Category Archives: Blog Like Crazy

Just Add People

Tomorrow, the Odom clan will descend upon our home to celebrate Thanksgiving! For the longest time, we have always celebrated the weekend before the holiday, on Sunday. However, beginning last year we moved the gathering to Saturday to make it easier for several of our clan to travel.

Thanksgiving has always been a favorite holiday of mine. For as long as I can remember, this was the holiday that brought the family together the most. I still feel that way so even after the family leaves on Saturday, a small group of us will meet again at our home to do it all over again!

This year I found quite a few new things to add to my Thanksgiving decorations. I was going though my boxes and decided some things needed to go and luckily I lucked up on a few new items at the thrift stores! To begin with, I found this huge porcelain turkey several months ago. I could see it as the centerpiece of my Thanksgiving table when I bought it. Of course, after I got it home, it found a home on my teacart.

Another item I found were a bunch of fall corn with long husks. They were piled in a plastic container next to one of the displays. I pulled one out and it had an original price tag of $10.99 on it…and I thought “$10.99?? That’s nuts!” Of course the thrift store price was 99 cents so I bought everyone they had and thought I could use them as accent pieces on my table and buffet. A few weeks later I found a couple of small pumpkins and squash in orange in a large plastic container. In fact this time the store was lined with plastic containers because they didn’t have room to put them on the shelves. They have the words “Thanks to God” and “Give” written on them and as I looked through all the containers I found more and more! So I left with about 20 of these pumpkins and squash at 69 cents a piece thinking they would look great in a basket! I added the pinecones to give it a little texture.

Target’s Dollar Spot section is also a good place for season finds. You have to hit them early to get the best selections thought. Let’s just say I’ve learned the hard way! I found fall placemats that say “Grateful” on them and some plain ones too. I was able to get an entire set for 12 people from two different stores. They also had table runners – I picked up two. They aren’t as long as I would like but when I showed my daughter, Anna Marie, the table she like it. Target also had some plaid leaves and I figured they would come in handy. Yep! I placed them on my coffee table to accent the bronze pumpkins that I’ve had for a few years. I think I got them at Target at one of their after season sales!

The final new items are a table runner found at Big Lots for half off and a Target wreath for $2 that is hanging on my large mirror over the buffet. With this, all my new items have been integrated into my Thanksgiving day décor and now all we have to do is…just add people.

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A Safari of Giraffe

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Our encounter with a safari of giraffe in Namibia, Africa this past August. – Hunters Namibia Safaris

My husband and I took an incredible trip to Namibia, Africa in August. To say it was a trip of a lifetime would be an understatement! I’m still trying to find time to go through the more than 2K photos I took with my camera, and several hundred I took with my iPhone. I don’t want to rush through them either. Instead, I want to relive those moments and really tell the story of where we were and what we did.

Last night, my husband and I were talking about the trip and I pulled up a few photos. The first ones that popped up were of our last full day in Namibia among the beautiful giraffes! We were riding along in the jeep when we spotted one after another. Our PH (Professional Hunter), Johnny, stopped the jeep and told us to slowly get out and walk toward them. We couldn’t believe our good fortune in seeing these beautiful creatures of all ages and sizes!

August 2016 Namibia, Africa – Hunters Namibia Safaris

Johnny took my camera while Martin, our Tracker, took my iPhone and they began taking pictures of me, Eddie and Eddie’s cousin, Myrk, standing in front of several giraffe. What a treasure! We kept walking slowly toward them after our impromptu photo shoot and I started clicking away with my camera. They moved with such grace and elegance. I particularly loved the babies because they were so curious about us and would stare and then their tails would swish back and forth. They almost appeared to be smiling at us! The mamas, of course, were standing nearby and keeping a side-eye on us and their youngsters.

August 2016 Namibia, Africa – Hunters Namibia Safaris

By the time we got back in the jeep and rode on a ways, we had stopped counting at 80 of these magnificent animals! We learned later that a group of giraffe is called a “safari.” Safari means “journey” and giraffe typically travel for food from the Acadia trees. The trees eventually start to defend themselves from being feasted upon and increase their tannin output causing the giraffe to journey on.

