MLK Day

It has been gray out for days, it seems.

Yesterday morning we sat around the breakfast table and read from Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech.

Afterward, I turned on music and set them to it with paints and large sections of butcher paper, telling them I wanted them to paint something that inspired them from the speech, or something it made them think about.

Isaiah painted the Lincoln Memorial, where King delivered the speech.

Benji drew King in his sleep, having a dream of little black boys and little black girls holding hands.

Mia imagined a storefront of a cafe from the '60s where segregation was still in place.

And Claire just painted---because.

Afterward, they busied themselves with whatever they wanted to do: playing with their cousin, time with friends.

My little gal and I made a cake for MLK day: we made a chocolate layer, then rinsed out the bowl and went for another round making the vanilla layer.

After the cakes came out, two of the kids were gone playing and two were in my bed watching a movie.  It was rainy/snowy out, and I slipped outside to run.  

It was cold---but not unpleasant, quiet and peaceful.  I got wet in the rain and listened to a good tune on repeat.  So relaxing and lovely.

When I got home, I got busy making both chocolate and vanilla icing and put the cake together, topping it with crushed peanut butter cups.

After dinner, we lit tea lights in the dark and talked about using the light within us to rally for causes that are right, for things we feel passionate about.  

I told them I have no idea what is in store for them or what will happen in days ahead.  But I'm really inspired by folks like Martin that used their voices to brighten the world, to shine light on truth, to build bridges of love and not hate.

Which brings me to this, because it is along the same vein.  This quote that I read on Sunday night by the fire in the quiet keeps resurfacing in my mind:

"How are we supposed to act when we are offended, misunderstood, unfairly or unkindly treated, or sinned against?  What are we supposed to do if we are hurt by those we love, or passed over for promotion, or are falsely accused, or have our motives unfairly assailed?  Do we fight back?  Do we send in an ever-larger battalion?  Do we revert to an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, or...do we come to the realization that this finally leaves us blind and toothless?"

(Howard W. Hunter)

I love this---so much.  I love how he expresses this idea.

He also taught that "gentleness is better than brutality, that kindness is greater than coercion."

I think MLK Jr. understood this too, fighting for a cause without becoming violent.

I'm inspired by his courage, his conviction, his light.

On Civil Rights

On Monday during lunch, while the kids were having some trail mix post sandwiches (for Isaiah and Mia) and cereal (for Benji), we read this story and this story.

I think they correlated quite nicely -- treating others as you would like to be treated, not treating others as less than yourself.

The thing I love about the first book is that it shares the phrase of the golden rule in the way it is taught from various religions: Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and the Shawnee Tribe.  It also promotes thinking about applying the rule in different situations from a child's perspective, and was very thought-provoking for me as well.  

Then we read about Martin Luther King's life in the other book, and I prefaced it with earlier conversations we've had on slavery and the poor treatment of black people, the whole ugly issue of racism and how wrong it is.

The story sketches Martin's life as a child and as an adult.

What he fought for, how he worked and prayed with people.

It shares the Rosa Parks incident.

We talked about how Martin knew it was right to fight for equal rights, even though it was scary.

He had courage and he knew he was doing God's work.

I love that famous phrase: "I have a dream."  It moves me to the core.

We talked about how some white people wouldn't let black people in their stores, on the bus, use their toilets, share their common things.  They viewed black people as LESS, as dirty or unclean.

I asked them throughout the discussion if they thought this was right, to which the answer was always no.

Benji didn't understand why Rosa Parks was arrested because she wouldn't give up her seat.  He said, "The policemen did that, Mom?"

I spent time reinforcing.

We talked about how we are all God's children, and not one of us is any better than anyone else, regardless of skin color, eye shape, or any other discriminatory factor.

We are all equal and all beautiful.

Then, after this discussion, Isaiah came out with this:

"If the white people kept doing that to the black people, I would grow up to be the bishop and teach them all about Jesus Christ and that they can use the same potties and the same buses and the same plates and tables as the white people are." 

Aside from it kind of cracking me up that he referred to being a bishop so he could teach people what was right (we had talked about how Martin was a minister), I thought it was very profound.

I found myself uttering a silent prayerful wish, right then, in my mind and heart:

Oh Isaiah, I hope you have the courage to fight the injustices in your time.

I hope you have the courage to speak up and out.

To teach truth by your words and example.

And God, please give me the courage to do the same.

What Women Need to Know

A long-time friend had her baby last Sunday. Penelope Mae, which I think is just lovely in and of itself. But I just got on her blog to look at the pictures she had posted of her sweet babe and read her note. And after giving all the little details about weight and birth time and height, she said my favorite line: "And was gorgeous from the moment she was born."

Made my heart sort of leap and I felt a tinge of emotion.

I look at my sweet baby girl and wonder how I could ever love someone more. I wonder if someone will love her and treat her as special as she deserves to be treated someday. Will they see in her that divine spark? Will they feel her overwhelming, beautiful spirit? Will she know how special, how beautiful, how remarkable she is?

I hope she knows.

Our time is a time when the world isn't kind to women regarding looks and expectations, and far too many of us beat ourselves up when we don't seem to meet the impossible standard. See here and here, for example. (Seriously, I kind of stagger every time I watch these.)

And then I think about how much I love this talk, how grateful I am for divine guidance, and how much I need to review it sometimes to remind myself. Click here for the text or here to listen. I breathe in this breath of fresh air with joy, grateful that there is still truth coming amid all the junk out there.

It is a thing to marvel, for me, this becoming a mother, and seeing another woman (my baby girl) in a fantastically adoring way. And not wanting her to ever wonder if she is enough, if she is beautiful, if she is wonderful. And it also makes me think about the times when I struggle with these questions, about the times that I need the reminder, a true north to help me remember. And it is a wonder to realize that my parents felt and knew these truths about me the way I recognize them in my sweet Mia. Then comes a calm, sweet whisper inside.

Yes, I was gorgeous from the moment I was born. I still am. And all of you women were. And you still are.

That is the truth, folks.

So I look at her, and I wonder these things, and I hold her close. I can tell her I love her and hug her and encourage and support and be there. And when the day comes that she has these questions, I hope she knows.

I hope she knows.

Fighting for a Cause

So, we watched this movie on Saturday night. I really liked it -- for multiple reasons.

Encouraging freedom. All men (and women) being created equal. Bridging understanding while closing the door on ignorance. Compassion and human frailty and greed vs. integrity. Soul, spirit, passion. Passion to change something, to lift one's voice, to make a difference -- to change the world.

The thing is, as I was watching it (and during the ensuing discussion afterward), I couldn't shake the question that kept coming to the forefront of my mind:

What cause am I fighting for?

In regard to all of the swirling issues that we face today, I kind of felt like I wasn't contributing in that sense (inside voice saying: "What difference am I making?"). My voice isn't heard on those issues (and, frankly, I don't make it a point to voice my opinions on many of them). But it's more than that: I am not in a political or public circle, working on that kind of a scale to do something. So I started to wonder...what am I fighting for? What do I see in the world that worries me, what do I feel passionate about? And, in the end, I came up with these three things. (And, incidentally, I think they are connected to many (if not most) of the other problems we have.)

I feel passionately about, and wish to raise my voice regarding the sanctity of womanhood.


I rejoice in the joy, crowning role and importance of motherhood in a culture where it seems most view mothering as a "secondary" position to your "real" job.


And lastly, I believe in the central importance of the family, under attack from all different forces.


Yes, these are causes I am fighting for.
(I might just have to do a follow-up post on each of them. Stay tuned.)


But in the meantime, I am curious to know:

What are you fighting for? And why?