November Gratitude: Community and Sisterhood

This November, I'm grateful for so many things.

One of them is community. The graduates of my small women's college have recently united to express discontent in a new, regressive image being projected by the school.

I was already a proponent of single gender education, but the graceful, intelligent way my fellow alumnae have expressed their concern this week has been nothing short of inspiring. I'm grateful for the opportunity to have meaningful dialogue about the importance of avoiding gender stereotype and repression in a place that was built with the intention of empowering women. Stating that as your mission, friends, comes with responsibility.

Sometimes, community surrounds you when you least expect it. I felt the warmth of my Converse sisters at our wedding, when they showed up from all over the country to stand in a circle around me. What a nice reminder, in busy November, that it's always there. It's ready to stand together when it counts.

I wish community and sisterhood for you all.

November Gratitude: The best thing my dad ever gave me

Sherrod Leonard Maxwell III, my dad, amazes me. He has gifts that are used to help people all over the world. He works for a DOE National Lab and develops methods that have helped prepare the CDC, EPA, and FDA for life-altering things like bombings, natural disasters, and nuclear emergencies.

Before he was saving lives, though, he very intentional about communicating this message to his little girl, who had his own brown eyes, good intentions, and a little too much self-doubt for her own good:

You can do anything you want to do. You're smart and talented, and if you put your mind to it, you're going to do great things.

I remember hearing those exact words over and over and over again. His unwavering support was obvious, from kindergarten to college to graduate school to the job search.

The result of Dad's prediction is yet to be determined, but I know one thing: when I consider a new goal or my biggest aspirations, his voice is always there, in the back of my mind, with his message ringing clearly.

I'll always be grateful.

November Gratitude: Artists and Hurricane Sandy

Gratitude is always on my mind, and what better month to explore it than November? Sometimes cliches are a good thing.

Today, I'm grateful for artists who use their gifts to do good.

At the Governor's School, every student takes Humanities classes that focus on three questions: Who are we as artists? Why do we do what we do? Why do the arts have value for society?

I've been asking myself those things for about 10 years. John and I have also had countless conversations about the value of art as we decided whether or not we could justify pursuing careers in performance. There are many arguments for the value of dedicating your life to that, but after various bad experiences and a couple of corrupt organizations, the two of us had plenty of doubts.

Returning to a little haven for artists (Governor's School) that is largely untouched by career-driven, competitive mania has been refreshing. It's rejuvenating to be around a lot of talented young people who want to use their art to initiate positive change, and it reminds me why I loved music in the first place.

Many artists have been using their powers for good in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. One great example is 20x200, who has raised lots of money this week with sales of two different prints being allocated to relief efforts. My favorite is "We Are So Good Together."  I'm partial, though, because I sent it to John once shortly after we started dating. :)