Happy spring! Or at least I think it’s spring. Today is the last day of the kids’ spring vacation, and the season officially started a week and a half ago, but it’s still cold and stormy here in Western Oregon. This weekend saw a couple feet of snow in the mountain passes, and hailstorms here in the valley. But did we let that stop us from taking the kids on a fun day trip yesterday? No way! I’ll tell you a bit about it in another post if I have time this week.
But first, I’d like to highlight the story of a woman who had an amazing life journey, ending this last week at the age of 99. I’d never heard of her before I found this article in BBC news. I’ll let the article tell you most of the story, because it does a great job. Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guebrou left the capital of Ethiopia to attend school in Switzerland as a girl, became a pioneering pianist, became the first female secretary in Ethiopia’s ministry of foreign affairs, lived in exile on a Mediterranean island during Mussolini’s occupation of Ethiopia, and lived as a barefoot nun in a remote part of the country for most of her life. She endured tragedy and triumphed over gender inequalities. She played for the emperor as a young girl and now her music is a part of the culture in Ethiopia. Known there as the Piano Queen, I hope her legacy will live on. The first link below is BBC’s article from this week about her life, and the second is one of her most famous songs, The Homeless Wanderer.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-65100892
The Compass Rose Queen 