Month: December 2015

Road Tripping

Published on by Sharron BurnettLeave a comment

i282600889616157640._szw1280h1280_With the exception of a few months I’ve lived in Houston for all of my life. I love the city and its suburbs but like many natives I have at times underestimated our fourth largest metropolitan area . Perhaps I have taken its assets for granted because I have been distracted by the demands of living. Only now that I am retired am I learning just how exciting our fair city and the little towns that surround it actually are. In fact, there are times when so much is happening on a given day that it is impossible to partake in all of the incredible events. At any moment there is more than enough to do and much of it is available at little or no cost. I particularly enjoy the historical aspects of my town that I have heretofore only superficially known.

In the northern shadow of downtown Houston lies Washington Avenue. For much of my life it was a dirty and depressed area akin to skid row. We used to drive as quickly as possible beyond its reach on our way to visit my Uncle Louie in what has of late been dubbed Northside Village. As we skirted past Washington Avenue I was unaware that it is home to two of the most fascinating cemeteries in the city, Glenwood and Washington. Glenwood opened in 1840 and was the first planned cemetery in the city. It became the final resting place for some of the city’s most famous citizens including Howard Hughes. The next time you visit the Hughes Hangar watering hole you may want to entertain your friends by explaining that the inspiration for its name is resting eternally just down the street.   Continue reading “Road Tripping” →

God Will Fix This

Published on by Sharron BurnettLeave a comment

i282600889616113450._szw1280h1280_From the time that I was a young child my mother faithfully took me to church on Sunday mornings. Once in a blue moon she left me home with my father who was not a Catholic and didn’t seem to belong to any organized religious sect. He read the funny papers to me on those occasions and that was always more interesting to me than those long services at our church. I would later learn more about my faith when I began attending Catholic school. I must admit that I recited the prayers rather mechanically and since mass was still in Latin it was a huge mystery to me. It was only when my family moved to San Jose, California when I was seven years old that I began a prayerful correspondence with God. 

My prayers took the form of conversations. I talked with God the way I might have with my grandfather. I had a mixture of awe and respect along with a special fondness and belief that He would listen to me like no other. Back then God was my Santa Claus. I was always asking Him for favors, forgetting to praise Him and thank Him when He appeared to have heard my pleas. I mostly wanted to come back to Houston so that I might once again be among my friends and family. When my parents eventually announced that we were indeed heading back to Texas I was thrilled and actually believed as only a child would that God had helped me return home because I had promised to make some unknown sacrifice in return for His favor.   Continue reading “God Will Fix This” →

Woman of Distinction

Published on by Sharron BurnettLeave a comment

i282600889615997202._szw1280h1280_I have somehow been blessed with friends who are so outstanding that they both amaze and humble me. Among them are true warriors for justice and compassion, leaders who make the world a better place. They are rarely content to simply exist, they make a genuine difference wherever they may go. One such person is Aimee Harriramani who is celebrating the achievement of a grand dream on this very day. This morning she will graduate from Baylor College of Medicine as a Physician’s Assistant. Her journey has been hard fought as she balanced family responsibilities and studies with her usual determination and aplomb.

I first met Aimee several years ago when I was working at Paul Revere Middle School. We had won a grant to fund an after school program for our students and we had been searching for someone to design and manage the staffing and activities. Our goal was to find a creative and dedicated individual who was student centered and didn’t mind working strange hours. We had already spoken with a few candidates who quite obviously saw the job as a part time gig that they would work into their already very busy schedules. Their enthusiasm levels were far from what we were hoping to find. Then along came Aimee, a graduate of Harvard University, whose very demeanor displayed her altruistic spirit and a kind of missionary zeal to change the world one young person at a time. She was captivating and the principal and I both realized as we interviewed her that we had not only found the perfect person but someone who was exceptional. I thought that our school had surely been blessed. Little did I realize that eventually Aimee would become one of the most important people in my life. 

Nothing about Aimee Harriramani disappointed either me or the principal of our school. We both realized as she so willingly took on the responsibilities of the afternoon program that she always considered what was best for our students regardless of how much extra time and effort she had to expend. She took her job quite seriously. The love that she spread was inspirational and best of all she and I began a friendship that would slowly but surely deepen.

I left Paul Revere Middle School for another job and for a time I lost contact with Aimee. Somehow work and all of the other things associated with living kept us both so busy. Luckily for me and for the students at my new school the principal decided to create a unique position that he called the Activities Coordinator. When he asked if I knew of anyone who possessed the kinds of talents that he was seeking I immediately thought of Aimee and crossed my fingers in the hopes that she would be available. As luck would have it, she was indeed at a point in her life where she was searching for something different and so she and I were once again reunited at work. 