I can’t wait to share more about our trip…what I saw and what I learned. Meanwhile, please enjoy a few of my photos from the Safari of Giraffe we encountered.

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Edwina Taylor – Helping People One Smile at a Time

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I got my Cahaba Valley Health Care newsletter in the mail today. I always like reading about the people who are helped by this wonderful non-profit and also the volunteers involved. And in this edition of the newsletter – I spotted a photo I took at the See More Smiles Breakfast in 2010!

Let me start with a little background on Cahaba Valley Health Care or CVHC. This non-profit was founded in 2000 by Edwina Taylor, a hematology and oncology nurse who had worked for decades at UAB Medical Center and then in palliative care at Cooper Green. This is where Edwina began seeing how difficult it was for the uninsured to access health care. In 1979 she and her husband adopted a daughter, Emilie, from Guatemala. Because of her daughter’s background, she began paying more attention to the needs of the Hispanic community. This reached a peak in the 1990s with the influx of Hispanics to the Birmingham region. Edwina has told the story many times but I never tire of hearing it because of her enthusiasm and giving heart. She said if it was hard for people who were born here and spoke the language to access health care, what must it be like for someone who wasn’t born here and doesn’t speak the language. On top of that, there is the cultural and trust barrier that compounds all of this.

Edwina decided she needed to act on her desire to help the uninsured and with the help of friends and her church – Cahaba Valley – she set out to start a non-profit that offered health screening for the uninsured population with a focus on Hispanics in Jefferson and Shelby Counties. The latest newsletter already has the dates for the 2017 screenings listed and almost all are at area churches with a Hispanic congregation. Always happy to see my own church, Prince of Peace Catholic – on the list! These screenings include vision, dental and blood pressure. I’ve attended a few of these screenings and I’m amazed at the number of people who come out. Many people who come to these screenings are in dire need too. Edwina talks about how if you have a tooth ache, you have a bad day…but what if you have several? Many of her clients require much care and have no way to access if it weren’t for CVHC, I even heard one story of someone pulling their own tooth with pliers because of the pain. I can’t even imagine…

CVHC screening at Prince of Peace Catholic Church a few years ago

Edwina briefs the volunteers before the CVHC screening at Prince of Peace

I first met Edwina when I visited their first offices at Cahaba Valley Church along with a friend from an area foundation who was going to present a check to her. I went along to learn more about her and her organization because of my involvement in the community. I had actually met her at the United Way Latino Issues Committee but had not had a lot of time to talk to her. Something about Edwina that I found out early on is that her demeanor is always the same – smiling and positive – ALWAYS! She is not someone you say “no” to either and she can pull volunteers and collaborators together like no other person I’ve ever known. Another thing I learned about her is that she is always looking for ways to help more and more people. She is not satisfied with the status quo and her energy is inspiring to me. She is the type of person who makes you want to do more.

A packed house at Dawson Baptist during the 2010 See More Smiles breakfast.

Breakfast and program at the 2010 See More Smiles Breakfast at Dawson Baptust

Early morning photo of the tables at the 2010 breakfast.

Earlier I mentioned my photo being in the newsletter advertising the See More Smile Breakfast. This fundraising event has grown so much since my first breakfast about 8 years ago. Edwina gets everything – and I mean EVERYTHING – donated and there is no cost to attend. You are simply asked to make a donation at the end of the breakfast and after Edwina talks, you WANT to donate! I never attend a See More Smiles breakfast without my camera anymore. That’s one of the things I’ve learned over the years of working with non-profits …there is always a need for more marketing and PR assistance and a good photo can go a long way!

Each table always has a Did You Know tent on it to provide a little education to attendees about CVHC.

Table at the 2016 breakfast at The Club in Birmingham. They always have a “signature” cookie favor for guests too!

Did you Know information tent on the table.

Speaking of being able to generate volunteers…Edwina many years ago took on the task of creating the Fiesta Health & Wellness Village for us (the Fiesta board). We had a vision for having all the health care agencies and non-profits in one area at the festival and she took it and ran with it! At one point, she would just ask us for the registration forms and would report back close to the event who was coming so we could prepare. We never questioned because we knew that in her hands, the village would be phenomenal…and it always has been.

