Yesterday was Martin Luther King Jr. Day. My wife and I had gone to the Y the day before to work out. Things were slow. Some of the staff were gathered in the foyer. They were all people of color. Most were chatting. Posters and old newspaper clippings of Dr. King were taped all around.
When leaving I couldn’t help but share;
“Years ago, I sat with 42 others listening to a man give a
lecture titled, The Love of All Mankind. It was about Dr. King's life and
teachings. When he finished, 42 people sat
drenched in tears. God bless Dr. King.”
“Praise God,” I heard one say.
The next day, at work, we were finishing a deal with a
couple from Belarus. Their accents were heavy. I asked how things were at home.
“Well, you know our leader is good friends with Putin so
things are not good,” the lady said.
“Did you come here to escape? “I asked.
“Not so much. My husband has a degree in engineering but there
was no work. Here, we are needed.”
That Saturday we were near closing. A family of Mom, Dad,
and 19-year-old son came in at closing time. I am a used car dealer. We managed
to connect, and they bought the car. I had to run back into the office to get a
different screwdriver to put the license plate on. Jogging back, I saw them in a group hug. They
were all crying.
“Darn, ya’ll gonna make ME cry.”I said.
After the tag was on each one of them reached to give me a
tearful hug. It was the young man’s first car. He was going to drive himself to
work for the first time.
“Thank you for God’s presence,” I said.
I quote from Dr. King; “Love is the greatest force in the
universe., it is the heartbeat of the moral cosmos. He who loves is a
participant on the being of God.”
I’m a salty old cuss. I grew up during Jim Crow. I saw signs
above bathrooms at an amusement park, “Coloreds … Whites.” We used words that I
won’t use now. We had race riots in high school. I didn’t know any people of
color until I joined the Navy during Nam. There were problems there that we
ironed out on our own. It got ugly. Then it got better.
I’d have told you things had gotten better and still believe
they have for the most part, but I can’t help but read between the lines and
feel like that old hate is rearing its head.
That doesn’t mean we have to buy into it. I do business and
associate with folks of all colors and backgrounds. Everyone wants food on the
table, a roof over their head, a future for their children and to be needed.
As it turns out, I think Dr King said it best … “The arc of
the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice.”
It’s up to us how long it takes to get there. It is up to
America to remain a beacon on a hill. It is up to us to live a life of love and
honor, courage and truth.
If not us then who?
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