Seasons and Cycles of Life

Life moves in seasons or cycles, or so I believe. A breath in and a breath out - a child is born and with that first breath we hear the cry of her voice.

Last week many of us witnessed the movement of an entire life cycle in less than 1 week, beginning to end - and were left feeling struck over the head. What? How can this be? Two beautiful babies were born into "this life." First came Anna Kate (bottom left) a beauty for sure, with pretty red hair. Morgan delivered Maximus 3 days later and he is so handsome. (pictured top right) Yes, a new journey begins ... I can't wait to see what life holds for them.

Then a sweet friend took her last breath (unexpectedly). Cindy exuded life and life abundant. (pictured top left) I can't find any answers for this loss. She wasn't in the "winter" of life. She was here and then she wasn't. What I know for sure is that God's hand is on all three and there is great peace in that. God was with Anna Kate and Maximus as they took their first breath and God was with Cindy when she took her last. Won't it be wonderful if Anna Kate and Maximus can learn to live and love - just as Cindy - wholeheartedly. I believe there are those who come before us to light the way. ... As I am writing this, it just struck me that not only can Cindy live before Anna Kate and Max but for all of us still here. She is with the cloud of witnesses - for her there is peace and sabbath rest.

For us who are left, we wrestle with what is known and unknown. We are left with God - who is all and in all - who is LOVE. We can mourn and grieve and call out to him. We may hear him answer and we may not hear anything but our own breath. This makes me think about the day my father died - also Linda's birthday. I can't recall if I heard the Fathers voice but something in me told me it was alright. In a way it makes an odd sense. Birth, life, and an ending of one - all on the same date. It happens every day I'm sure. But for me when October 22 comes I not only celebrate Linda's life but I reflect on my fathers and I'm thankful for his life here and that he has moved on ahead.

Audra Mae sings this version (though the acapella version is the one I wanted to use) of the song "Forever Young" that I want to dedicate to Anna Kate, Maximus and Cindy - the words ring true and stand strong.

Peace my dear friends, and most of all - love.

For Those Who Came Before

For those who don't know me, first and formost I am a child of God. I am not a "political activist." Mostly I don't like politics - politics is messy and can change people. But the following words (which are many, but worthy of reading) are here in dedication to some others who have come and gone in this life. This post is for those I've loved and lost who did not see November 4, 2008 in their lives. This is especially for Maxine and Vivian; for Nancy Zorena, Ivy Zoe, Bernice Mae and those who worked for my father's family. This is for those who had a dream, and did not give it up. This is for those who struggled through - and showed US that we can as well. I may not realize all of my dreams in my lifetime - but it does not mean they will not come or be fulfilled. Hold fast to your dreams.

From President Elect Barak Obama
"If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer. ... It's the answer that led those who've been told for so long by so many to be cynical and fearful and doubtful about what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day. ... It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this date, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America. ...The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even in one term. But, America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you, we as a people will get there. There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as president. And we know the government can't solve every problem. ... above all, I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation, the only way it's been done in America for 221 years — block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand. ... And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright: Tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope. That's the true genius of America: that America can change. Our union can be perfected. What we've already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow. ...This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight's about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing: Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old. She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons — because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin. And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America — the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can. At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can. When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs, a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can. When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can. She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that "We Shall Overcome." Yes we can. A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can. America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves — if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made? This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time, to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope. And where we are met with cynicism and doubts and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can.


From one of my favorite poets:
As I Grew Older
It was a long time ago.
I have almost forgotten my dream.
But it was there then,
In front of me,
Bright like a sun--
My dream.
And then the wall rose,
Rose slowly,
Slowly,
Between me and my dream.
Rose until it touched the sky--
The wall.
Shadow.
I am black.
I lie down in the shadow.
No longer the light of my dream before me,
Above me.
Only the thick wall.
Only the shadow.
My hands!
My dark hands!
Break through the wall!
Find my dream!
Help me to shatter this darkness,
To smash this night,
To break this shadow
Into a thousand lights of sun,
Into a thousand whirling dreams
Of sun!
Langston Hughes

A brief excerpt from Martin Luther Kings speech "I Have Dream"
"... 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 today! ... 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 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." ... 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."

