Sight Unseen
The Lone Star State | ©️ 2023 Alicia Kae Miller
As the sound of fireworks ripples across the Austin sky, I am reflecting on the past several years:
◇ Pandemic
◇ Social uprising
◇ Toxic political discourse
I could go on, but you know exactly where this one is coming from since you have been enduring right alongside me.
Like childhood memories, the effects of the last three years+ are hidden just below the surface of our not-so-thick skin.
Still, despite our pain, we plod on.
Keeping with the thread of solidarity, one of my dearest family members is a three-time cancer survivor.
When there is a discussion around survivorship, which is rare, the conversation almost always involves a shadow, aka the threat of reoccurrence, that follows my family member everywhere.
Jointly, we can relate.
Driving around town earlier, the holiday mood, including my own, seemed lighter.
I giggled at the outside voices of kiddos playing "Marco…Polo, Marco…Polo" in a nearby pool, and my eyes welled up with tears as I observed loved ones reminiscing around festive stars and striped-lined picnic tables.
Like you, I have countless July 4th memories that crisscross my heart. Dare I say, do I feel that pre-pandemic feeling of old?
As we peek out from behind the darkness of the past, recall that we have more in common than not - we have collectively lost, changed, and will rise again. Together.
Until we meet again, connect deeply by meeting one another where we are. ❤️
Yours in Solidarity, -akm
July 2023