Month: December 2024

I am not one to jump on bandwagons for media stars. Even though I am a grateful Iowa State Cyclone alum, I am enthralled, as are millions of people, with the success of Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball team. I am a college basketball fan, and the Iowa women have provided amazing excitement this winter.

I played Iowa high school basketball. I have had an affinity for basketball ever since I played forward using “girls’ rules” with a 2-dribble limit on the half court. It was the only sport available in my small rural school and was just as popular as boys basketball. In college I played field hockey and volleyball because they were the only team opportunities for me. Iowa State did not have women’s basketball in those “old days.”

I do not know what more I can say about Caitlin Clark other than what has been reported on social media as well as national sports shows. I am thrilled that women’s basketball is getting such attention. I know Caitlin has her detractors and she is not perfect, yet I am a fangirl.

The breaking of records has fed Clark’s stardom especially on social media. Caitlin, however, has impressed me most with her passion and humility as she plays the sport. I am biased and cannot watch her and her teammates play without feeling the emotion and joy of women’s basketball games. Caitlin wears those emotions on her sleeve and seems to express the same delight whether she makes a logo 3-pointer or assists one of her teammates in a great play. She expresses her frustration too and tries to smile quickly when things change.

I am most impressed by Clark’s apparent humility. When interviewed, she is quick to acknowledge the contributions of her teammates, coaches, family, and the fans. One of my high school teachers told me, “When you’re great, you can afford to be humble.” Caitlin knows she is outstanding, but she lets her actions speak for that greatness and gives credit to those around her. I admire this trait above everything else that she does.

I have long loved the game of basketball. Caitlin Clark’s skill and demeanor have added to my admiration for the way that women and men play the game. Regardless of what happens in the NCAA tournament, I am grateful for witnessing the skill and role model that Caitlin portrays.

I love that Christmas manger scenes involve animals adoring the baby Jesus. I am always excited to see sheep as part of the menagerie. Jesus is referred to as the lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world. Although the idea refers to the sacrifice that Jesus would make, just as lambs were sacrificed in Judaic traditions, I love the innocence of lambs related to Christmas traditions.

I think about lambs not just during this Christmas time. I was lucky enough in 2024 to see baby lambs twice in two hemispheres. What a treat! My most favorite aspects of our hikes in the United Kingdom in the spring the past few years has been seeing the baby lambs. I was delighted and unexpectedly thrilled that Chile has a large sheep production. Being there in spring, December, allowed me to see lambs for a second time in one year.

My father loved the sheep that we raised on our farm. Not many people in our area had sheep so we were somewhat of an anomaly. I raised sheep for 4-H projects for 8 years. I subscribed to The Shepherd Magazine for a decade and read each issue gregariously. I still have copies of those issues in my high school files. (I am going to have to purge them someday).

We sometimes had orphaned sheep that we raised. It was not unusual in March to have a big cardboard box on our back porch with a lamb or two in it so they could be bottle fed every few hours. Feeding continued twice a day for several more weeks when they were back in the yard with the others. All those sheep had names, of course, but we also knew that their plight in life was to grow up as meat animals.

I often fantasized about being a sheep farmer rather than the path I took in higher education. I would not have been successful in that endeavor. I remain thrilled, however, whenever a sheep appears in my life. Watching the shaking tails of little lambs makes me happy. Seeing sheep in Christmas scenes always elicits a smile.

I just returned from a two-week trip to Chile. The opportunity reminded me once again of how grateful I am to live in the United States. I am harkened to that privilege when I travel. At the same time, I become more adamant about being a global citizen. I do not believe this understanding is an “either/or” choice. My experience over time has reinforced how the two identities must co-exist.

Chilean Flag

Global citizenship is a form of transnationality. My identity transcends geography or political borders. My responsibilities and rights come from my beliefs in humanity. My nationality and global citizenship go hand in hand.

I am fascinated by other cultures. Recently I was sorting through grade school files that my mother sent to me years ago and discovered an illustrated report I wrote in fifth grade about Switzerland—even then other cultures, especially those connected with mountains, captivated me.

I extol the life-changing experience I had as an International 4-H Exchange (IFYE) participant to Türkiye 50 years ago. Living with 20 families from throughout the country over a six-month period, I learned the meaning of family ties and making the most with limited resources. I learned that all parents love their children with passion no matter whether they live in the US or elsewhere.

I have further articulated this global citizenship stance after meeting people from around the world both in their countries and as visitors to mine. I was on the Board of Directors of the World Leisure Organization and attended multiple conferences around the globe. Each time I visit a country, I meet people that are special. I hold them in my heart when I hear about disasters that occur such as earthquakes in Türkiye, wildfires in Greece, or tsunamis in Japan.

The International Camping Fellowship (ICF) uses the butterfly as its logo. The butterfly effect is the idea that small, trivial events may result in larger consequences. For instance, when a butterfly flaps its wings in India, that tiny change in air pressure could eventually cause a tornado in Iowa. Global citizens cannot ignore these complex issues. Isolating myself from caring about the world is impossible.

Global citizens are members of multiple, diverse, local, and non-local networks and not just isolated countries. My social responsibility is to act for the benefit of all societies, not just my own.