'Nuff Said

Thanks, Martin!

By living the life he did, and dying too young, Martin Luther King did more for the people of this world than most others could accomplish in a long lifetime.

"Let freedom ring!" And continue to ring. Let's not ever forget what we came from so we never go back there again.

My Heart is Heavy

I am still in shock over the terrible quake in Haiti. Every time I see footage of people still trapped, people injured with no medical care, no food, no water, no place to sleep, I want to cry. The media has informed us that the best way to help is with cash. Be careful who you give cash to, but you can always give money to the Red Cross, and for faith-based organizations you could donate to World Vision or Christian Reformed World Relief Committee, a little-known, but very well run relief organization within our denomination.

Now is not the time for political posturing, or blaming. I have heard the most outlandish statements from well-known people in this country and it APPALLS me that someone could say these things. An evangelist has said horrible things and one of the ultra-conservative talk show mouthpieces has faulted the president for actually wanting to help these people because they are black.

Time for that evangelist to hang up his pulpit and retire, and I wish that talk-show guy would just SHUT UP!

Anyway, I'll step off my soapbox now and go find my credit card so I can get money to CRWRC as quickly as I can. God bless the lovely people of Haiti.

As Close As I Will Probably Ever Get

Watching Air Force One land in Belgrade, MT. It flew over my house and I got a couple of decent pictures. Couldn't get tickets to the Town Hall Meeting, but I'm watching it on TV. This is the first time since Teddy Roosevelt that a sitting president has visited the area.


Now to hear the give and take at the meeting. Let's hope all parties stay civil. Mr. Obama is good at keeping his cool, so that will be a plus.

What I Did Today

Actually, the important thing I did today was watch the inauguration. I started a pair of mittens for Princess Gracie because mittens are something I've done a lot of and I didn't want to be distracted by a lot of pattern work and counting. I got pretty far even if I really wasn't paying much attention to it.

Today was a day like no other in the history of the United States. The significance is so profound it's hard to get my mind around it.

In 1968 I read the book, "Black Like Me" by John Howard Griffin. A non-fiction published in 1961 it relates how a white man dyes his skin black and spends six weeks traveling by bus and hitchhiking through the South. It's a story that shows the hate and prejudice that was so rampant in the South at that time. The book showed that there was a locked door for which there was no key if you were black. He was called names, not allowed in certain places, not allowed to fully function as an American. The book changed my life.

Today, Barack Obama took the key and unlocked the door. There is no longer a wall between people. By taking the oath of office, he not only unlocked the door, he tore down the wall.

People have argued with me, "A black man has had the right to become President for a long time." Yes, legally, but not in the hearts and minds of Americans. It took a financial crisis of epic proportions to force people to listen to a brilliant man who just might have some answers to get us out of this mess. I consider it a God thing, and I know some of my evangelical brothers and sisters might not agree, but God knows how stubborn and hard-hearted we can be so he had to provide us with a clear answer for this situation our government got us into. He just happens to be black.

Today, in Heaven, I think Abraham Lincoln, Rosa Parks, and Martin Luther King are dancing at their own inaugeral ball.

Tomorrow we'll go back to our regular lives. Politicians will fight again. Fox news will disagree with MSNBC. Jobs will still be scarce. Banks will still be in trouble. Kids will still need better medical care. But just for today, we'll act like real Americans and we get a chance to see what America is supposed to be, what our forefathers intended-"A government of the people, by the people and for the people ."

All people.