will spend your family holidays.  It’s okay to create some new traditions (e.g., volunteer for a good cause).  This will help the healing process.
•  Be Open to Support:  Allow others to help you with the holiday duties.  Delegate and don’t feel as if you have to create a picture-perfect holiday.
• Express Your Feelings:  It is normal to experience “grief triggers” during the holidays such as hearing a favorite song, or remembering a cherished tradition.  It is much better to express your sorrow than to hold it in.  Don’t be afraid to share your feelings with a trusted friend.  At your family celebrations, reminisce about your loved-one in your conversations, pull out the old photographs, say a special prayer, light a candle.
• Be Creative:  Engaging in artistic activities helps to heal the heart and soul.  Make a special ornament to hang on the tree.  Create a “gratitude bowl,” writing down on slips of colorful paper all of things you are grateful for, and all of the happy memories you have of your loved-one.  Place the bowl as a centerpiece on your table.
Although it’s a tough assignment, it’s important to allow yourself to have fun during the holidays.  Don’t feel guilty about it.
In the words of Psychologist Dale G. Larson, who spoke about holiday grief to The Washington Post, “You honor your loved-one by allowing joy.  They would want that.  It doesn’t weaken your connection.”
On Thanksgiving night, I called my Aunt Edna, my mother’s only sister, who lives a hundred miles away in Philadelphia.  My aunt also decided to spend Thanksgiving alone this year, even though she had multiple offers for dinner.
“It’s just too soon,” she said, but she remained optimistic about the holidays.
I understood.  I explained to her that I had been looking through treasured old photos, which brought me great comfort and joy. I especially loved the photos of her and my mother with their parents, my grandparents.
Aunt Edna explained to me that her father, my grandfather, died suddenly a few weeks before Thanksgiving, when she and my mom were young teens.  One of her cherished memories was of her father staying up all night on Christmas Eve to set-up the trains under the tree.
Her heart was heavy reminiscing about being traumatized by her father’s sudden death and mother’s overwhelming grief.  She confided about how she never forgot the feeling of an empty house – with no family celebrations for Thanksgiving or Christmas that year.
Remembering the happy years, before her father passed away, with loud family gatherings with music and laughter filled her with joy. Her message to me was simple and clear – celebrate life – and do not feel guilty about it because that’s the way our loved-one would want it.
I’m looking forward to having my traditional Christmas Eve dinner this year with all of the trimmings, with my entire extended family present.  I’m sure mom will be looking down and smiling at all of us!

Eileen Vera is a professional writing major in the Woods External Degree program at St. Mary-of-the-Woods College.

Popularity: 25% [?]