Last night the news that Ruth Bader Ginsburg had died hit me hard. 2020 has been relentless. And it's only September.
RBG's pursuit of equal rights and her work to strike down discrimination on the basis of sex matters deeply to me. As a woman, and as a mother of a daughter, she was an icon worthy of my admiration.
While she became known for her dissenting opinions, which might just seem like more of the "us" vs. "them" that plagues our country right now, she made it clear that dissenting is about looking at what could be in the future and to give a roadmap to future courts. And, I love that a 5 foot, 100 pound 80 year-old woman became a cultural phenomenon. So much to admire in her well-lived life. The Notorious RBG.
We can also take a cue from RBG when it comes to civil discourse and the ability to disagree but not be disagreeable. Oh, how much better off would our country be if we treated each other in a civil manner? Yes, I am a liberal and I worry about what's ahead for our country. But what I wish for most is a return to civility. We are all hurting right now for a variety of reasons - the pandemic, social unrest, economic stresses, wildfires, hurricanes. I wish we could unite around the human condition because this is a collective struggle for better days ahead.
As the pandemic continues on, it hit close to home for us this week. Erin and several friends in Philly tested positive for COVID. We knew this was a risk when she moved from our basement in a town of 120,000 to an apartment with 4 roommates in a town of 1.5 million. Thankfully, Erin's symptoms are very mild and we hope she can ride it out relatively unscathed. She is tired and she has lost her sense of taste and smell, all of which will hopefully be temporary. Thankfully, a friend's parents who are nearby are helping with food and supplies for the infected girls. They are together for the 10 day isolation period, binging Netflix and preparing for fall quarter, which starts Monday online. Of course, this mama is making Erin check in every 12 hours... it's the least she can do for me when she's 1200 miles away!
I am glad to report it's not all bad news here. Earlier this week, we had something to celebrate. An idea Dan had to honor Shannon came to fruition.
When Shannon got sick, she was just starting to find her golf game and our neighborhood course, Willow Creek, is where she learned to play. After hearing about Shannon's illness, Willow's management at the time asked us if there was anything they could do for our family. Shannon spoke right up and said they needed an easier tee for girls on the Par 5 11th hole! It was sassy Shannon at her finest.
And so, the Shannon Tee was born. Wendell Pittenger, Scott Rindahl and Rod Johnson quickly built a forward tee, and Shannon was thrilled to get a chance to clear the creek with her drive.
Now, some 9 years later, a memorial bench sits at that tee box.
A big thanks to new Willow Creek owners Andy Black and Will Lancaster for allowing us this space, and another heartfelt thanks to our friend, Shaun Lang, who built the bench and donated his time and considerable skills to the effort.
We now get to have a moment of gratitude each time we play the 11th, and we hope others do, too. A little reminder of what's important... what really matters. We need that now more than ever.