Edwina speaks to visitors to the Fiesta Health and Wellness Village that she coordinated through 2015.

In April this year, CVHC moved to Cooper Green Hospital. The ability to serve even more clients in their dental clinic is exciting. It seems almost like it has come full circle for Edwina though…as a nurse at Cooper Green so many years ago. She is back where she originally saw the need to serve and is doing just that.

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AEIVA – A Gem in Our Community

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There is a really unique building across the street from the Alys Stephens Center at UAB. Have you ever noticed it? It’s the University of Alabama’s Abroms-Engel Institute for the Virtual Arts or in short the AEIVA!

Andy Warhol exhibit at AEIVA last year.

I first learned about AEIVA when they featured an Andy Warhol exhibit called “Fabricated,” in January last year. It was the first major show by a renown artist for the Institute since they opened and it definitely got my attention. I went to the opening night reception with my friend Suzanne and we walked around with quite a crowd looking at all the iconic works of art. Some we hadn’t seen before. I realized that night how fortunate we are to have AEIVA in Birmingham and for the art community.

AEIVA is named for lead donors Judy and Hal Abroms and Ruth and the late Marvin Engel and features three galleries along with a 95 seat lecture hall. The building is also the home of UAB’s art galleries and the Department of Art and Art History classrooms and faculty offices. AEIVA’s mission is to enhance social, cultural and historical understanding through the visual arts across UAB and the broader community. I especially love that it’s right across the street from the Alys Stephens Center, another UAB gem!

In September, I went by AEIVA to see another exciting exhibit. It was the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month and it seemed appropriate to visit and see the works of Cuban born artist Luis Cruz Azaceta. The topics he covers aren’t the happiest, to say the least. The title of the exhibit was “War and Other Disasters – Selected Works from 2002-2016.” You have to admit, the title alone is a curiosity.

As I walked through exploring Azaceta’s works, I discovered these are all based on well-known happenings. The first work looked like the largest matchbook car exhibit I’ve ever seen. As you get closer, you realize it’s the evacuation during Hurricane Katrina. Azaceta had been a native of New Orleans for ten years when Katrina happened so it was only natural for him to want to create and include this in his collection. It’s incredible and takes up most of the first gallery.

Evacuation – Highway by Luis Cruz Azaceta

Description of Evacuation – Highway

Evacuation – Highway by Luis Cruz Azaceta

Other featured works include “9/11 WTC” which was really moving. As you look into the piece there are photographs – for instance an “I Love New York” coffee cup in one. I felt like I was standing in the dust of the towers as they fell while looking at this piece. It’s just that powerful. “The Border” is about the ongoing issues regarding security and control at the Mexican/American border. As we all know, this debate continues especially in the current political environment. Everything surrounding the fence reminds me of the craziness of our current immigration system and the need for reform.

9/11 WTC by Luis Cruz Azaceta

Description of the 9/11 WTC piece

The Border by Luis Cruz Azaceta

Another current topic comes through in “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot.” Azaceta created this in 2015 after the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson by a white police officer. The artist has been vocal about this movement and it comes through in this painting. “Spill 4” is about the Gulf of Mexico BP oil spill in April 2010. You can see the black oil making its way through the environment on this canvas. I remember how the beaches looked after this disaster and that 11 people lost their lives on that oil rig. The amount of oil that took over the beaches and ocean was just unbelievable.

Hands Up by Luis Cruz Azaceta

BP Oil Spill by Luis Cruz Azaceta

Azaceta was born in Havana, Cuba and lived there until he emigrated to the United States at the age of 18. As a boy he witnessed many acts of violence on the streets of Cuba during the Batista regime and during Castro’s post-revolution. This impacted him greatly and created in him a sensitivity towards violence, human cruelty, injustice and alienation. These became central themes in his work as he showcases the moral and ethical pulse of our country.

The Azaceta exhibit runs through December 17th and I encourage you to go by and have a look for yourself. You can also follow the AEIVA on Facebook to get the latest on exhibits and other special shows. As I said, it’s a gem in our community and I’m so thankful to the Abroms and Engel families for their generosity.

Thanksgiving Teaser!

