"Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land! And so I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man! Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord!" Martin Luther King, Jr.
It's cold on this MLK Day (feels like 9 degrees, according to KMOX). We got back last night from a good trip to Memphis to see our friends, the Eubanks, and I'm trying to get some writing done today, as well as grade and plan for the rest of the school week.
This morning, I read/watched Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" and "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speeches, the latter of which King gave the day before he was assassinated in Memphis 40 years ago this March (a fact not lost on me as we drove through town yesterday).
I wish we would have had more time to visit the National Civil Rights Museum there in Memphis, but we didn't (or at least we thought we didn't). I kick myself this morning that I didn't deviate if for only an hour from my desire to get back to St. Louis to make the stop; it feels like we really missed an opportunity with the girls on that one.
That said, learn from my mistake and take a moment to reflect on how to be part of racial reconciliation and color-blind justice in our country. We are still in desperate need of both.