May 2026: Love
The Emoji fam at the LA County Fair.
I take my pen and pad for the weekend, hittin’ L’s while I’m sleepin’.
The world has felt a bit upside down since Harambe died on May 28, 2016. Something else significant happened in 2016, maybe not as significant as Harambe’s death, but it set the world on a bizarre trajectory that spun us through the Twilight Zone. It feels like we’re still in that liminal space between dimensions, orbiting a giant orange sun that is approaching supernova, and that’s for those of us humans who are safe, sheltered, well-fed, and of decent health. Anyone else not thriving in any of those basic standards of living may feel different about whether the sun is about to blow up and consume our world or if it already has.
There are those among us who take the challenges that life has thrown at us and will continue to throw at us as opportunities to further live out Godly virtues because they believe they are building for an eternal kingdom, and the only thing standing between them and that is forgetting who they believe in when they need to lean into faith the most. There are others among us who use life’s challenges and setbacks as reasons that prove God doesn’t exist.
How could there be a God when there is so much suffering in the world, and some of those people suffering are believers?
There are some people who could careless either way. This is what is referred to as acedia in Christian theology. In Seven Deadly sin pop culture, this is called sloth. It’s spiritual apathy, a deep indifference or aversion to faith, not just physical laziness, although I would wager that the former induces the latter. The opposite of sloth is diligence and compassion.
This makes me think of my mother-in-law.
Mother’s Day
Shout out to moms. Not every mom is special. My wife is. Her mom wasn’t.
Not every mom is special. My wife is. Her mom isn’t. Ouch. I know. That’s a mean thing to say, but a mother at the very least should be loving towards her children. That seems like the single most motherly thing a mother can do, and my mother-in-law is just not that. Never has been, so at least she’s consistent. My mom was basic, but that is a good standard.
I’m grateful that my mom kept my brother and I fed and clothed and safe. That’s basic parenting. She made me feel loved, which also seems fundamental to parenting but isn’t always the case, so I got the upgraded mom feature. She did her best, and she raised a couple of men that landed on their feet. Praise God and thank you, mom!
Original momma’s boy.
Commencement
Graduation season commences in May. At my college of employment, graduation is called “Commencement” because it signals the beginning of our students’ next chapter of life. See what we did there?
This day means a lot to me personally and professionally. I work in admissions for this school. We are a tiny set up that offers an accredited Bachelor of Arts in Business without the burden of student loan debt dragging down our graduates’ financial futures. Because I won’t finish paying off my student loans for another few years (and I’ve been paying them off for fifteen years already), I think it is brilliant that someone can earn their college degree and then move on in financial freedom. At our Commencement, the joy on the graduates’ faces is in part the relief of knowing they don’t owe any money. That’s pretty cool to see. It’s not easy to finish school because homework sucks and who cares about World Literature anyway?
It is also an accomplishment to those high school seniors who graduated this month or will next month. Not everyone makes it that far. One of my nephew’s is graduating high school this year, another of many family members to achieve this mark in the past five years. Another reminder of how old I am.
Fair Play
It’s May, and in the greater Los Angeles area, that means it’s L.A. County Fair season. We have attended this fair every year as a family (excluding pandemic brouhaha) since 2014. I love this tradition that we have, but even traditions are victims of time.
One of our nieces, a regular fair trip attendee, couldn’t make it this year because of work. Our daughter, on the precipice of her teenage years, didn’t get on a single ride, nor did she care to see the livestock. Both of these used to be must-experience events for her, but now she preferred to check out the vendors. There is no warning for these kinds of changes in kid’s behavior and attitude. They just happen. Bummer.
Saturday Night Special
We broke into the 90s this month. The 100th episode is right around the corner. Thank you to my loyal viewer!
SNS 98