A Story From a Young Girl

There she was, dark hair, big eyes, some teased her about her skinny legs - she loved to skip and twirl and play outside. But there was much more to her than these things. Her fathers' family came from the deep South (Alabama and Georgia) and her mother grew up in Harlingen Texas - her mother came from an impoverished family. The girl's family lived in Dallas Texas.

Her father was the oldest of six children and quite a bit older than her mother (the youngest of six). When her father was growing up in Alabama, he told his daughter that the family had a "mammy". Well, the daughter really couldn't understand that and why would the family want to have one?

Every summer the family took a trip back south to visit relatives - often the girl's grandparents would come along. One trip the family stopped to see her grandmother's sister. Lurline was her name. Well, her great aunt, Lurline, had a "mammy" (an African American woman) and the girl followed her around the house, talking and asking questions. The mammy prepared lunch for the visiting family and set the table. The table was lovely, the food looked so good, and they sat down to say a prayer. But, before that happened - mammy left the room. The young girl was puzzled and after the prayer asked why mammy wasn't sitting down to eat with the family. The girl was told in no uncertain terms that it was not appropriate for her to eat with the rest; she would eat in the kitchen. The young girl was so upset, she left the table and told her family she would not eat with them and went flying through the swinging door to the kitchen and asked if she could eat there with the sweet woman who had spent the day with her.

This young girl heard stories from her father that African Americans were to serve the "white" people. This didn't seem right but when a parent says something, a child tends to believe him or her. On the other hand, the girls mother included her in trips to "West Dallas" where there were tenements for the poor. Sometimes they packed up grocery bags of food to take to different families, families the girl had never seen before. Many of them were African American - the girl thought this was wonderful that her family could help - but after her father found out he didn't want the mother and daughter to go there anymore - it would be dangerous. Dangerous? The girl had seen how humbled the families were to have help. The girl wondered if the mother understood about being poor and maybe about sharing her life with others who looked different.

The girl cried when Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy were killed. She cried when she saw what was happening in Selma Alabama and other places in the South. She couldn't understand why the color of someones skin made them different or valued less than others. Martin Luther King was a preacher and a man of peace. Bobby Kennedy was a champion for Civil Rights - why was there so much hatred?

Some years passed and the girls mother died at a young age. Now it was the girl who had to figure out what was right and wrong for herself. Oh, her father loved her - and maybe loved her too much; wanting to protect her from everything - especially if she had different ideas about life than he did. She was called "queer" and "odd" and she'd argue with her father about some of his ideas. As she grew she felt very bad for believing some of the things her father had taught her.

She deeply loved the African American women and men who were in her life. After her mother died - she listened to the women especially, they taught her about what real life was and wasn't. She wanted the world to change. She began to have hopes and dreams -

On November 4, she witnessed a dream come true, she watched with tears in her eyes as President-elect Barack Obama spoke to thousands about the change that has come, and that some dreams have now been realized, and with hope we can come together as a country to become one nation. Wow, she never knew this would come in her lifetime. It is here and she finds herself thinking about the African American men and women who have been part of her life and is so thankful to them for loving her and caring for her. And - she hopes she loved them well.

As you may have guessed - the young girl was me. The story was easier to tell in third person. Sometimes it is hard to share things about yourself. But, I am so very thankful for this time - November 4, 2008 will be an important day for me the rest of my life. Looking back now, I believe it was the culture that my father had grown up in that gave him his beliefs - it didn't make him right - it just seemed to be the explanation. I believe he sought forgiveness and learned what real hope was before he died. I am thankful to both of my parents for doing their best and sharing their faith in God with me. I think this is a beginning and I pray that as time goes by we will see more changes come our way -


I want to share part of one of my favorite songs these days
"What Are We Fighting For"

Oh my Lord
I have a dream
Oh my Lord
One day we'll see
Oh my Lord
All men be free
Oh my Lord
I still believe

People let's love one another, we're sisters and brothers
What are we fighting for?
Too many backs that are breaking, lives being taken
What are we killing for?
I think it's time for forgiveness, to rise up and end this
What are we waiting for?
Love teach us the way, to overcome hate
And weapons of war.


Singer, Tyrone Wells