Remembering Those Who Lift Us Up

Since I'm still feeling a bit fragmented, I'm recycling a post from last year via another location. I think it important to note that the mayor here has ordained Monday Helen P. Lee Day as well as MLK Jr. Day. Something tells me Helen would howl with laughter at the thought of that...humble was her nickname.

Posted January, 2007

Whenever I hear anything about Martin Luther King I'm almost always moved to tears. It's a pathetic understatement to mention how influencial he was/is, how full of purpose and resolve, how he literally made the world a better place.

In my line of work I hear the phrase "Things will never change" and "hopeless" a great deal and it's very easy to believe it (especially regarding funding for a non-profit cornerstone of democracy). But I can't help but think how much damage a person can do by saying those words. They get tossed around so casually, and I wonder exactly how many times MLK must have heard them. Did he ever waver? Was he ever deterred? He orchestrated monumental events in Selma, in Birmingham, in Atlanta... but were there any that never happened because a seed of doubt was planted by the friendly neighborhood hate group, or worse - a well-meaning friend?

In Dr. King I have learned that it is feasible for one person, in the span of a very few decades, to change the entire world. Do you have any idea how much hope a thought like that can give? It lifts me up. It makes me. Dig. In. I'm not trying to dream a dream for a whole nation or instill in the world a sense of social justice and equality. But I AM trying to raise my boys. And be a good spouse and a good friend. And work hard at a job I sincerely believe in.

A little hope can come in handy...