First, I learned so much. Never has the first half of the 20th century, the years my grandparents lived their adulthoods, my parents were born and came of age, been so vivid in my mind's eye and in my understanding. In addition to my hoping not to be "doomed to repeat" this rich and complex history, an understanding of the world our parents, grandparents and great-grandparents were growing up in and helping to form makes our present day more manageable, more meaningful.
Seeing Teddy and Franklin and Eleanor growing up and working throughout their lives to move our nation forward in such a vibrant manner was not only informative, but also very moving. FDR was four years older than my grandfather Capron and their lives followed similar trajectories, working their way up in New York City law firms. And although my grandfather continued to practice law rather than entering the world of politics, both carried the vision of a better world after the horrors of the Great War that informed their work and their families' lives.
When I was young and Eleanor Roosevelt was still alive, it was clear that my mother revered her. This brilliant documentary showed me how Eleanor grew up and how her relationship with Franklin evolved over all those years. And it showed, especially, how Eleanor Roosevelt inspired women and men, blacks and whites, all across the nation. What a woman! Her strength, her determination to do each job well, and her vision of social justice culminated near the end of her extraordinary life in her being instrumental in the creation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights through the United Nations. A giant step forward for humankind.
Now, as I feel moved to respond to what is happening right now, what our country is doing right now, in the name of righteousness and for the sake of our "homeland security," I find I cannot continue to write about my melt-down of love for this brilliant documentary nor for these national figures who stood for and stood behind the work of bringing us together. Now I mourn. Tomorrow I shall try to make sense of today's news.
Peace.