Monday, March 30, 2009

Just another Manic Monday

It's Monday. I didn't want to get out of bed. I didn't want to come to school. I wanted to crawl on the futon where B-dog was snoozing and stay there with her.

My in-laws are coming this weekend. I'm not sure how I feel about that. My in-laws are very nice people, but there are not "my kind" of people. They are very different from my family, and have very different views from me. My MIL is midwestern-sweet, but she is also judgmental and opinionated and she can talk and talk. Now, I'm a talker, so that should give you an idea of just how much she talks! She talks to fill space. III and I don't 100% have the same views, but his family is so sheltered that they really have no idea how other people live. The comments they make about the financial choices people make are clearly from an entitled point of view. When they get started, it makes me want to climb walls. III's cousin is getting married this fall, and she and her fiancee put an offer on a house. III's mom told him, "I don't know why they chose that part of town." III said "What about that part of town? It's like ten minutes from her parents house," and his mom said "Well, it's just a very black neighborhood." OH NO! Not a BLACK NEIGHBORHOOD. III tells me it is actually pretty much a blue collar area, and that our friends, C and J, live near there. *sigh*

On the other hand, III has been so poopy lately, I'm hoping that having his parents here will cheer him up. He does miss his family. Unfortunately, it's also possible that they will bug the shit out of him and make him crankier. His mom has had a hard time since we got married realizing that her role has changed. This winter she called to tell III that she saw on the news that there was a winter storm coming our way and we should make sure to go grocery shopping. LOL. The man has two masters degrees, but she thinks he'll forget to buy 'bread and water' to last through the storm...

Finally, what's on my mind... in the news this weekend was a report about a family in a suburb right outside of the city. A man killed 2 of his young sisters and seriously injured a third. The police shot and killed him as he was attempting to stab the third sister. They are a Haitian family who have reportedly lived in that town for 20 years. One of the sisters who was killed and the other sister who was injured were extended family members who were adopted by the parents. The girls who died were 17 and 5. The story the papers are reporting claim that the seventeen year old, after being stabbed herself, took steps to try and make sure her younger sisters were safe. She was a senior in high school, and by all accounts was a sweet, smart, talented girl. They often say that about kids who die, don't they? But she was on the honor roll, and they published a poem she had written and was going to share at a local poetry jam. The pictures of her broke my heart- I've lost 3 former students since I began teaching. Two of the three really were phenomenal kids, though each in different ways. (The third was also a very nice young lady who's friends and family miss her greatly, so I don't mean to diminish her death... But it would take too long to explain why the death of the other two affected- and still affects- me so.) So it brings back those feelings.

And to be fully honest, the fact that she was a young black girl who was transplanted here from Haiti when her father died, and then went on to take advantage of all the opportunities that offered her... that just breaks my heart too. In my mind is What a waste! Not a waste of life, because I'm sure her friends and family and teachers all feel blessed to have their lives touched by hers, but what a waste of a future! To some extent that's true whenever someone young dies, but I feel it even more strongly with certain kids. That's how I feel about the two students I spoke of above, and from the (extensive- I'm addicted to G.oogle) reading I've done about this girl I'm positive it's how her teachers feel about her.

So that situation is very much on my mind and my thoughts go out to the family, friends, and community of these poor girls. Especially the teachers, with whom I can relate the most, and to the parents, who have not only to deal with the loss of their daughters, but with the madness and consequential death of their son as well.

2 comments:

Caroline said...

That is such a sad story.

I'm also sorry to hear that your DH has been a bit moody lately. I guess all marriages go through periods like that, and battling IF doesn't help much.

Take care of yourselves and nurture each other. It sounds like you could both do with a "pick me up" such as a weekend away.

Hugs to you,
Caroline

Anonymous said...

I hope III feels better - you made me laugh with the stock up during the storm story...and then you made me tear up when you talked about the girls...