On Not Giving Up on the Dream

Last week Linda and I took two of our granddaughters to Washington. One of them lives in Massachusetts, the other in Florida.  They are just about the same age.  They both love to read.  They both have little sisters that sometimes drive them nuts.  They both spend what seems like hours getting ready in the morning, primping in front of the mirror.  They both have a good sense of humor.  But one of them is black, and the other is white.  And for all their similarities, life will more than likely treat them differently simply because of that difference.

That said I still dream along with Dr. King, whose Memorial is pictured above.  (The granddaughters are the two tiny figures at his feet).  As grandfather to both girls, I dream of a future for them that is better than the world we now live in, so marked by hate and conflict.  That's why we took them to Washington.

That may seem counterintuitive, I know.  But I wanted them to see the Capitol, and to learn more about how we can change things when we vote, when we stay informed, when we let our representatives know what is important to us.  I wanted them to sit in the courtroom of the Supreme Court, and hear how it works and why it is important to be concerned about who sits on the bench.  I wanted them to see the monuments, the reminders of those who've gone before, who've made mistakes, and yet, left behind a grand legacy.

So we read through all the quotations on the King Memorial, stopping at each one to consider it's meaning.  So we read the powerful statement about religious liberty in the Jefferson Memorial, and talked about the difference it makes in our lives today.  So we followed part of the Points of Light Pathway, and talked about how volunteers like Clara Barton, Frederick Douglas, Paul Harris and Linda and Millard Fuller have helped shape a better world.  So we stood in the Lincoln Memorial and read the Second Inaugural Address together, and explored what it means to be badly divided as a nation.  So we spent an afternoon at the U.S. Holocaust Museum and learned how important it is to stand up for the oppressed.

I am not giving up on the Dream.  I can't.  I have six grandchildren--four boys, two girls, four white, two black, four non-churchgoers (for the most part) and two very active in a congregation.  And I want a better world for each one of them.  And for all the other children as well.