Dr. King would have been 82 years old today and if his life had not been cut short he might have seen some things that even he could never have imagined.
He might have lived to see how his voice changed each of us, how it shaped my future. He might have lived to see how because of his dream blacks and whites and every color in between attend school together, live together, teach together, eat together, join together, and its no longer news worth; its simply the way it is. I know Dr. King would be proud of us, of this country.
Because of Dr. King, Matt and I are legally married and it’s not something that we take for granted or lightly.
There was a time when I wouldn’t have been considered a human being with the same rights as my white husband. There was a time when he and I would have lived as outcast, fearing for our lives, and unable to be seen together in public. Maybe even more disturbing, there was a time when our daughter could never have been accepted in common society.
In this family, in this household, Dr. King’s birthday is more than just a birthday- it’s a day of thanks. We are, each of us, free to love whomever we want, however we want and wherever we want. So today instead of thinking of how far this country has to go, and we do have a far way to go, we’ll celebrate how far we’ve come.
There is a little mixed chick in this house who knows that love is an ability, that comes in ever shape form and size. She knows that her Mommy loves her Daddy and her uncles love each other. She’ll one day know that all of her grandparents survived an ugly time in America and yet they all raised their children to appreciate the content of every persons character. She’ll know that when she grows up she can choose to love any person she wants and every single one of us will support her and praise her for her choices.
Words are silly when trying to discribe what your life and existance means to you. My best friends on this Earth are of every color and nationality. They are brilliant, and beautiful. They are wives and mothers and teachers and leaders. They share their lives and children with me and they too have Dr. King to thank. They preach his message of love and tolerance, and they love me for exactly who I am, the choices I make, and the child I raise.
Today, like everyday, my heart is full of gratitude. It may have taken just one mans voice to change the minds of an entire country, but it has taken every single one of our voices to keep it alive.
I want to thank each of you who read this blog and share in my families happiness. By being here and sending your positive energy and making your comments and emailing me questions and thoughts, you support progress and tolerance and love. I am so grateful for the life that I have gotten to live. I am blessed beyond measure and I am so in love with my family and extended family. Thank you God for Dr. King, for my in laws who raised an amazing man, for my parents who raised me where they did, how they did, for my friends parents who were there to hear Dr.King while he graced this earth and trusted in his message, for my brother in law who is as amazing and big hearted as the family he comes from and for the way he loves my brother, for the child that you blessed me with, and finally for the opportunity to teach her how to love too.
Happy Birthday Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. We are so very very very grateful to you. ( I forgot the Jr. part, but Matt upon reading this corrected me- sometimes I’m less grateful for how smart he is!)
