Land of the Free(ish)

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."~ Martin Luther King Jr.

Today is the day our country celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. and as I sit around eating pancakes with my family (Papa makes delicious pancakes!), I find myself thinking about the man who told the world of his dreams.  I admire him.  Its hard not to.  What he did in America, for America, was amazing.  But what is even more amazing to me is how relevant so much of his message is STILL.

"Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men."  ~ MLK

While we can choose on this day to read (or listen to) some of his words and take  them at face-value, feeling smug and proud that some of his dreams have come true, it would be failing his memory and our country if we fail to acknowledge that so much of what Martin Luther King, Jr. fought for has failed to come to fruition.

Racism, hatred, discrimination are still very much alive and well.  A black man may now drink from the same fountain as a white man, or sit next to a white man on a bus.  But Americans everywhere are loosing freedoms First¹, Fourth ², Fifth ³, Sixth⁴, Eighth⁵ and Fourteenth ⁶ Amendment rights are increasingly sacrificed in the name of anti-terrorism.

Homosexual, Trans-gender, and Bisexual Americans are discriminated against everywhere, every day.

Arabs and Muslims are profiled, held and deported with no or little cause; they suffer the effects of racism continuously; even from our government. 

"The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education."   ~ MLK

The education our youngest citizens receive fails them more each minute as programs are cut, teachers are restricted, and fear, hate and ignorance over-power the ideas of intelligence and character.

"Nonviolence means avoiding not only external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit. You not only refuse to shoot a man, but you refuse to hate him." ~MLK

And the idea of nonviolence, of loving our fellow human beings, has been replaced with fear.  Good people continue to remain quiet in the face of injustice, and ignorance is still very much alive.

So, today, I choose to speak out against injustice, violence, hatred and fear.  Because that check promised to us by our Founding Fathers is still marked insufficient funds. Because the dream did not, and should not, die with the man.  Because America should be the land of the free; not the land of the free-ish.




1. First Amendment: Gives citizens the rights of free speech, peaceable assembly, and freedom of religion.
2. Fourth Amendment:  Protects citizens from unreasonable search and seizure
3. Fifth Amendment: Says we shall not be "deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law" and protects citizens from being held without charge
4.  Sixth Amendment: Provides the right to a speedy and public trial, the right to know the nature of accusations against him/her, the right to be confronted with any witnesses, and the right to defense.  
5.  Eighth Amendment: Protects us from excessive, bail and fines.  And protects us from cruel and unusual punishments. 
6.  Fourteenth Amendment:  Interpreted as protecting the rights of all citizens providing equal protection to minority citizens. 

**The transcript and video of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s I Have A Dream speech, delivered August 28th, 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC can be found here.

** A thoughtful account of the rights and freedoms being infringed upon can be found here.

 

MM #13: Yeah, I got nothing

Oh. Em. GEE!  Its Monday again already?!?  I just can't believe how quickly time is passing.  I had forgotten.  I had forgotten that being a SAHM is a job that never ends.  I had forgotten how much time laundry, food prep, child care, cleaning and errands can eat up.  I had forgotten the part where you work from before sunrise to well after sunset without breaks, or thanks, or even a moment of peace.

I had forgotten how wild and crazy and mostly wonderful this ride is!  My Punkin-Pie-Baby-Girl has turned 5!  And something about 5 seems SO MUCH OLDER than 4.  (I have no idea why).  My Bunny-Boo is turning 3 this week.  THREE years since my baby was born, and I'm starting to feel like one of those Mom's;  you know, the ones without infants in her arms, or toddlers hanging from her legs.  I'm starting to feel, like, well, ME again.  Its weird.  Mostly because the last time I really remember seeing ME, I was younger and thinner and much more clever.  But, here I am, recognizable.

Its wonderful.  And scary.  To remember Who I Am.  To realize how lost I was.  I know there are Moms out there who manage to keep themselves intact even after they have kids - even with infants.  I admire them.  I have been known to analyze them in an effort to figure out just what it is they do.  But, I've found nothing - no secrets to Hanging On To Yourself Whilst A Baby is Hanging On You.

There are no words of wisdom, or questions for reflection today.  Just some ramblings.  You see, usually, by the time you-all see these words here, I've been working on them for a bit.  But, this week, nothing I had prepared, nothing I had thought of; nothing seemed to reflect where I am right now.  And so, I'm left with only this to say:

Hello World, its me - Amie!

MM #12: Social Networking

I love the interwebs!  I love Twitter, I love Facebook, I love blogs.  I love (virtually) meeting new people, I love having access to so many awesome people and their awesome thoughts.  You may say, I'm a fan.

But is Social Networking the same as socializing?  

Sure, it fills a void that some of us feel; but only a little bit.  And as we are busy half-filling our Yearning for Connection Glasses, what are the opportunity costs?

Mindful Mondays (holiday break)

Mindful Mondays is taking a break for the holidays.  If you need some mindfulness in your life, head on over to Reverb10 and reflect on the daily prompt(s).

Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season.

-Mama

MM #10: Comfort Zone

Want to know more about MM?  Go HERE

Last night I had a blast!  I went out with a friend who's shared pieces of my life with me for nearing two decades.  We had a couple beers and talked over the loud music while munching on peanuts.  We talked about the old days when we were young and hanging out in front of coffee shops; him playing the guitar and me singing various tunes from Concrete Blonde and Tori Amos (among others).  We had fun.  The "performance" aspect of that rarely bothered me then, but now... oh, now...  performing in front of people is absolutely terrifying to me.

