Christmas Miracle

[Betsy Voinovich]

Hi all,

I walked up to Drug Mart earlier today with my son to grab some stuff we ran out of-- got the last carton of eggs!-- and I ended up with an armful of food and no basket. I went over to a cart and tried to kind of pour everything out of my arms into it, forgetting about the carton of eggs, which overturned and spilled.

My son said, "Mama! The eggs!"

A passing shopper stopped and said, "Oh no." He saw that the open carton was precariously hanging in my cart and said, "Okay, I'll hold the carton, you guys reach under on both sides." We all put our hands into the cart to try to soften the landing of falling eggs which we couldn't really see. And not one broke!

We all stood there amazed. My new friend said, "It's a Christmas miracle. Do you think there's a hidden camera around here?"

We then examined the cart and found that a well-positioned bag of Doritos had played a significant part in the miracle as well, and started laughing about how often bags of Doritos had been present at the occasion of miracles. (More than you think!)

And so I'm home again, thinking about how grateful I am for my neighbors, even the ones I don't know, and how glad I am that I live here. I was watching "It's A Wonderful Life" at 2 AM last night thinking, "Lakewood is like Bedford Falls. What are the odds of a town like that having survived into the 21st century?"

Merry Christmas everybody. Hope you have a great Christmas night in our miracle of a city.

Betsy Voinovich and family

[Betsy Voinovich]

download.jpg (146.66 KiB) Viewed 11128 times

The Doritos.

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The miracle eggs.

[Justine Cooper]

Miracles definitely come in all sizes and shapes. Sometimes it is just the random act of kindness that we need at a certain moment that changes our heart too. I went running into Giant Eagle on 117th to pick up a few things and this 75 year old lady who was working there started talking to me about the different party foods they offer. Even though I was in a hurry I stopped to chat with her since she seemed so pleasant. When she asked me if I was hosting a party this season I told her maybe between Christmas and New Year's and she stated "what a great idea-that is the number one time for suicides to good to invite people over". I was so shocked I was speechless and then she said something about having financial troubles and having to go back to work at 75!!! All of my problems, even my work complaints, seemed ridiculous. Yet here she was, smiling and pleasant. I kind of felt like she was sending a Christmas message to me and it really hit my heart.
She will be first on my list for my ladies' get together~!

[Dee Martinez]

Unless of course, Betsy, you happen to live north of Clifton, because as you pointed out, "nobody lives there."
Merry Christmas from "nobody"

[Betsy Voinovich]

Hi Dee,

I never said that "nobody lived north of Clifton." I said that the Cuyahoga County Auditor's office shows that the densest area of families and children in Lakewood is in the center of the city. This was about the idea of putting a school closest to the greatest number of families and children, and Grant Elementary School is in the center of over a thousand families, less than three fourths of a mile walk away for those children.

All of this was in a support of a notion that when figuring out where to put an elementary school, with very young children, in a city where they are supposed to be able to walk to school because there are no buses, the idea was you put a school where the densest number of children are.

This does not mean that there are no people or families or children North of Clifton. Statistics show that many of them drive to school, and that in fact, a large portion of the population of the Other school, Lincoln Elementary--which is a great school-- are open-enrolled from completely different parts of the city and their parents have made the choice of NOT having a neighborhood school, and driving their kids every day.

If your goal is having a neighborhood school, you put a school in the center of the neighborhood. In fact, in the first Phase Three Community Forum, this is what the attendees asked for, "that Lakewood's schools remain neighborhood schools." Lincoln Elementary School is not really a "neighborhood" school like that, though it does serve some of its immediate neighborhood. In truth, many of the kids north of Clifton who go to Lincoln would be closer to their own neighborhoods if they went to Horace Mann.

I'm hoping that when the census figures come in, we can keep both schools. Our youngest population is experiencing a baby boom, and the state of Ohio will have to evaluate our figures again before the next phase of Phase Three. They may re-evaluate and commit money to paying to rebuild three more schools, not just two. Lincoln and Grant were Lakewood's two "Excellent with Distinction" rated elementary schools, it makes a lot of sense to keep both of them.

Or maybe the state of Ohio will have no money for any more "Facilities Improvements" and we will have to take care of our schools on our own. We'll have to have a bond issue just to finish the high school and pay for it ourselves. In the end, that might be less than our portion of paying for two (or three) complete rebuilds of other schools, and the completion of Lakewood High School, at a time when no-one can afford it.

Having said all of this, I'm sorry that you got the impression that I said that "nobody lived north of Clifton" that's not only not what I think, I just spent Christmas night with a bunch of people on Edgewater, all wishing each other Merry Christmas, so clearly, there are people North of Clifton! and they say Merry Christmas to each other, and I was one of them!

Merry Christmas to you, Dee, I can't remember if you live north of Clifton, but I really did mean to say Merry Christmas to the whole city. The guy who helped me with the eggs probably lived north of Clifton. Let me officially say it here, Lakewood is an amazingly diverse city in every way you can think of, and it takes all of us to make this city.

If you think I officially said there were not people north of Clifton, please register this now, that's not what I said, and it's certainly not what I meant. That was just about putting a school close to where the greatest number of children live.

Merry Christmas to all of us, on every single street in Lakewood. And Merry Christmas even to the people who live in Cleveland. And Rocky River. And Parma.

