Toni's Tribute to All Countries, But Mostly America

 Three amazing things: 1- Time with my kids is the best! When my Bry died, my children became even more front and center in my life. The beautiful thing is that they love me and I love them, they have my back and I have theirs. We have each other through all things. It’s a lovely and reassuring space to live out my life. It was such a joy to play with them all together in Provo for a couple of days; we haven't been all of us together for about 6 or 7 years.   2- Christian graduated!  He really did it!  It's been a 14 year struggle for him, and we are so proud of him we could just bust.  He began pursuit of his undergraduate degree about a week after Bry died, and he did okay for the first couple of years.  Depression and anxiety then set in, and he struggled more so each year until it finally overwhelmed him and he dropped out.  Reapplied and then dropped out.  Repeat.  Finally, he put in all his effort, overcame alot of what had been holding...

 Today, April 20, is a monumental day for the Norton Clan. Christian graduated from BYU with his hard-won baccalaureate degree in Microbiology, fully 13 years after he began pursuing it. It’s been a severely challenging road for him, and we nearly lost him a few times. I told God on several occasions that He simply could not have my Christian, that I refused to give him up to the depression that stole his joy and motivation. Thanks to his efforts and the hard work of his sisters, me his mom, his step dad Aaron, surely the prayers of his dad from heaven, and the grace of the good Lord, our Christian now thrives and today walked across the stage to collect his degree. All of us are here in Provo to celebrate him; we’ve come from Atlanta, Boulder, Winston-Salem, and New York City to share this very happy moment today. Where will your life’s journey take you now, my precious son?

 We saved the best for last…our Lady of Liberty. She’s beautiful. When one contemplates the masses who swarmed to this new country pursuing life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, leaving mother countries and everything they owned, well, it’s rather humbling. Too, we were deeply touched by images of so many men headed off to and then returning from the fighting in Europe to maintain our liberties, plying through the waters of New York Harbor past Liberty as their beacon of hope. But we didn’t cry (much) until we watched video of people kissing the ground when they reached America’s shore. I kept looking at the benches in the massive Ellis Island arrival and processing hall wondering if my great grandfather James Drennan sat on this bench or that one. He was here as a 19 year old immigrant from Scotland, just another one of millions seeking a better future. I could feel him and almost see his ghost.  We took our time and immensely enjoyed experiencing Ellis Island, The Sta...

 After a lovey Easter sabbath church service in the same building that houses The Manhattan Temple, we set off on foot to explore The Financial District. It was an excellent day to walk the streets here as it was filled only with tourists, no businessmen. We visited the iconic Bull of Wall Street and the less iconic Fearless Girl, and then we walked past The New York Stock Exchange where it blew my brain to contemplate the billions upon billions of dollars that have been both made and lost here.  We then rode the East River Ferry along the Manhattan skyline and under the Brooklyn Bridge where we disembarked and walked across the famous bridge. As it was a brilliantly sunny day, we were hardly alone.   Good deed: I found my chance for a good deed. Finally! The British tourist in front of me at the machine selling ferry tickets couldn’t get the machine to accept her credit card nor take her cash. Frustrated and with a line behind her, she groaned and abandoned her cart...