Friday, January 23, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
God, avocados, and MLK Jr.!
So around noon on Friday my boss asks me where I want to go to lunch, and as per my usual, I was quick to reply "I have no idea, wherever you want." She said, "I think I want to go to a diner, but not the one here (by my new office), I want to go to the one in Warren (by our old office)." So off we went, to a diner I haven't been to in a year, that either him nor I live anywhere near, and guess who walks by me in my booth?!
Yes, our God is awesome. I don't believe in coincidences, only God-incidences. We got to chat for a couple minutes and I got to tell him about married life and Isaac and such (who he didn't even know existed!) It was lovely. Thank you Jesus!
In the land of Isaac, not too much is going on...his tooth is continuing to come in, enough that he has bitten his lip and erupted in tears 3 times. And I think the other bottom tooth is right behind it, since he cannot go 5 minutes the past 2 days without something in his mouth, and he's not very happy about it...he's pretty cranky. But we're having a blast nonetheless. We tried the avocado, but he definitely wasn't a fan. Once he's introduced to bananas, I'll try it again mixed with bananas. So we tried peas instead and he seemed to like them!
Diego got to use up the leftover avocado to make a Brazilian favorite of his-mashed avocado and sugar!
I tried a bite, but can't say that I really enjoyed it. (Sorry babe!) However, another way to do it is to make it into a smoothie of sugar and milk, and I think that might be on my list of things to try soon!
I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.
Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.
But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we’ve come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.
In a sense we’ve come to our nation’s capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the “unalienable Rights” of “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked “insufficient funds.”
But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we’ve come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.
We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children.
It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro’s legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. And those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.
But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.
The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.
We cannot walk alone.
And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead.
We cannot turn back.
There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, “When will you be satisfied?” We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the negro’s basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their self-hood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating: “For Whites Only.” We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until “justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.”¹
I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. And some of you have come from areas where your quest — quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.
Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.
And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today!
I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of “interposition” and “nullification” — one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
I have a dream today!
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; “and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.”2
This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with.
With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
And this will be the day — this will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with new meaning:
My country ’tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.
Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim’s pride,
From every mountainside, let freedom ring!
And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.
And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.
Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.
Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.
Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.
Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.
But not only that:
Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.
From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:
Free at last! Free at last!
Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!
:)
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Heavy Heart
http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20090112/NEWS/901120358
Her sister Carolyn's 2 children were one of the families that I nannied for a few years ago. "Auntie J" was very dear to their hearts. She came over to visit them often, and they adored her. She was also the "mother" figure in Arianna's life, the daughter of the third sister who died 10 years ago of melanoma. Deanna found out she had cancer when she was pregnant, and died a year after Arianna was born. Janet stepped in and tried to be as close as possible to her to support her as she grew.
My heart just breaks for this family. For the parents who have lost 2 children in 10 years, for Carolyn, who is now the only child left of the 3 daughters, and for Arianna who has lost not only her mother, but her "second" mom. They are all followers of Christ, and their parents are exceptional and strong people, but I can't imagine the pain they must feel losing a second daughter 10 years and 1 day after the first.
Please join me in prayer for this family as they go through this difficult transition.
"I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die."~John 11:25-26
Monday, January 12, 2009
Sweet Potatoes
AND, if that wasn't exciting enough, Isaac must have loved eating real food and is looking forward to more, because this morning he awoke with his first little bottom tooth popping through his gums!!! I can't get a picture of it yet since it's just the tip poking out and for some reason he doesn't like me putting the camera in his mouth...I dunno why......but I'm hoping it will grow in quick!
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Videos, Isaac, and Blogging, Oh My!
I think Isaac has the most adorable laugh on the face of the planet (I'm sure every parent thinks likewise of their kids). Sometimes I'm literally moved to tears by the adorableness (is that a word?!) and sweet sound of it. This video wasn't exactly one of those moments, but I thought it was pretty darn cute! The laughs were more intense before the camera started rolling, but as in true Isaac fashion, as soon as the camera is turned on, he likes to stop entertaining us. ;)
Isaac finally got his feet to his mouth, after lots of practice. He seemed to enjoy it!
Isaac in his "Around-We-Go". He's been stumbling around in it for a couple weeks, but a couple of days ago, he finally "got it". Notice how Diego has to hide every time Isaac seems him, because he stops in his tracks.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Living My Dash
I read of a man who stood to speak
"whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away."
The attempt.
Aaaah the frustration!
Booo hooo!
"I think I'll just look at Mom and blow bubbles instead...."
"Or just let her take pictures of me!"
:o) Good Night!
Monday, January 5, 2009
It bit me...
If nothing else, perhaps this will still be around when I'm gone for my kids to read...I can't imagine the internet is going anywhere, right? January is a good time to start this type of thing, ya know? New year, new beginnings, new blog....
Right now I'm watching my dear husband eat leftover shrimp and spaghetti after just getting home from work. He thinks I'm watching TV with him while surfing the internet, but he will soon find out that's not the case ;)
Sweet baby Isaac is in dreamland, where I'm praying he will stay until about 7am tomorrow...chances are, it ain't happenin.
I guess since it's New Year's, I should mention some resolutions. I can never decide on one, I always seem to want to progress/change in all different areas of my life. So in no particular order, they are:
- Lose the rest of my "baby weight", and hopefully more.
- Save some serious cash to put down on a house.
- Begin managing my own properties, and selling them completely by myself by August 2009.
- Connect with all the people in my life that have gotten lost in the shuffle of married baby life.
And now I'm off to dreamland myself, cause hubby just discovered what I'm doing!! ahh!