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Always a good idea to have a great wine when decorating for a holiday!

I’ve been working on my Thanksgiving decorations for the past two weekends. Every year I try to change things up a bit to make use of whatever Thanksgiving decorations I didn’t use in the past year. This year though, I found quite a few more fall/Thanksgiving decorations at my favorite thrift store! I’ve been excited about using these items but struggling a bit about how to change up the décor. I’ve been falling into the trap that I have to use everything when that shouldn’t be the case.

At any rate, I’m putting the finishing touches on my dining room table and will continue the decorating outside to my deck tomorrow. I also have a little craft project I want to finish up tomorrow with my daughter’s help.

A few items I found at the thrift store recently that I’m using to decorate for Thanksgiving!

Meanwhile…here are a few pictures of new items I’m incorporating into my décor this year. Call it a Thanksgiving teaser! I’ll reveal the whole look soon!

Oh! And I’m also enjoying a nice Australian Viogner wine called Yalumba while pulling the Thanksgiving look together! A nice smooth white wine to help me with my decorating decisions! Cheers!

Remembering A Veteran

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My dad…in flight training

Today is Veterans Day. From the time I woke up this morning to just a few minutes ago, every other social media post today has been about Veterans and remembering their contributions to our country. It has been a welcome diversion from the recent election and with the divisiveness of what has transpired, it really got me thinking about my dad and his brothers and their sacrifice as Mexican-Americans to our great country.

I don’t actually know a lot about what my dad and his brothers went through when they each joined the service but I do know about the time period when they enlisted and served. I also know what my dad experienced when he was growing up in Carlsbad, New Mexico through letters I received from several of his classmates/football teammates after he passed away in 2001. I’ll share those remembrances in another post. But suffice it to say, it wasn’t all fun and acceptance back then. My dad didn’t talk much about it, choosing to just tell certain stories without any reference to discrimination or unfairness. I think that was his way of just working hard and getting ahead. I admire that in him because later in life, it served me well as I grew up overseas and in Puerto Rico during my formative years.

Dad’s Air Force pins an his pilot log books.

I wish I knew more about dad’s time in service to our country. I regret that I didn’t talk to him about this but then again, there is no guarantee that he would have shared anything about this time either. I’ve heard that sentiment from a number of people who I know. These are memories that have remained locked away to some of those who served.

I love looking in my dad’s pilot log books and seeing his handwriting as he documented his training…

What I do have are photos, dad’s pilot logs and a few other artifacts from those years. I also have two yearbooks from his pilot training in Texas. One in particular is very touching because dad had placed check marks beside the photos of his friends who didn’t make it back during the war. I didn’t know what these check marks were until my mother shared that with me several years ago.

One of dad’s training yearbooks….

So as today closes out, I am grateful for the sacrifices of my dad, Praxedis Sotelo Zuniga, his brothers – Felix and Lorenzo Zuniga – and all the faces in the two yearbooks made for our country. Some paid the ultimate sacrifice and that is humbling to see in my dad’s yearbook, the faces of those brave young men who did this for our freedom.

On this Veterans Day, God Bless the brave men and women who have served this great nation of ours…

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Once Upon a Time…35 Years Ago…We Met

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Nov 2014 – celebrating the anniversary of the night we met!

It was Veterans Day eve and I had UAB Chamber Choir rehearsal that night. I remember all my friends from work were heading out to a “happy hour” and I was a little disappointed that I wasn’t going with them. But the Chamber Choir was getting ready for a performance and I knew I couldn’t miss rehearsal so…

A friend of mine said she would go later if I felt like it. So after rehearsal, I called her and we both got ready and headed to the happy hour. It was close to 10 p.m. and I thought there wouldn’t be anyone there. Turns out Mr. Right was there! And the party was just getting started!

Our big group danced and sang along with the band for the rest of the night. The band kept asking for requests and I kept asking them to play “Werewolves of London” by Warren Zevon to no avail. (I still do this when I’m out and I’ve yet to have anyone play it for me!) Eddie and I kept drifting toward one another when we were all dancing together and eventually we ended up dancing together. We had both been noticing each other at work and he told me later he’d had a secret crush on me when he’d see me at the office. I confessed the same to him.