I don't mean to sound conceited here, but I can sing.  I do alright, anyway, pretty sure I'll never win a Grammy, but I'm ok with that.  I'm happy with my current shower and car performances. And my audience is pretty darned cute too!

Last night, while we were munching on peanuts, the Karaoke started.  And this friend, remembering the old days, convinced me to get up there and sing.  Christmas is right around the corner, and his birthday just after, with one performance I could kill two birds, he says.  So, I submit my card.  They call my name.  And I stand up there shaking so hard that I'm pretty sure I'm going to shake apart right there on the stage.  But I sang.  I sang the best I could.  And I'm pretty sure I bombed (that no-Grammy thing is pretty much set in stone now).

As I walked off stage shaking and defeated, a strange thing happened... I felt different, better, new.  Don't get me wrong I still didn't see any award-winning performances in my future.  BUT.... I had done something that scared the hell outta me.  I had done it mediocre-ly, but I had done it.  I had faced a fear and survived.  And it ocurred to me; its through these moments that we spend outside of our Comfort-Zone that we grow the most.  Yet we fight it so hard; we fight tooth and nail, sacrificing things that are important to us, just to stay in this Zone when all it takes is putting yourself out there, shaking things up a little, and diving in to the unknown.

What can you do to shake things up a bit?

MM #9: Thankful

Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving. 

~W.T. Purkiser

Thanksgiving is awesome for so many reasons:  the food, the time with family, taking time to remember what we are thankful for in our lives. 

Now that Thanksgiving is passed, I hope you enjoyed your time with family, and took that time to really acknowledge the things you are thankful for.

MM: The Daily Grind

"Any Idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out."

-Anton Chekhov

We tend to really admire the people who handle themselves with grace in a crisis.  I think that's right, to admire the behavior we would hope to exhibit.  But, Chekhov's right, it is the daily living that exhausts us all - the kids fighting, the laundry piling up, the piles of toys everywhere, the dishes that are never done, making food, cleaning up from meals, making food, cleaning up from meals...  

its exhausting!  And no one is perfect, we all stumble through some days.  

MM: Balancing Act

I'm a partner.  I'm a Mom.  I'm a student.  I'm a chef, a driver, a maid, a laundress, a financial manager, a conflict negotiator...  the list goes on.  Mostly, though, I am an overwhelmed perfectionist.   That's what I've always been; a perfectionist.  I have a touch of the OCD, as they say.  I like hospital corners, dustless shelves, organizational systems, clean and folded clothes, bills that are paid, and the only acceptable grade is an "A."  I've been like that, well, almost forever (though my parent's might argue that point and be a little right).

When women talk about balancing motherhood and career, or other multi-faceted aspects of life,  I've come to some conclusions based on my own experience.  [ I would like to preface this by acknowledging that even though I really want to be perfect, I may in fact be farthest from perfect as is possible.]  Mothers are plagued by this mommy guilt.  Its practically an epidemic.  But, we can choose to leave that behind, we can choose to tell that mommy guilt that there is no room for it in our home.  We can choose to accept that we are neither perfect nor superhuman, and accept what we are capable of what we are not capable of, and the rest will just have to go undone. 

MM: 1000 Words

You know, they say "a picture is worth a thousand words"...  Well, today, I'd like you to play a game with me!  I want you to leave a one-word comment.  The first word that comes to mind when you see the following photo.

MM: One Is The Loneliest Number

Our house is surrounded by emptiness.  No. Really.  I'm not being dramatic... we are now surrounded by empty houses.  Our wonderful neighbors, Sam and Wes, moved the last of their things out yesterday.  And I believe I mentioned before that the house to the other side has been vacant for, like, forever.   


Our neighborhood has always been quiet, and dark, when compared to the home I grew up in.  But, now, well, now the silence and darkness is eerie.... disconcerting.  Wes always liked to listen to his games at deafening volumes, and Sam would often fall asleep downstairs with the lights on.  I miss the faint glow from their backyard and the sound of sports announcers wafting in through our open windows.  I miss the smell of fresh-cut grass mingling with my morning cup of coffee.  I miss the clang of a ladder opening before the sun has fully risen.  And I miss the sound of Sam's voice wafting across the front yard as she greets us on her way in from work.  


I'm really not a morning person (I believe I've mentioned before how that phrase is a serious understatement).  So, the sound of gas-powered machinery at 6am is really not something I could ever have imagined missing.  And yet... there it is.  The absence of something familiar.  And I miss it.  

Mindful Mondays: #4 Be The Change

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."  

-Mahatma Gandhi

I would like to see a world where Mother Earth is valued so I, practice conservation, recycle, grow my own organic garden, and do what I can to reduce my family's impact on the environment.   I would like to see a world that is full of tolerance and love, so I speak out politically when I think its important, and I show compassion for the people around me.   I would like to see a world where children are valued and respected, so I speak with kindness and respect to my children.  And I would like to see a world with more happiness and less suffering so I give what I can to those who are less fortunate.  

What change would you like to see in the world?  

Mindful Mondays: #3 Compassion

"By compassion we make others' misery our own, and so, by relieving them, we relieve ourselves also." 

- Thomas Browne, Sr.

Mindful Mondays: #2

We have a new "pet" in our garden.  He's set up between the tomato plants, and has spun the most beautiful web there!  As I was watching him spin his web, I began thinking...

Mindful Mondays: #1

I was going to start these posts yesterday, but "Mindful Sundays" just doesn't have that alliteration. So, this is the first weekly installment of Mindful Mondays where we can share motivational quotes, talk about the ways in which we are mindful and share our experiences.