Afternoon On A Train

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train

I wrote a small memoir about my dad a couple of years ago, showed it to him, then posted here. Then I decided recently to spruce it up and send it out. Why not? I was happy to have it accepted by The International Human Rights Arts Festival where it was finally published this past week.

Here’s the link…if you have time….ever. It’s longer than the average blog, and I know I only have a certain amount of minutes a day to go through people’s material. But I’m glad I did it, someone liked it, and now it’s out there.

https://www.ihraf.org/ihraf-publishes

35 thoughts on “Afternoon On A Train”

  2. What a beautiful tribute to your father, Stacey. Beautiful and brilliant. I offer no exclamation points because I would expect no less of you, though your tribute is even more than I have become accustomed to. You are fortunate to such an inspirational father.

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  3. I feel fortunate on so many levels, Pam, you’re absolutely right. And thank you so much for your kind words. I appreciate it!

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  4. What a glorious read! I found it rather uplifting and hopeful and the Lord knows we can never have too much hope! A strong, well-written tribute that stands as a testament to a father’s influence. Many congratulations on getting it published and good luck with the book! 🙂

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  6. Many thanks, Neil, for stopping by. Yeah, Dad’s incredible. He retired at 89. Just played a golf tournie at 92. I think he has left a mark on the world. 🙂

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  7. Thank you, Stacy. What an inspirational read. It’s also, in many ways, a window on a lost world when someone as recognisable as Eleanor Roosevelt could travel untroubled, without a massive security detail. Does that speak to the innocence of those times, or the paranoia of our own? Yet there’s the paradox of such awful discrimination as it was then, and the question: are things any different now?

    I certainly wish I’d had your father as a dentist when I was a child. The terrible, snappy dentist I had as a shy, sensitive kid, did a lot of damage. Wonderful writing. I wasn’t aware of IHRAF, and thanks for linking to it, some great reading there and your piece is right at home. Your dad sounds like an amazing guy. Plenty of stories there, I imagine?

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  8. Hi, Michael. Warmest thank yous for your kind words.
    That’s a perfect way to put it: the pervading innocence of the past weirdly and paradoxically coupled with such horrific inequity, and consequently, cruelty. Surface-wise, things seem better today, but I definitely think it’s only surface and the beliefs and damage still run deep. But we also have hope!
    Glad to turn you on to IHRAF and, yeah, I wish you’d had Dad, too, as your dentist. He not only was good at making people feel comfortable, but he was a hilarious comedian. Only speaking in the past of his job; but he’s actually still with us. 🙂

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  9. The chasm of race, has kept men separated through so many years of History , and still today divide people around the World, and our Nation, despite Science has proven race is nothin but different adaptations to the environment, and that we all humans have African Lucy as our common Mother.
    Racism it’s just a perverse form of ignorance, to empower those who hate the “other:”
    Great story, you combine your father’s struggle, Mrs. Roosevelt, and all that baggage of division, hate, and separation that still plague us today, for those who may doubt it just remember January 6th, and Mr. Floyd killing.
    An open wound still oozing foul poison!

    https://daily.jstor.org/the-legacy-of-racial-hatred-in-the-january-6-insurrection/

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    • Thanks so much, Burning Heart. You are so, so right. Things were not this way in the distant past; tribalism is very different from racism. But here we are, and pushing racist thoughts and processes is a great way to keep the world divided and not banning together to fight the real enemy: corporations and whoever else we’re just a cog in the wheel for. And thank you for your kind words.
      How is the new place?! Getting settled in, I hope…..

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      • Well, I am glad the moving part its over, the place for the local standards its pretty far from where I am used at this town, but after 32 years of commuting in LA, no big deal, now the process of unpacking, and figuring out where things are, just begun, but in all honesty, I am not in a hurry, and the place is bigger, and we got plenty of space, unlike the old place, frankly it was too small, and crowded with my belongings.
        It looks like the weather is getting cooler, and its really Fall, and the days getting shorter.

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      • oh man, I do not like driving, so I’ve been SO lucky not to have to commute very far, not since the ’90s. But at least you’re used to it. And resigned, I guess, lol. The unpacking, though….I saw in your blog about trying to find things. Uggggh. But more space sounds great, though! I’d never say no to that. 🙂

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      • As I said for LA standards I live a forty-five minutes drive, here well its pretty far. But I cannot complain I am retired and do not have a job to go daily, but if I want to go see friends and family, it is. Luckily its something I do about twice a week. In LA my daily commute was hour 1/2 one way, and back could even take longer depending on traffic, here traffic even if busy at some hours, you can hardly call it bad. And at my place it’s very quite, and peaceful.😊

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      • That’s good to hear, B.H. I guess a commute to see friends or family a few times a week isn’t so bad. But 1 1/2 hours one way when you used to live here in LA? Uggggghhhhhh. Props to you for surviving that intact !!!
        Peaceful and quiet. Mmmmmm.
        I will try not to get jealous, lol !!