Aimee’s efforts were stunning. She computerized the scheduling and attendance for the many clubs and organizations that our students participated in after the school day had ended. She also planned and executed all of our special events and programs including the end of year graduation ceremony. Even when people and things went awry as they are so wont to do Aimee maintained a steady composure and never lost her sweet and genuine smile. I so admired her. I watched her build wonderful relationships with the students and she was smart enough to train them to help her. I so loved having her right next door to my office. She was a steadying force in the sometimes chaotic world of school life. 

Sadly for us but happily for her, Aimee became pregnant with her first child and decided that she wanted to focus on being a mom and so she left our school. She and a group of teachers and counselors had created a little social group for themselves that they called the Rainbow Coalition. They met regularly for dinners and family gatherings. Happily they decided that I too needed to be part of their little family of like minds and so I have been able to stay in touch with Aimee as her family grew and she began to consider a dream that had been evolving in her mind for a number of years. She told us that she had applied to several schools so that she might become a physicians assistant and as she crossed her fingers so did we. 

I never had any doubt that Aimee would be chosen. I had interviewed her before and I knew that there is something charismatic about her. She stands out from her peers. She has a distinct aura that speaks to her wisdom and her overwhelming intellect and compassion. When she learned that Baylor College of Medicine wanted her for their program I was probably as ecstatic as she was. I understood that she would be a rockstar and that so many people would eventually benefit from her abilities. 

For two and half years Aimee has traveled back and forth to the Medical Center to attend classes and medical rotations. She has studied on the bus and late in the night. She managed her time so that she was still able to be a loving mother and wife and always good friend. She remained ever calm even when her responsibilities felt overwhelming. I followed vicariously through the months and years of sacrifice that she so brilliantly and willingly maintained. Finally she saw the light at the end of the tunnel and she and her cohort of thirty nine other souls were ready to leave the classroom and graduate into a very much needed profession. 

My thoughts and prayers and congratulations are very much with Aimee Harirramani on this day. I feel her joy right down to my bones because I have watched her taking one step after another to reach this point. Just as I did when I first met her so long ago, I know without hesitation that she will be incredibly successful because she is so uniquely suited for the work that she will be doing. For her this is a true vocation and the good Lord has blessed her with the personality, the intelligence, and the will to be a very special caregiver for the physicians and the patients whom she will encounter. 

If I were able to choose the person that I would most want to be when I grow up it would have to be Aimee Harriramani. I both admire and love her and thank God that he introduced me to her. She will bring her devotion and her skills to an even larger group of people now and all of us will be the better for having encountered her. Best of luck, Aimee! Celebrate with abandon because you have most assuredly earned our respect and our joy. We are all bursting with happiness and pride for you!

We Are Good

Published on by Sharron BurnettLeave a comment

i282600889615854359._szw1280h1280_

There are some who believe that we humans are essentially sinners who have to undergo redemption to become good. I prefer to think that we are mostly good people who sometimes sin. Amidst the evil and the tragedies that we see all too often these days it is easy to lean toward negative thoughts but I would argue that if we consider the millions of people on this earth we will see that the numbers tell us that goodness prevails.

Statistics are a funny thing. We learn that there are outliers in every situation. There are certainly psychopaths, sociopaths, and bonafide evil doers in our midst but on the whole they represent only a very small percentage of the total population. By the same token very few people are almost perfect. We err and fall to temptations but we try to do our best to be honest, compassionate and loving. The biggest differences between most of us involve the ways in which we choose to view the world.   Continue reading “We Are Good” →

Happy Tears

Published on by Sharron BurnettLeave a comment

i282600889615825256._szw1280h1280_If there is one time of year that is layered with emotions, it has to be Christmas. In between the constant reminders from retail establishments and the gatherings with our families the whole season is all about traditions that are personal and filled with sentiments of one kind or another. It’s so interesting to see the different ways that everyone deals with the holiday season. The whole event is built on memories, activities, and interactions with people. Christmas stirs the heart, sometimes in ways that are joyful and sometimes in those that are most painful. 

