Memory of my dad

Today I was talking to my sister. She had been contacted by a man, through Facebook, about our age who recognized our last name "Copeland". When he was a kid, his older brother took Judo lessons from my dad at the YMCA. My dad was a third degree blackbelt. (side note: my cousin Richard said that he and my dad used to go to Manzanar Japanese Internment camp during the ward for Judo tournaments - they had to have them their because that is were all of the judo masters were and it was the only way they could advance) Anyway, this man remembered my dad. His parents became friends with my parents, came to our house. His mother had an old address book that had our house address and phone number and that of my dad's barbershop in Silverlake. His mom remember my mother bring sushi back from Little Tokyo. It was the first sushi she ever had and now she loves sushi. Of course back then, J-town was the only place to get sushi and it was the traditional stuff they eat in Japan...no soft shell crab and avocado in those.

Why I Work

As you have read by some of my latest entries, I am in a moment of self reflection. Yesterday I was in a position to tell someone why I have worked practically my whole adult life. Now for many of my friends, this is just a given, two income families and all of that, but for my LDS friends and the counsel that we have received from our leaders, a mom should be free to be in her home and raise her children. This was my wish and desire and for many, many years and I resented that I was not able to do that.


What I have realized over the years, is that I could have stayed home and forced the issue, lived on assistance, etc. to make it work, but my upbringing would not let me.


My mom was a stay at home mom for the first five years of my life. I remember the idyllic picture in my head.....the house clean, dinner on the table, everything in its place. At five that all changed when my dad got mugged and was permanently ill after that and my mom went to work. She, like me, was gone 12 hours a day. Everything changed. She held it together well enough for the five years before my dad died, she remembered when the school pictures were and we were still dressed alike and "put together".


What I remember about all that was her repeatedly telling Gwyne and me that we had to have our education. We needed to be able to support ourselves if anything ever happened. Once I joined the church, I heard the same counsel from President Spencer W. Kimball telling young women to get an education, be home with their children, an educated mom educates a whole family, etc. and if anything happens, she would be prepared to take care of her family. I followed the counsel and have been grateful everyday that when I did go to work I was an a professional position that could support my family.


After all these years Owen and I are a true team and my boys have seen that transition...for better or worse. Time will tell how their upbringing will manifest in their lives.