This was our 30th “first” – 2011 and we were headed to Flemings that year for dinner.

Veterans Day eve became our “first” anniversary – the anniversary of the night we met and we’ve been celebrating it every year since. When the kids were little we’d have dinner at home and play up about the night we met. As they got older, we started going out to celebrate and reminisce about meeting and when we dated. It’s fun to keep those stories alive and even more interesting when new details emerge!

Card from our server at Firebirds two years ago as we celebrated our 33rd “first” anniversary.

The entire staff at Firebirds signed our card!

Our Firebirds server surprised us with this awesome dessert too!

Two years ago we went to Firebirds for dinner. I don’t know if it was the way we were talking or what, but the server asked if we were celebrating something special. We said, “yes, the anniversary of the night we met 33 years ago.” She thought that was the coolest thing ever and by the end of the meal, she brought out a fabulous dessert on the house along with a card addressed “To the sweet couple!” When we opened it, the entire staff had signed the card!

Tonight we will continue the tradition of celebrating our “first” anniversary. If there is a band wherever we go I’ll yell out “Werewolves of London” as a song request. Meanwhile, I’m so thankful that I decided to go to that “happy hour” on that night 35 years ago. I can’t imagine my life without this wonderful man in it!

Happy “first” anniversary, sweetheart!

What Brings You Comfort?

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Me and my shadow – Lucy

Today is the day after a rather historic and extremely stressful Presidential election. I began the day reading a number of social media posts but finally had to say…enough. It was getting to me too much and I had to get ready for work and I was already running late after staying up so late to watch the election returns.

A friend texted me while I was reading and was really having a hard time. How do you comfort someone via a text message. That was a hard one. I did what I could. I hope it was enough…but words of encouragement…even heartfelt words aren’t enough sometimes. I thought about that for a moment. How do people comfort themselves in times of stress? Is it food? Wine? Is it by talking to a trusted friend or family member? Or is it taking a walk or going to an exercise class?

I thought back on so many times in the past where I was stressed or hurting what did I do? All of the above – Yes! Those are all things that I’ve used for comfort. Especially the wine…in fact I’m having a glass of wine called “Custard Comfort Wine” as I write this. But the one thing that I go back to so many times when I need comfort? Lucy…my pup.

Photo of Lucy the night I brought her home…

A lot of research has been done into Pet Therapy and while it may sound like a made up, new age type of treatment, I am a true believer in the benefits of having a pet. More and more I am seeing places that allow owners to bring their dogs and just this weekend met someone with a dog that had a collar stating it was an “ESA – Emotional Support Animal.” That makes me smile because I know already know the benefits of having a pup.

For me, my pup Lucy has become my shadow. She came to us in early 2008. I went to get my haircut and my stylist said to me, “Teresa, you have to take one of my puppies!” I hem-hawed a bit and she gave me a Polaroid picture of the puppy and I said I would think about it. Meanwhile, I went by school to pick up my youngest and while the photo wasn’t in plain sight, Emily spotted it immediately and excitedly said, “are we getting a dog?!” I said I didn’t know and we would need to talk to dad about it. Well, Eddie wasn’t thrilled about the idea and even though I said I wasn’t sure either, apparently I was! I went and got Lucy the next day.

Lucy experiences her first snow!

She was “supposed to be” the family dog, but you know how that goes. The kids were old enough to take her for walks and take general care of her but that didn’t happen. Eddie was determined they would take care of her so he refused to help…and when the kids wouldn’t take care of Lucy, who did it fall to? Me! Mom…

This puppy though…she became my joy and comfort. The year we got her was a rather trying year with my aunt going through treatment for ovarian cancer and my mother just finishing up treatment for breast cancer. I was trying to be available to care for them both and it took a toll on all of us. I would come home to Lucy and take her for a walk and she loved me for that. She would sit on the cushion of the sofa behind my head so she could be close to me in the evening. She slept between me and Eddie in our bed and would curl up right next to me every night, eventually moving to her own little bed at the foot of ours.

