FELIZ NAVIDAD 2014
from Reemberto Rodriguez & Geraldina Dominguez
May your Holiday Season be filled with the peace and love that the true Spirit of Christmas brings.
Here are some family highlights since our last e-card:
- Iggy’s completion (for now) of his academic pursuit in Georgetown.
- We were able to share in person with all 9 old aunts and uncles (all over 80!), all 21 nieces and nephews, all 21 grand nieces and nephews, and many cousins and children and grandchildren of countless cousins.
- We accompanied Nancy in her 70th birthday celebration in New Mexico. (See pixs here.)
- We partied with Carmencita in her 50th birthday bash in Miami.
- We were there at Ella's baptism - same weekend (in ATL) as the "ACU Pig" where we saw friends from days gone by and made some new ones.
- This was our first Thanksgiving without any of our 4 parents, as Mario passed away last year before Christmas.
- Our outings to San Francisco, Newark, Miami, and Atlanta to share with family and friends. (See some pixs here.)
- GD visited 4 continents, including the Motherland (Africa) twice where she continues her relentless work against HIV/AIDS.
- Reemberto visited Rockville often, though he spent all his time pretty exclusively in Silver Spring where he continues his community work.
- We were fortunate to visit India with our County’s Sister Cities Delegation. (See virtual postcard here.)
- Being part of the team that made the Hispanic Gala happened, providing 60 scholarships to college bound Latino youth.
- The re-election of County Executive Leggett.
- Pope Francis’ leadership.
- Benny (our fat, diabetic, blind, neurotic chihuahua) is still alive.
- The simple joy of listening to Georgia Tech beat Georgia in football as we drove back from ATL after Thanksgiving.
FELIZ NAVIDAD!
Reemberto & Geraldina
Pictures of the 'kids' (and us) over the last 30 years.
Want to know what Christmas is all about?
Click HERE to see the classic clip where Linus explains it as no one else can.
The more things change, the more they stay the same. (Or, on these tumultuous times, what are we praying for this Christmas Season?)
Authentic equality in the USA. 40 years ago Reemberto graduated from High School in McDonough Georgia. Those years were filled with tension, protests, and walk-outs because blacks were not treated the same as whites. As the recent incidents in Ferguson and New York so painfully demonstrate, 40 years later they still aren’t. Embarrassing. Disappointing. Wrong. Plain wrong. We pray that authentic equality of black and whites will finally come to be. It will not be a minute too soon.
End to the Ebola crisis. 30 years ago we had our first child, Rembe Jr…. We were young, foolish, and naively idealistic. We thought we could change the world... Also 30 years ago the famine torn situation in Africa compelled artists to release the song "Do they know it is Christmas". (See original version here.) Now 30 years later the Ebola crisis hits West Africa and the song is up-dated, without missing a beat. (See updated version here.) ... We are now older and wiser - but thank God still naive and idealistic... Whatever you think of the song - or the commercialization of such tragedies - we pray we are all moved year round to 'do something' about such calamities... But, particularly in this Christmas Season we pray each of us is moved - in whatever way the Spirit moves us - to do something, however big or small... Pray, give, share the topic; whatever… “Doing a little something is better than doing nothing at all.”
The welcoming of migrants. 20 years ago thousands of Cuban refugees landed in South Florida in makeshift homemade rafts. These were desperate people. 20 years later thousands of unaccompanied minors are coming across the Rio Grande, our border with Mexico. These predominantly Central American children come from desperate situations too. We pray we embrace them with love and care. We can’t turn them back. We are better than that.
Empathy for the homeless. 10 years ago we moved from Atlanta to Silver Spring. We found a community that is intensely diverse and amazingly dynamic. We also found a homeless population that is persistent and very much in need of empathy. 10 years later we love living in Silver Spring. And we pray that as we work to end homelessness we continue empathetically understanding our homeless residents as an integral part of our social fabric.
Affirmation of womanhood. Now 2014 comes to a close. Who would have thought that we’d live in a world where womanhood is still relegated to being property - oftentimes enslaven - and educating women would be seen by some as something punishable by death? Unacceptable! Fortunately we have heroes that are standing up to such atrocities. Malala Yousafzai won the Nobel Peace prize. Her acceptance speech is priceless. See it here. She truly give us hope for humanity. We pray that women (girls!) like Malala will continue the struggle for the affirmation of womanhood. We must join them in that struggle. Our world depends on it.
¡Feliz Navidad!.
MORE PICTURES BELOW,
AT END OF 'LETTER'
