by Samantha Howard
If I were in charge of the world
I’d cancel peas,
emptying the dishwasher,
dictionaries, and also 5th period.
If I were in charge of the world
There’d be free laptops for everyone,
Gourmet cafeteria food, and
4 day long school weeks.
If I were in charge of the world
You wouldn’t have friendless.
You wouldn’t have boring.
You wouldn’t have textbooks.
Or “Do your chores.”
You wouldn’t even have chores.
If I were in charge of the world
A piece of bread
would be a vegetable.
All TV would be cable.
And a person who sometimes forgot to put their clothes away,
And sometimes forgot to remember their email password,
Would still be allowed to be
In charge of the world.
Sam was a Thanksgiving baby.
Although every mother may consider any day that her child is born a day of blessings and gratitude, for Ana Maria, Thanksgiving was especially meaningful.
When we first met at our co-op preschool, Ana Maria told me about her family’s eventful emigration to the U.S.
She said that, as an immigrant, Thanksgiving symbolized to her new beginnings: a new country and a new life of freedom, as well as the celebration of family.
What better way to honor this holiday than to give birth to Sam: a bouncing baby girl so full of life and joy and promise?
I remember saying to Ana Maria : “Wow—what a beautiful story,” and to Sam, who was sitting on her lap at the time, I said: “Your mom was counting her blessings on Thanksgiving, and you jumped to the top of the list!”
Sam replied: “Yup! That was good timing, wasn’t it?” Then she said: “But that was a long time ago.”
We all laughed together, and Ana Maria said to Sam: “It may have been a long time ago, but I’m still thankful for you!”
Sam said: “I’m thankful for you, too!” and planted a kiss on Ana Maria’s nose. They kept telling each other, back and forth, how thankful they were for each other.
“That’s a lot of thankfulness,” Sam said, still smooshed up against Ana Maria’s face. “Enough for TWO birthday parties every November. Or THREE!”
I wish I had taken a photo of that moment: the two of them nose to nose after the kiss, smiling and talking to each other with their profiles touching forehead to chin.
It was always wonderful to see them together: joking, focusing on a project, playing, cooking… No matter what it was—building a scale model of the Colosseum or frying up some quesadillas for lunch—Ana Maria and Sam were a great team.
Sam was a beautiful blend, physically, of Ana Maria and Robert. Her thick dark hair and peaches and cream skin made her the perfect Snow White during playdate dress-ups. Something about her nose and chin and smile also gave her a perfect elfin quality when she tucked her hair up into a green felt cap and became Peter Pan. No matter what she was up to, she was so much fun to be with! Quick and bright and adventurous and full of positive energy. Sam was gentle and encouraging to younger kids, totally at ease with friends her age, so easy and confident with adults.
As she grew up, Sam’s beauty and sense of wonder and adventure simply increased: she was always inquisitive, always up for something new and fun, always ready to laugh at herself when she made a mistake and try again. Her optimistic view of the world was apparent in virtually everything she said and did.
We remember these golden qualities of Sam’s, and believe that her spirit, like her optimism, is eternal.
Happy Birthday, Sam! We are all better people for having known you.
P.S.
On November 13th, the Saturn Nebula sent out a mixture of gases and dust that created a pink, green, blue, orange, and lavender display in the sky. On November 17th, there was a meteor shower, and every five minutes after midnight, there was a shooting star. And on the 26th—your birthday—a blanket of clouds covered Venus, the planet of love, entirely, heating it up and making it glow extra bright.
Sam, we’re delighted to see that you are still celebrating your birthday party at least 3 times every November!
And we are still thankful for that, too.
Love, from
—Heidi