I have a cousin who is struggling as the rest of us don our yuletide party clothes and celebrate this happy time of year. She lost her nephew this summer in a devastating accident that happened while he was experiencing his dream vacation. What should have been the time of his life turned into a nightmare. For my cousin the ragged sorrow of the tragedy is still too recent to forget. She has not had enough time to set her grieving for him to rest and the approaching holidays only make matters worse because her nephew was always a major player in her Christmas plans. Like so many who lose loved ones in the months before this lovely time of year, her feelings of hurt are still very raw. The routines that she usually follows are vivid reminders that someone that she so loved will no longer be there to celebrate with her. 

I’ve been in her shoes before. I suspect that we all have. The wonder of this grand holiday is all too often tempered by heart wrenching loss. I have been blessed this year but I understand that life is fragile and my little bubble of happiness may burst at any moment. I try not to dwell too much on that reality. Instead my memories banks are spewing out remembrances of people who have been gone long enough that I am now able to smile at the thought of them. As I decorated my Christmas tree yesterday the ornaments that I pulled from the boxes told a history of my adult life and it was good. I indulged in my annual happy cry.

Tears are not always about sadness. Sometimes they actually flow whenever we recall people and moments that were exhilarating. That’s where my mind was yesterday, on the wonderful life that I have led. My cryfest usually begins when I see a tattered old handmade decoration featuring an ancient Christmas card and an image of our dog, Red, the best pet that anyone has ever had. It’s funny how that simple little cardboard treasure is the catalyst for a trip down memory lane. As the Christmas carols play in the background and I search for the perfect place for each ornament I walk back into Christmases past. 

My dear departed friends, Egon and Marita, were as much a part of our family gatherings as my own brothers. They were citizens of the world who traveled extensively, never forgetting my love of all things Christmas. They brought me decorations from Holland, Germany, Mexico, Ireland and wherever they went. I so cherish those lovely trinkets that give my tree an international flare and remind me of how much bigger than life these two were. I still can’t quite believe that they are already gone. We used to speak of all of the things that we would do when we grew old together. I laughed and cried as I remembered the fun that we always had. Knowing them was priceless and I feel lucky that we crossed paths along the way.

My mother was like a child when it came to Christmas. She never had much when she was growing up. Her holidays were simple affairs mostly centered around a special meal. When she became an adult she was a bonafide Christmas elf. She loved all of the tinsel and the trappings and gave me dozens and dozens of Christmas ornaments and decorations. She was literally all aglow at this time of year. I can still see that great big smile of hers as she delighted in being able to bring happiness to everyone in her realm. 

I have one ornament that seems to be a kind of orphan on my otherwise gorgeous tree. It is an ancient plastic angel that used to belong to my Grandma Ulrich. Its silver veneer is almost gone and it seems more appropriate for the garbage bin but I place it proudly on one of the branches each year because it reminds me of those crazy Christmas Eves that we used to have. My bachelor uncles purchased an aluminum tree for grandma and hung some of the worst ever ornaments on its metal branches. It was a travesty even then but I loved seeing it because it meant that we were going to have an evening like no other in the whole year. The huge extended Ulrich clan would gather in a tiny house barely bigger than my den and kitchen. We fought for chairs and heard only half of the conversations because the din of laughter overtook the room. That little angel that I now have witnessed some of the grandest parties in all of my life. She’ll be a part of my own collection of memories forever.

I have dozens and dozens of ornaments from fellow teachers and students. There are those from friends who knew how much I enjoy festooning my tree with loveliness. My children and grandchildren gave me some of my most interesting decorations, often made with their own hands. I still haven’t found anything to match the concrete orb that my son-in-law created for me in one of his college engineering classes but perhaps the hand crocheted pink bell from a student in my very first year of teaching comes close as well as a lovingly handmade item featuring images of the Scheffler boys. 

I treasure the meaning behind each and every ornament that hangs from my tree. When I decorate it each December it is like a walk through my lifetime and at some point during the process the tears of gratitude and appreciation always flow like water works. I am reminded of the many people who have crossed my path and made me all the better with their presence. I suspect that in spite of all of the pomp and circumstance of the season the real meaning is found in those relationships that we developed along the way and in the love that we share. 

There will be years when we experience pain that is fresh and too terrible to overcome like my cousin. In the grand scheme of things we will one day be grateful that we had people in our lives who meant so much to us that they burrowed inside our hearts. When we think of them even when they are gone we realize just how happy the memory of them makes us. That is the beauty of our humanity. We eventually heal and view our limited time with loved ones as the blessings that they are. We still cry for those who have left us but our tears are no longer salted with pain, rather they are glistening with unmitigated joy. Our feelings are forever stored in our minds to remind us again and again that overall life is really quite wonderful after all.