Thursday, January 20, 2011
On My Mind
Martin Luther King Day came fast for me this year somehow. OK, so I guess I've had a few things on my mind the past week or so, but still... :)
Olivia and I had a "girl's day" on Monday. Nothing real special, just some shopping, spending time together, lunch, hanging out, etc. But it was special to be together. To enjoy the same things. To have my 9 1/2 year old (can it be true?) point out things she thinks are "cute", get excited over how our basement "makeover" of sorts is coming along, and just to be the older kid hanging with mom for the day.
The irony of a white mom and beautiful dark-skinned daughter being together on this day didn't go unnoticed by me. What a wonderful way to acknowledge how far our country has come, thanks in part to this man we were "celebrating" on that day. The kids and I had the opportunity two summers ago to go to the MLK Jr. National Historic Site in Georgia. Such an amazing experience!
I love that my three kids, siblings yet biologically so different, can come together as a family regardless of the color of their skin.
That isn't to say these things go unnoticed, for certainly, especially as my olders get older, there are questions, occasional worries, wishes to "look like mom," etc. But they are still happy. They are still reaffirmed that both mom and God love them AS THEY ARE.
One of Braeden's "games" is to ask me if I "would love him if..." he was blue or a penguin or... and the list can go on and on. It's cute and he grins through it all, but underneath there is something to his asking. There is somewhere inside that feeling of not belonging, of being different, and he wrestles with that.
I thank all those pioneers. All those who fought the good fight to break down walls of color. Not to disregard the reality of the beautiful colors God created, but to kill the ideas that just because we may be another color somehow makes a person "less than".
Martin Luther King Jr was a wonderful man. I love reading his quotes and hearing new ones I hadn't heard before. He had many profound things to say. And I love that my children are able to follow in the footsteps of so many who have gone before.
Hard to say who they themselves may become some day... but with their resilience and determination... the sky's the limit!
"Life's most urgent question is: what are you doing for others?" ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
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Olivia - 14
Braeden - 11
Liam - 9
Macy - 5
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4 years ago
4 comments:
Love it!
Thanks for sharing. MLK day hit home when my 11 1/2 year old dark skinned daughter (adopted by me, her light skinned mother) said a prayer to the effect of "Thanks for MLK making it possible for my mom to adopt me!" Wow!
Great Post!!
Great post. We too sat around on Monday and discussed the people in history that made it possible for a dark skinned mommy to have a blue-eyed blond, a green-eyed gem and a bi-racial beauty!
Peace