...don�t try to figure out my experience � there�s no method to my madness...
THE INVITATIONOriah Mountain Dreamer, Indian Elder
It doesn�t interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for And if you dare to dream of meeting your heart�s longing.
It doesn�t interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool For love For your dream For the adventure of being alive.
It doesn�t interest me what planets are squaring Your moon. I want to know if you have touched the center Of your own sorrow If you have been opened by life�s betrayals Or have become shriveled and closed From fear of further pain.
I want to know if you can sit with pain Mine or your own Without moving to hide it Or fade it Or fix it.
I want to know if you can be with joy Mine or your own If you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you To the tips of your fingers and toes Without cautioning us To be careful To be realistic To remember the limitations of being human.
It doesn�t interest me if the story you are telling me is true. I want to know if you can disappoint another To be true to yourself. If you can bear the accusation of betrayal And not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless And therefore trustworthy. I want to know if you can see Beauty Even when it is not pretty every day.. And if you can source your own life From its presence.
I want to know if you can live with failure Yours and mine And still stand on the edge of the lake And shout to the silver of the full moon, �Yes.�
It doesn�t interest me to know where you live Or how much money you have. I want to know if you can get up after a night Of grief and despair Weary and bruised to the bone To do what needs to be done To feed the children.
It doesn�t interest me who you know Or how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand In the center of the fire with me And not shrink back.
It doesn�t interest me where or what or with whom You have studied. I want to know what sustains you From the inside When all else falls away.
I want to know if you can be alone with yourself And if you truly like the company you keep In the empty moments.
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"Thoughts on Coretta" - 2006-02-07, 7:06 p.m. "I am convinced that if I had not had a wife with the fortitude, strength and calmness � Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I'm sure that there are a lot of people that are giving their opinions and reflections and commentaries on the life of Coretta Scott King. I feel that I would be neglecting a part of myself if I didn't say what was on my mind - pay tribute to a remarkable woman whose legacy has been engraved in every part of me that is African American. A woman whose example young black women should look at as something to emulate and teach their daughters to emulate as well. I remember my mother telling me stories about when she was a little girl growing up in Hampton - about how her skin tone was "too light to be black, but too dark to be white." I remember her telling me of when they first integrated the schools in Virginia; how hatred and bigotry ruled and overpowered the good things that were attempting to take place. I remember talking to my grandmother about racism. My grandmother lived through every moment of the civil rights movement, being that she's almost 88 now. In some of her reactions to things now, you can see the impact of that time period in her sppech - in the way that she carries herself. People of that time period (at least to me) walk with an overwhelming sense of dignity. They live with a strength that people of my generation in some ways fail to possess. I look at it as a "walk of struggle." My husband and I got into a discussion about our daughter. We talked about how while we were growing up, we had the ability to ask out parents and our grandparents questions about events that shaped and molded our country and our race. Medgar Evers, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Kennedy... the first steps of integration, the Balck Panther movement... even things as common to us as the introduction of cars and telephones and televisions into mainstream society. As we talked, I asked him "What will we teach Akaiylyn? What historic events can we talk about that had anywhere near as much of an impact as those of our parents and our grandparents?" Sure, we can talk about 9/11. We can talk about the War in Iraq and violence in the Middle East. But what can we say that we've experienced that comes anywhere near those of our forefathers. This is my conclusion: Those of us in my generation have been fortunate enough to live in the glory of other people's struggles. We've been fortunate enough to have people like Coretta Scott King to demand our equalty and civil liberties through nonviolence and commitment to her faith. I can talk about racism, but my understanding of placing lives on the line for equal opportunities is limited to the stories of the people who came before me - Dr. Martin and Coretta. They helped pave the way so that we didn't have to. They made the world a better place just for continuing to believe that we deserved better than what they were recieving. I grew up seeing many pictures of Martin Luther King. But the ones that stick out in my mind the most are pictures of him with his family - with his children and Coretta Scott King. I've seen so many programs over the years on his birthday where she has either spoken or been seen putting the wreath at his gravesite commemorating his life. Through all of the stories of the life of Martin Luther King, I will always remember the things that happened AFTER his death. I will remember how the Civil Rights Movement continued to move forward due to people like Coretta Scott King. People who had the fortitude to stand in places like Memphis afte rhe husband was assasinated and continue to preach nonviolence. People who went from being the spouse of a legacy to being a legacy themselves. I will remember her as a woman who risked herself and her family for others. I will remember her as a mother who believed that what she was doing would make things better for her children. I will remember her as a woman who put used her God-given talents to promote equality in the face of resistance. I will remember her as someone that I can only hope to be like - someone I can teach my daughter about and hopefully set an example that she would be proud to follow. And even though I never had the pleasure of meeting her, the example that she set through her actions will be an neverending memory and a constant reminder of how to lead a righteous life. She will be missed and mourned long after she is entombed. God bless Coretta Scott King and the contributions that she made to society. May we all strive to one day be like her. -Blessings
In memory - 2006-09-06 all content copyright its-a-newday 2005 |
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