A Mother's Role
By Paul Jonna
The role of a mother has changed throughout the years. Maybe not so much ‘changed’ as ‘been added to.’ The traditional role of mother as nurturer, comforter, caretaker, protector and cheerleader hasn’t gone away – if anything, there’s more pressure than ever to get it right. But mothers are now also breadwinners, and two-income households are the norm. It’s a lot.
So one day a year to tell them how much they mean to us seems insufficient. Shouldn’t every day, or at least one day a month, be Mother’s Day? Fr. John writes that he believes in the genius of mothers. Don’t wait to tell your mom what she means to you. If COVID has taught us anything, it’s that nothing is a given. Time is precious. Don’t waste another minute.
Talk of time leads me to the graduates. We are doing a “preview” this month – don’t worry, our June issue will cover graduation as well – but we needed some more good news to celebrate in May. Our kids are our future, and it looks amazing! They have accomplished so much during a very difficult time of transition, and we are incredibly proud. If we could put them in every issue, we would.
We are also proud of the contributions of our children in the sports arena. Two young men from our community were central in Brother Rice’s Division 2 Hockey Championship win. The captain, Sam H. Yono II, and goalie, Drake Danou, were instrumental in gaining the title. Drake was even named to the Michigan High School Hockey Coaches’ Association All-State Team. They are going places.
“Going places” is what Danielle Alexander writes about in this month’s Family Time. With the weather warming up (generally and in an up-and-down fashion because well, we are in Michigan), the great outdoors awaits! There are so many fun things to do and family activities in the area in which to partake, it’s simply a matter of choosing what suits your family best. Thankfully, outdoor activities are deemed relatively safe and carry less risk of contagion than indoor activities. We are all ready for some breathing room.
In our Economic and Enterprise section, Paul Natinsky talks with some industry leaders who may now be experiencing some breathing room of their own. We know that restaurants were hit hard by the shutdown, but many other industries such as hospitality and events felt those effects and had no recourse but to hunker down and wait for better days. We think those better days are on the horizon, thanks to cooperation with CDC safety standards and of course, the vaccine.
The COVID-19 vaccine is the light at the end of the tunnel. It is available practically everywhere. But not everyone is open to receiving the vaccine and there has been some controversy, especially within our community. Dr. Rena Daiza address the “vaccine hesitancy” in the column The Doctor Is In.
We also cover Chaldean American Chamber and Chaldean Community Foundation (CCF) happenings in Advocacy in Action. Managing Editor Sarah Kittle tells us about the many irons in the fire, with the CCF hosting COVID-19 vaccination clinics and the Chamber going to bat for retailers on the lottery issue and bottle return law.
President Biden just formally recognized the Armenian Genocide at the hands of the Ottoman Empire, beginning during World War I and continuing until 1923. This recognition is more important than it may seem; it validates the suffering of an entire group of people, mostly Christians, at the hands of their oppressors. The fact that it happened a century ago does not make the pain any less; as a matter of fact, just last year Armenia suffered another loss - large swaths of land – to Azerbaijan, which was backed by Turkey. President Biden’s acknowledgement helps to keep to spotlight on the woes of our brothers in Armenia.
Remembering the past is something that our own Dr. Miri is really good at. This month, he regales us with his knowledge of Backgammon, the history and the players. He also tells the story (Part I) of Faoud Manna, a true Iraqi media pioneer. The story is so detailed and we had to edit for print, so we are including the whole story (Part I anyway) online. It is nearly twice the length of the print story!
We also feature another mental health check, in Samantha Kakos’s column on suicide prevention. The fact is, we cannot be too vigilant; everyone is suffering from the effects of isolation, uncertainty and fear, and many people don’t know how to deal with these new feelings. Talking about it helps.
With gratitude,
Paul Jonna
Acting Editor in Chief
Paul Jonna, Acting Editor-in-Chief