At this point it probably also makes sense to say, Happy New Year.

Betsy Voinovich

p.s. Dee, thanks for wishing me Merry Christmas, especially feeling like you do. I truly did not mean to make you feel that way.

[Dee Martinez]

in fact, you DID say that. At least a dozen other "nobodies" heard that come directly out of your mouth and were completely incensed by it. It was a case of "did she REALLY say that?" And you hurt rather than helped your case with the comment.
Nonetheless, happy new year.
By the way, I don't participate much on the Observe anymore largely because of the proprietor's continuing snarkiness about the "Willians-Sonoma Line." Mr. O'Bryan doesn't exactly live in a hovel himself. Turning Lakewoodites against each other really isn't a plan for success, even though HE seems to be making money off it.

[Jim O'Bryan]

in fact, you DID say that. At least a dozen other "nobodies" heard that come directly out of your mouth and were completely incensed by it. It was a case of "did she REALLY say that?" And you hurt rather than helped your case with the comment.
Nonetheless, happy new year.
By the way, I don't participate much on the Observe anymore largely because of the proprietor's continuing snarkiness about the "Willians-Sonoma Line." Mr. O'Bryan doesn't exactly live in a hovel himself. Turning Lakewoodites against each other really isn't a plan for success, even though HE seems to be making money off it.

Dee

Haven' been snarky except when attacked for over 9 months. Have not used WSL in nearly as long.

The O'Bryan's have yet to pull a paycheck from the Observer, though other Lakewood Observer
workers do.

But per usual, why let facts get in the way of a good attack on us poor folk.

It was not to pit anyone against anyone, it was to bring into the light of day what s going on.
However it would seem that some will never ever talk in the light of day. Many theories, most
revolve around bad ideas that do not hold up to scrutiny. However it would seem that you do not
care about others getting rich on volunteers, just poor little old me.

And of course Dee, always appreciate you joining the conversation because I am sure your
statements and observations mirror many other Lakewoodites.

Open conversation is what this was all about. Not Kumbaya, but vetting...

peace



.

[Betsy Voinovich]

Hi Dee,

As I said, it was not my intention to say that "Nobody lived north of Clifton." Can you tell me when and where I said that, just so I know? I do believe you, things got pretty emotional there, but my point was the point I've made already. The densest population of families and children live in the center of the city.

If it was at the meeting where the School Board, except for Matt Markling, announced in everybody's faces that they were closing Grant, and they wouldn't give one reason for it, either for closing Grant, or for keeping Roosevelt and Lincoln open-- there were a lot of things to be incensed about that night.

I apologize that I upset people by implying that no-one lived north of Clifton. It is as wrong to be prejudiced against "the rich", those in the beautiful houses, and the "average-incomed" those in the average houses north of Clifton, as it is to be prejudiced against the people living in two-family houses, and the one-family houses (and the gorgeous houses) in the center of the city. We are all residents of this city, and we were talking about public schools.

I did not mean to sound prejudiced in any way, for any reason, against people north of Clifton. Nor did I mean to imply that they did not exist. I think that EVERYONE in the city should be concerned about the fact that our elected officials do not find it necessary to publicly give reasons for what they do.

As I said, there is a lot to be incensed about, and it's terrible that the School Board led the movement to completely divide the city, as if that was their plan. They keep the "rich kids" (yes I know that statistically, none of the schools in Lakewood are rich) school open, in the face of all of the criteria: population, cost (it will cost 12 million dollars more to renovate Lincoln than Grant) that indicated that they should have kept the central school open. It made it look like they had private deals with unnamed and unaccounted for people or groups in the city-- those that came up with the last-minute criteria of "Best for Re-use" for Grant's property, leaving the School Board tongue-tied, when they tried to explain what it meant to the public.

The School Board couldn't have made voting citizens feel worse, and more neglected. I do mean ALL voting citizens. The School Board has bylaws, they are supposed to protect the educational needs of every student in the city, and they didn't have even one reason that had to do with education-- or anything else-- for their actions. If there are good reasons for the decision they made, they should be able to share them. And they should have good reasons.

Anyway, please tell me when/where I said that, just so I know, and for all the people who "can't believe I said that" I say again, I'm sorry. The is a very cool city, and people from all walks of life in Lakewood, including MANY NORTH OF CLIFTON contribute enormously to this city every day, in every way.

As I said, I'm hoping that both schools can stay open, and that our public officials don't continue to lead us down a path of dividing the city because they can't explain themselves when it is their job to know what they're doing. It is their job to be ACCOUNTABLE, and TRANSPARENT. The last school levy campaign used these words, but the School Board does not follow them. These are our children. All of them. North, south, east, west. If the School Board doesn't know what they are doing, it is something we all need to be concerned about.

In Mike Summers' interview in the last Lakewood Observer, he said that "A very exciting aspect of Lakewood is that there are many Lakewoods. I am not familiar with all of them, nor are many of these Lakewoods familiar with me. I look forward to changing this."

What a great way for him to end his first interview as the newly appointed mayor of Lakewood. There is every reason for all of us to work together to make the city a great place to live. It is one of the few cities around that provides such a great quality of life for so many different kinds of people. We should celebrate that by working together. It's great that our new mayor has this as a goal.

Betsy Voinovich