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      • I did that for sixteen years, at one point I just told my boss: “If you want me here I will work from Noon to seven PM, no more 9:00AM to 6:00 PM!” And at least I did not have to be on the road by 7:00AM, it was relatively close, just about 21 miles away, but traffic was murderous! going back it did not matter if it was 6:00PM or 7:00PM it will be about 1 1/2 hours or more regardless! I learned it’s not the distance, but the flow of traffic according to the hour, I had a job before that one, I worked 45 miles away, but traffic was on my favor going, and coming, so at most I will do fifty minutes, and another one just 30 miles away, it was very easy on the morning I got to be there a 6AM by LAX but going back, at 3PM that was another matter, I try every route you could imagine, so I decided to take a class downtown at 6PM-7.30 I will get to Downton somewhere after 4 PM and have early diner there, before going to the class, after the class there was no problem getting home a little after 8PM.
        Yes, commuting it’s something I do not miss from LA !🤣😉

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  10. Wow….simply amazing. I still find it sobering and deeply sad that I was BORN when the Civil Rights Bill was passed and that Mrs. Roosewvelt missed seeing it. Sad that in looking back 57 years,what have we really achieved as a whole when it comes to race relations? Simply by the fact Americans from all parts of the nation voted for a fascist POS like Trump tells us we have are still pushing the rock and we’re haven’t started upwards as yet.
    Your father sounds like an trailblazer and I enjoy learning about him and through him,about you as well Stacy.

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    • Hi, Michael, thanks so much for reading. I know your time is short ’cause you’re always so busy!
      Omg, what a perfect analogy: we’re still pushing that rock up that hill. God, it’s so sad, isn’t it? Yeah, Dad’s really strong. Much stronger and much more gracious than I am, lol

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  13. There is so much going on in your piece that I don’t know where to start Stace. The writing is so polished, and so informative. The questions are all good. I loved Eleanor’s response to the enquiry about her ‘blood’. I like how you portray your dad, without shouting out loud and adoringly that he still plays golf in his 90s. The FBI? I would guess the guys and girls in their files are more good than bad. Overall I found it to be a powerful reflection and times past and present. A great read! Thank you!

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  14. Hi, Kev! Thanks so much for reading it! I’m frankly surprised that anybody took the time, lol !!
    I’m so glad you liked it. Yeah, the hypocrisy of the US, especially on race relations, reaches far and wide. We said something condemning about Hitler during WWII and I do believe he shot back with something like, “Why would I take any advice from a country that lets mobs lynch its own people in the street?”
    And, sadly, we’ve exported our racism out into the rest of the world. Hopefully the smarter places have just ignored us and continued on, lol.
    I miss reading your book chapters.
    I know you’ve been very busy with your own lovely father, but…. any thoughts on moving forward with the book.?

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    • Not at the moment Stace. Dad is a full-time job, from which I used to have one day off in every two. Maureen has been brilliant in coming to my rescue, with all of her skills. She reckons that it is akin to childcare! He has significant dementia, is deaf as a post, and has some terrible hygiene habits! It is meta-draining to be near him, and the book is but a distant memory. For now. That said, I get some lovely occasional feedback, where people tell me that someone in their family has piucked up the book and enjoyed it. Thanks for asking! When is your follow-up book due to be available?

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      • Oh man, yeah, no time for creativity in a real-life day-to-day situation. Baths come before publishing queries, right?
        At least you got it to a place where (in my opinion, not that you asked, lol) it’s more or less ready to go. Thank god you’ve got support in caring for your pops. It really does take a village. We can’t do these things alone.
        And thank YOU for asking too. Book II got delayed, due to Covid, till next year. So maybe spring, summer? It’s actually taking SO LONG to get them out, I’m attempting to combine III with IV so that I only have one more to write, III, and be done with it, lol !!

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  16. Hi, Carol. Thanks so much for taking the time to read and your kind comments. I appreciate it! Ironically, I wrote several years ago, as I said, so the tone was a little lighter than it would have been had I written it now, today, haha. But we’ve got to have hope, right? Hope lives.

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  20. Thanks a lot, Eric! I appreciate it. How interesting about your mom, too, and you being in tune with the situation. Yeah, I always find it so weird that people don’t realize (or want to) that we’re all much more alike than we are different. 🙂

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