Odom family portrait

Lucy will be 9 years old this month. We don’t know what her actual birthdate is so we always say she was a Thanksgiving pup. These days she is attached to me at the hip. She won’t go outside unless I take her and she knows when my garage door opens and is waiting for me at the kitchen door. She barks at me when I sit too long at the kitchen table in the evening and she is ready to sit on the footrest of my recliner with me in it! She is one of my favorite photography models too. She has her own Instagram hashtag – #conversationswithlucy – and she is rather “famous” with many of my friends! Some say she needs her own Instagram page but I’m happy to share mine with her for the time being. I even have friends who tell me they have a voice they use for Lucy with my posts of her. They always begin with her saying “Mama…” – and she goes on to make her statement. That makes me laugh. To me that means she is bringing comfort and joy to others as well.

Mama…I hope Santa knows which stocking is mine! #conversationswithlucy

Sometimes I wonder if she knows how much I need her and how much her devotion means to me? She brings me such comfort and I can’t imagine my life without her. It makes me tear up just to think about this. She’s my puppy love and she knows it…

So for today and other times when I need comfort and a little puppy therapy, I will reach for Lucy, scratch her behind her ears and take her for a walk before we settle in for the evening and cuddle together on my recliner.

Lucy…you are my comfort…

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Mexican Tin Ornaments and Thrift Store Scores!

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A treasure trove of Mexican tin ornaments my mother found for me recently during a thrifting adventure!

Mexican tin art is a mainstay on my Mexican Christmas tree every year. I love the shapes and colors of these lightweight ornaments. I’ve collected them since the 1990s and always look for stores that carry the ornaments in particular. My last big haul was last year when I visited Austin, Texas at a cool store called Tesoros. They had quite a selection to choose from and wish I could have come away with more but honestly…I had to leave some for the other shoppers too, right?!

Last week my mother paid a visit to my favorite thrift store – The Salvation Army in Hoover. She confessed she went in only for a few moment and now two hours later she was still roaming around and finding all sorts of goodies! After a few trips around the knick knacks, she spotted a sandwich bag with something shiny and colorful. Turned out to be a baggie with 10 Mexican tin ornaments! For one dollar!!!!! She brought them to me that very evening and while they look a little worn, they are still so beautiful to me. I think the wearing of the tin and the color gives them a certain antique character. And I also think I might need a bigger Mexican Christmas tree this year with all these new ornaments!

The red color on this ornament is brilliant and this is one design that I didn’t have – happy to add to my collection!

Meanwhile, this past weekend I went to the grand reopening of another favorite thrift store – the Salvation Army store in Homewood, AL. The place was a madhouse! I found a few items but nothing that I couldn’t live without, especially with the length of the checkout line! Then I went to the jewelry counter – which was also packed – and gave it a look. Loads of beautiful things…still that growing line was a concern. I turned to walk toward the door when I spotted a long table filled with Christmas pins! Wow! I felt like I hit the mother-load of pins – something else I love to collect. I spotted one vintage Christmas tree pin and then another…and a lady holding one handed hers to me when she saw my interest. I thought that was nice! Then a saleslady showed up and said, “let’s put these in a baggie with your name on it and it will be ready for you when you check out.” I thought – “ok, let’s do this!” Then the saleslady started suggested pins and earrings to me to help me fill my bag. It was rather amusing. I’d say – “sure, put it in the bag!” And she would!

Such a unique necklace! This Mexican tin piece is adorned with a nativity scene!

The most unusual item I found in this sea of pins was a necklace. I wasn’t sure what it was at first all clustered together on the table, but it was made of Mexican tin – I knew that for sure! The saleslady picked it up and said it was a nativity scene and she thought it was beautiful. I agreed but then again, the necklace had me at “Mexican tin” and so I told her to add it to the bag!

Well, the line to check out got even longer while I was browsing these pins, earrings and the necklace. I figured I would leave the store to run some of my errands and come back before 7 p.m. to pick up the jewelry. Unfortunately, I didn’t make it back and figured it was just as well. Wasn’t meant to be and all that. Still, I kept thinking of that Mexican tin necklace and how unique it was…

So Monday at lunch I decided to take a ride over to the store and look around minus the 250 people who were there on Saturday! I went right to the jewelry counter and much to my surprise there were no Christmas pins anywhere! That was puzzling with all that they had on Saturday. Had someone come in and bought the entire table of pins? I checked the other jewelry counter and but found nothing there either. Then I saw several baggies of jewelry on the back of the counter. Mine was still there! SCORE!!! Was I excited? You bet! Couldn’t believe my good fortune!

