The Writer's Sin

This is not my weekly political analysis piece. It is just a personal update that I wish I had posted yesterday, because it would have been 13 weeks in a row that I posted on Substack. 12 weeks in a row was a pretty good streak for me, so I’m bummed I missed that silly meaningless deadline of 13 weeks in a row.

But yesterday was the last day our grand kids were visiting us in Los Angeles. We had just returned from three days in Disneyland, so it was chaos. So I’ll let that 13 week streak slide.

If you’re like me and grew up in a large, dysfunctional, loud family of six children, you might also have anxiety over the thought of spending three days at Disneyland with in-laws and two young children in tow.

But like functional adults, along with our amazing son and daughter-in-law, we crafted a game plan, scouted out the attractions, Fast-Track capabilities, and scariness factors, and executed it almost to perfection. The only failures, who knew Splash Mountain and Radiator Springs Racers were too wet and scary for a 5-year-old?

Anyway, the whole experience gave me thoughts I wanted to share.

The ride through It’s A Small World brought tears to my eyes. Being at the park with families from our Southern California Latino community made me grateful they could enjoy Disneyland safely and in peace.

But an incident opened my eyes. By the third day, our little grandson, TJ, wanted his mommy to pick him up. He sobbed, holding his arms out for daddy to give him to his mommy. Mind you, by now, we were all tired and saturated by the activities. TJ became so upset that his daddy relented and put him into his mom’s arms.

As I watched that scene play out, the first thought that came to my mind was ICE tearing babies from their parents’ arms. It brought tears to my eyes. Republicans have turned Disneyland, the Happiest Place On Earth, into a nightmare in my mind. But this is our reality and we cannot look away. We are family.

That reminded me of the trip we had just returned from one day before our grand kids arrived in Los Angeles. Our two-week “vacation” to Florida including a short cruise to the Bahamas already had me exhausted.

My husband and I have been visiting Florida for almost 20 years. We celebrated our first wedding anniversary at Disney World, Orlando, (yes my hubby is a Disney freak).

Anyway, on this last trip, we drove from my BFF’s house just north of Orlando, all the way down through Palm Beach, staying two nights in Miami, and taking a short day-trip to Key Largo.

Along the entire route, this was the first time that I saw ZERO Trump or MAGA signs or banners. Even driving through Palm Beach, the land of Mar-A-Lago, not one Trump flag, bumper sticker, or banner. Wow.

The other experience I had happened during the 4-day cruise to the Bahamas. We only attended one show on the ship, Michael Jackson "Starwalker," which was amazing. The Michael Jackson performer nailed it.

But even more moving was the finale, where the dancers and singers from the other shows all performed We Are The World together.

The whole audience instantly raised their phones as candles or lighters like we used to do at concerts. Everyone sang. It was very heartfelt, clearly sending a message of unity, love, and resistance. I literally have tears in my eyes as I write this.

For those still reading this piece as I commit the writer’s sin of being maudlin, it still seemed important to me that I share these thoughts and experiences.

It’s a Small World. We are the world.

California voters have an amazing opportunity to vote for Xavier Becerra for governor in the June 2nd primary!

Namaste.

Love, Lolo.