MLK

When we took a trip to Canada this past September, we stopped in Washington, DC.  We didn't get there until probably 11:00 that night, but we drove downtown anyway.  The monuments and memorials are breathtaking at night.  As we were driving, I looked out the window and saw the side of one of the memorials.  Immediately, I wondered if it was the Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial.  We parked the car and walked down to it.  Sure enough, it was.  If you've never seen the MLK memorial, it is amazing, especially at night.  When you first walk into the memorial, this is what you see--a large stone that has been cut in two.  The piece cut out of it is a few feet away.  You can see it in between the two pieces.

 The next picture is the side view of the cut out piece.  The quote on this side took my breath away.  It says, "Out of  the mountain of despair, a stone of hope."  Not to diminish King at all, for I hold him in very high regards, but when I read that quote, I was holding Lily, and I couldn't help but think how appropriate that quote was to her.  She is my stone of hope that came out of such a mountain of despair.  Dave tried to get a picture of Lily standing underneath that quote, but I was in the picture (not one to share after a ten hour drive!) and the quote was broken up. 

 The next picture is the front view of that cut up piece.  Not what you expected?  Not what I expected.  But I think it is a beautifully captivating statue.  That's Dave with Gabriel and Soleil in the picture.

 I just had to share this picture.  I love the way the Washington Monument points in the background.

I cannot help but admire those who have stood in the face of adversity to fight for the dignity of others.  MLK. Gandhi. Mother Teresa. Mandela.  So heroic.  More than I will ever be.  But there is this little girl who calls me to fight for her dignity and the dignity of others who face the same adversity.  I do it on a daily basis.  My work is much more quietly done than the work of these heroes, but that doesn't phase her one single bit.  What's important is that she knows my love for her drives me.


I will never have a statue made out of my image.  Millions of people will never visit my grave.  Books about me will never sit on bookstore shelves.   But I will forever be etched into Lily's heart, and that is enough for me.