I left the store Monday with a baggie full of vintage pins, the Mexican tin necklace and also a talavera pottery piece that I spotted right before check out! The colors on this talavera piece are perfect for my kitchen. It will be a nice addition to the Zuniga-Odom talavera collection! This is why I love thrift store shopping so much – you never know what you’ll find!

The House I Live In

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Sheet music to “The House I Live In.”

I was visiting my sister Kanista in North Carolina last month. On our last night together, she pulled out a Frank Sinatra songbook she had found at a thrift store. What a treasure of Sinatra songs over the years! We both flashed back to memories of listening to our parents’ Sinatra albums when we were growing up. I opened the book and we went page by page singing the songs we knew – and that was most of them!

The Sinatra Songbook that my sister found at a thrift store! We know practically all the songs in this book and sang then all our last night together in North Carolina!

When we got to “The House I Live In,” Kanista didn’t know this one. I only knew about it because of a Sinatra documentary I had seen on cable and got excited recalling the song and story. And although I couldn’t sing the song for her we both started reading the lyrics and couldn’t look it up on YouTube fast enough…

What is America to me
A name, a map, or a flag I see
A certain word, democracy
What is America to me

The house I live in
A plot of Earth, a street
The grocer and the butcher
And the people that I meet

The children in the playground
The faces that I see
All races and religions
That’s America to me

The song was part of a short 10 minute film written in 1945 by Albert Maltz and produced by Frank Ross and Mervyn LeRoy. The film was made to oppose anti-Semitism at the end of World War II and received an honorary Academy Award and a special Golden Globe award in 1946.

In the short movie, Sinatra plays himself taking a break from a recording session and stepping outside of the studio when he sees a group of boys chasing a Jewish boy and he steps in. First he talks to the boys and then goes into the song. He explains to the boys that we are “all” Americans and that one American’s blood is as good as another’s. He also explains that all our religions are to be respected equally.

Me and my sister watch the 10 minute video of “The House I Live In” on YouTube.

As Kanista and I watched the video we began talking about the current election cycle and how crazy things have gotten. We reflected on how interesting it is that the same themes keep coming back over time. This video is as relevant now and it was in the 1940s. The Library of Congress selected the movie to be preserved in the US National Film Registry as “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.” In fact, this was done in 2007.

The place I work in
The worker by my side
The little town the city
Where my people lived and died

The howdy and the handshake
The air a feeling free
And the right to speak your mind out
That’s America to me

The things I see about me
The big things and the small
The little corner newsstand
Or the house a mile tall

The song has been covered and recorded by a number of artists including Mahalia Jackson and Sam Cooke. Sinatra performed the song as part of his repertory for decades in particular at a White House dinner during the Nixon Administration and the Reagan inaugural ceremonies in 1985.

As we go to vote tomorrow, this song and what it means will be on my mind. Regardless of who wins this election, my hope is that everyone will be able to come together for the good of our country after the dust settles. I know it’s not as easy as an actor/singer telling a story to a bunch of adolescents, but I think that’s a starting point and we need a place to start.

The wedding and the churchyard
The laughter and the tears
The dream that’s been a growing
For a hundred and fifty years

The town I live in
The street, the house, the room
The pavement of the city
Or the garden all in bloom

The church the school the clubhouse
The million lights I see
But especially the people
That’s America to me

Southern Señora

Sharing the Southern Hispanic lifestyle in Birmingham, Alabama!

Category Archives: Blog Like Crazy

Just Add People

A Safari of Giraffe

Edwina Taylor – Helping People One Smile at a Time

AEIVA – A Gem in Our Community

Thanksgiving Teaser!

Remembering A Veteran

Once Upon a Time…35 Years Ago…We Met

What Brings You Comfort?

Mexican Tin Ornaments and Thrift Store Scores!

The House I Live In

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