Dream Day

It's Dream Day.  Fifty years ago, 250,000 people flooded the National Mall  for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave a speech, then went off book and shared his dream for the future of our country in what became the anthem for Civil Rights.

Looking back, it's amazing to see the impact one man had. But it cost him. What I love is that he knew the cost and he stepped up anyway.

These days in the Young Adult genre is dominated by high stakes stories in which a teenager has to risk everything to save the world. These stories resonate with our common desire to have a cause bigger than ourselves to fight for, and to put our whole selves behind it. They make me wish to be a warrior with a clear mission. And yeah, if a hot guy is battling alongside me, I think I could find a way to deal with that.

But I wonder, would I really fight?

I'd like to think so, but I don't know.

It takes a special something, a special courage and commitment and focus to fight like that.  And I'm grateful for all those bright souls throughout history whose light has shown a better path for the rest of mankind.

Thank you, God, For Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., for how far we have come and for how far we will go. Give me the courage of conviction to fight injustice and evil everywhere I see it, without letting the weight of personal cost stop me.

Big floppy awesomeness

So, it's been a long summer full of lots of driving and work that leach the time and creativity out of life. It has been all I can do to keep up with my novel writing, thus this poor little blog had to wait for life to slow just a smidge before it got any more attention.

That day has come!

I was trying to think of something profound to write about, but really, I'm not particularly grateful about profundity at present. No, as usual, its a simple thing that I appreciate.

This weekend three girlfriends who live in two other states and I will meet in Destin, Florida. We've got four days in a beach house with nothing to do but sunbathe, read, sleep, eat, sip wine, watch movies.   For me, mostly it'll be laying on the beach with my kindle, and flipping over every 30 minutes. And yeah, okay, some wine.

Beach reading is one of my favorite pastimes, which used to involve a lot of squinting. But then, last year, I bought a big floppy sun hat.

No only does it mean I don't have to squint or worry about burning my nose, it also makes me feel like one of those girls in a perfume ad. All glamorous and pristine.

So, today I'm thankful for floppy hats. And beaches. And long weekends, and a kindle, and vino. But mostly floppy hats.