For 11 years, Adrienne and I have sent out our infamous holiday card to more than 100 friends from all over the country. We always get positive feedback, but this year . . . the feedback was overwhelming. Why?
A sampling of the feedback offers a clue:
“You hit it out of the ballpark!”
“You are my sheroes.”
“Loved the way you joined the America’s Cup pic with Kristof’s title! [Half the Sky by Nicholas D. Kristof] And then your listing of the women who hold up the weight of truth. One of my all-time favorites!”
“Your fabulous card arrived today. It’s an instant uplifting classic! Love the inclusion of the dog and the whistleblower in the photo! Very clever & funny. Thanks for shining a light on the women across the generations who are upholding the truth and I’m grateful for your Merry Resist-mas greeting! Your photo is featured in the center of our hanging holiday photos! Merry Resist-mas to you, too & much love!”
“This card inspires me to remember that it will be women who will save democracy.”
Here is another response from our pal, Bill, who owns and runs Holy Spirit Espresso in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I first met him more than 15 years ago:
and I’m Jumping’ Jack Flash. Enjoy 2020!”
We are, of course, very gratified by these responses. When Adrienne and I put our heads (and hearts) together to create this year’s card, we returned to an image we first saw in July 2019 and wondered if six months later it would still be relevant.
Needless to say, it was. In this increasingly perilous, fragile world, women have and will continue to hold up half the sky. Rise of the women equals rise of the nation, indeed the world. We shall persist. We shall overcome.
Let us pause for a moment and give a hearty round of applause for Adrienne’s photoshopping skills. She’s a master and very parTICular about the finished product. We take a series of photos of each other — looking at the image she’s going to photoshop — to make sure we have the right expressions, etc. Then she does her magic, viewing a series of original photographs. As you can see, she chose a photograph taken immediately after the original one I’ve posted above.
Here is another friend’s response: “You are the CHAMPIONS! You have digitized a miracle. I have never seen you so fit!! Hysterical! Love your card and I am so honored to have received one. Thank you for the blast of the holiday!”
Holding up half the sky and saving democracy notwithstanding, perhaps the real power of that card was making us laugh. If I were to share what keeps Adrienne and me together after 15 years it would be this: we laugh, laugh, laugh together.
A Spark and Spitfire shout-out to Diane, the CVS cashier who, for 10 years (we used Walgreen’s for duplicating our photo the first year), has been the first person to assess our holiday card. This year, when she saw the image, she doubled over in laughter. “That’s good. That’s real good,” she said. “You did real good!”
I looked at Adrienne and shouted, “We passed the “Diane Test!” We were so proud.
I am so thankful that the women of this world already hold up half the sky, and so grateful that they will be there to hold up not only their half but also that part of the other half for which the men of our times seem so unwilling to shoulder responsibility: the climate crisis, care for refugees, relief for the poor, and access to health care for so many. Thanks to all the women of the world!
. . . and thank YOU, David, for being an example that more men of our times need to emulate.
Thank you, Adrienne, for your attention to detail and your ability to achieve perfection!
And somewhat related to your card’s theme: Didn’t you love Michelle Williams’ acceptance speech at the Golden Globes?
Wendy — I fell asleep during the Golden Globes, so missed Michelle Williams’ acceptance speech, but did watch a video of it yesterday morning.
Also, the Washington Post published an article (yesterday) specifically about her speech, entitled: “Williams’s political, poignant speech.” Here is a link to the article:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2020/01/06/michelle-williamss-award-show-speeches-are-personal-political-poignant-thats-why-were-still-talking-about-them/
Simply love this card! It’s become my bookmark in one of my new favorite books–“Joy,” so I see it every time I open the book for the joy of a new poem!
(Carol — truth be told, I still have a copy of our card displayed on my bistro table. I kinda like looking at it, too.)
I LOVED IT SO MUCH
Thank you, dear Kelly, whose brand of humor I surely share, and I’m not calling you Shirley.
Bottom line is that the card and all the women referred to give us a sense of hope in what has become a dark dark world. Thanks to both of you for giving us this ray of hope as we enter 2020. xoxo
Charlotte — don’t underestimate the sense of hope YOU bring to a dark dark world.
Thank you for the original smile and laugh when the card arrived and for reminding us of it today … especially today … when we could really use the lift which humor brings.
My favorite comment was: “You have digitized a miracle. I have never seen you so fit!!” Now, I want you to do MY card for next year!
Beth — is there enough laughter to lift the burden of tolerating a lunatic President? I hope so.