thejourney

     It is a beautiful spring morning. I am sitting on my front porch, scrapbook in hand. I am reminiscing on my life. There are wonderful times that I would repeat if I could. And then there are challenges and disappointment that I dare not wish to relive. A young child is seated at my feet, listening to every word I speak. She is galvanized by my tone and disposition. She was me in my youth. As I look into her eyes on this beautiful spring day, I feel as if I am staring directly at summer. Her youth and uninhibited courage remind me of my earlier days. I smile and she reciprocates. I am old, she is young. I have dreamed and lived the dream(s) while her dreams still percolate and take form in her youthful mind. As I hold up a document that marked the change of our nation, she stares in silent amazement. Though her young mind can’t fathom the steps of evil that were tread through to get to this good, she is in awe. She stares at me and asks, ” Nana what’s that?” And with tear filled eyes and a boldness that could rival the bravest lion I say to my granddaughter, ” Baby girl, this is a picture of the first black president of the United States. No matter what you do or where you go in life, NEVER let anyone tell you NEVER!!”

     As I sat watching the election results come in, this image flashed through my head. I have heard stories from the elder members of my family about the days of slavery and of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. They would tell me the struggles of the past and the difference between the past and the present. My grandmother (God rest her soul) would stroke my hair and say “Ressie I used to pick cotton and we used to have to kill our own meat to cook.” And now, as I sit here, I will be able to say that I lived in the time of and voted for THE FIRST BLACK PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.  Now, one thing must be said. Barack didn’t win my support merely because he is black or a democrat. The truth is that there are some aspects of the Republican theory that I do support– in theory only.  The idea that we, as a country, can basically govern ourselves is an idealistic notion. Nevertheless, the actuality of this method of government working for the broad spectrum of America has yet to be proven. Giving more to those with more rarely results in a trickling down of anything. Those that have tend to keep and want more. That is just the human nature of greed. For some people, there never seems to be enough.

     From this moment forward, we as a country will never be the same. There is hope. There is joy and the possibility of anything. There’s nothing impossible when unity is present. Believe and do not fear your dreams. There will be challenges, but NEVER SAY NEVER!!!!!

FMH,

Shiri

     This is just a snippet of last night’s fabulousness!!! ENJOY!!

      Today is the last day to register to vote. I know that by the time many people read this the registration deadline will have come and gone.  Therefore I will focus this post on the importance of voting and a few of the issues at hand.  This election is so important for so many reasons. I think that the concentration of most minds has been on the fact that, for the first time in history, an African American male has an amazingly great chance to win this election.  There is also the possibility that a female will hold the office of vice president. For a few moments though, I would like to focus on a few of the issues looming over our heads.

     1. Global Warming- If you haven’t had the opportunity to see Al Gore’s documentary “An Inconvenient Truth” I would strongly suggest adding that film to your collection. He touches on so many different points which illuminate the trouble our Earth is in. I think that we take all of that information for granted because we can’t see its direct effect in our everyday living. The Earth hasn’t gotten to the point YET where you walk outside and scorch your skin from the trapped infared rays. Nevertheless, those days are no longer mythical, but inevitable if we don’t take sincere and immediate action.

     2. Health Care- This issue has been a constant fight in our society. It amazes me how a life can be equated to dollars and cents. In foreign countries there is FREE HEALTH CARE. There is no consideration of whether or not a person can afford it. The provision is made and, despite economic status, health care is available to EVERYONE. What is so different about our country? Why is inadequate health care coverage often the reason that many people waste away in emergency rooms?

And finally…….

     3. Education- Where did we go wrong with this one? There was a time when I was told as a child that one of  the most important things you could ever achieve in life was an adequate education. Now, there is so much more focus on other issues that are not as pertinent to the future of our nation. Teachers aren’t adequately compensated. This is often a deterring factor for many who could make an enormous contribution to the world of education, but refrain from doing so becuase they are concerned about their ability to support themselves or a family sufficiently.

     These and other issues should be the basis on which we vote. Listen to the candidates. Let’s force them to talk to us and tell us the realities. It’s time to be less concerned about the personal lives of these candidates and more involved with what they WILL do for this country. No matter who you decide to vote for, these factors should be taken into consideration. Get out there and VOTE!!!!!

 FMH,

Shiri

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