The Moments that Define Us

Defining moments.

My first memory of seeing the Statue of Liberty.

➡️In 1970, when I was in second grade in New Jersey, my class took a trip to the Statue of Liberty.

It was only a 30-minute drive from our cushy, middle-class neighborhood.

Back then, everyone brought metal lunch boxes to school.😯

But for this trip, our lunches were packed in brown paper bags instead.

My classmates and I sat at the base of the Statue and ate lunch, looking out over Liberty Island.

I finished most of my sandwich, walked to the rusted, weathered garbage can, and tossed my bag on top of the pile. 🗑️

A minute later, I saw a homeless man reach into the can and take my bag. He began eating what I had thrown away.

That night, I asked my parents why anyone would eat food from the garbage.

They answered me in just three sentences.

I cried.

And I never forgot that moment.

➡️The next year, in 1971, a classmate called me a dirty J*ew.

I was only 9 years old. 😢

➡️1976- I successfully lobbied the principal at my middle school for permission to paint the bicycle rack Red, White, and Blue to commemorate the bicentennial. Some friends pitched in. We made the yearbook.

➡️1980- I went to college in CT. A few new roommates and I go exploring in nearby New Haven.

A new friend from New York and I casually walked past a homeless person sleeping on the street.

One of the other girls, who was from rural New Hampshire, was mortified.

She was 18 and had never seen a homeless person.

She cried.

The rest of us shrugged.

➡️1985 - The song/anthem “We Are the World” was released.🎶

I’m now a radio news reporter and anchor, covering stories about the Ethiopian famine.

Music reminds me that a small group of kindhearted people can unite the masses.

➡️July 3, 1994 - my grandmother passed away at age 95. 💔 She was born in Brooklyn in 1899. Her life reminded me of my American roots. And the American Dream.

➡️2001 - Sept. 11th in New Jersey. No words.

I watched a tribute concert at Yankee Stadium where Neil Young performed John Lennon’s “Imagine.” I cry like a baby.

➡️2008 - I wasn’t sure it would happen in my lifetime. The first African American, Barack Obama, is elected president of the United States.

➡️Today, 2026, I still remember that second-grade trip to the Statue of Liberty.

The lesson I learned at that garbage can has stayed with me more than anything I ever read in a textbook.

Don’t stare. Don’t step over people. Don’t shrug.

➡️Look for ways to help others.

➡️Step into action.

➡️Don't shrug off indifference.

Max Ehrmann wrote these stirring words in his poem "Desiderata" in 1927:

 
”With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful.

Strive to be happy.”

🧨Happy 250th to the United States of America. 🧨

Don't let history define us by this moment.