Yes, You Should

I was pondering whether or not I should write anything in honor of the day and then I decided not to. I wasn't a part of that struggle and although I greatly admire Dr. King and his strength and bravery in the face of such hatred, I didn't feel it was my place.

At school on Friday, my daughter's class discussed why they had no school on this day, the man they are honoring and the great things he accomplished. Virginia was very moved by his kindness and dedication to a harmonious society.

Later that day, she went along with Chris to an appointment. At some point, she couldn't take it any more and asked about the Lunchable that he had placed in the seat between them.

"I have to take a stress test today," he explained. "I haven't been able to eat since yesterday, so the doctor told me to bring something to eat for afterwards."

"Oh," she quietly answered.

Lunchables are kryptonite to Virginia. I rarely buy them because of their price and nutritional value, so she covets and drools and trembles when she sees them. ALL THAT CRAP IN THAT TINY LITTLE BOX! NO COOKING REQUIRED! OH, JOY, LUNCHABLES IS THY NAME!

Upon finding out the purpose for this Lunchable, however, she bit her lip and looked away. And that was that.

She sat in the waiting room and flipped through a magazine and after the stress test, she asked Chris how he felt.

"Good," he replied. "I'm really not hungry, though."

Her eyes widened almost imperceptibly and her lip twitched. Just once.

"Would you like my Luncha-" he started.

"Yes! Yes, I would! But, only if you don't want it! Because you haven't eaten and I don't want you to get sick and I can always eat the glue I peel off of the door frame and-"

"Virginia, you can have it. I'll get something on the way home."

As she delicately bit the end off of her Oreo, she looked at Chris very thoughtfully.

"Chris?"

"Yes, Virginia?"

And with the utmost seriousness, she said, "Do you realize that you just made a difference?"

"I did?"

"Yes. You gave me something of yours. You gave me something that I didn't really need, just to be nice. That makes a difference," she solemnly finished.

"I guess I didn't think about it that way."

When he told me that story, I laughed and my heart swelled until I thought it would burst. She is a miracle of a child and the love that she has for other people will eventually make a difference, too. A mere gesture such as that made an impression on her and we, as adults, expect so much more that we tend to be disappointed in the small things we are offered.

When I finished a phone call today with an older gentleman calling in from Memphis, he apologized for the noise in the background.

"I have my grandbabies with me today," he explained.

"They sound happy and healthy. Please don't apologize," I answered.

"Thank you, young lady. You continue to have a blessed day."

"And the same to you."

And then he said something that I will never forget.

"One more thing, child," he said.

"Yes, sir?"

"Renew that dream."

And here seems like a good place to start.

I have a dream....

I have a dream that one day we will unite as a country to care for the deserving ones who cannot care for themselves. We will provide health care for our elderly and not force them into poverty with rising pharmaceutical prices for medicines that enable them to simply live.

I have a dream that we will welcome our military home with joy and gratitude and not force our beliefs upon them about a war they fought while we watched it on the news.

I have a dream that one day I will not fear sending my children to a public school.

I have a dream that myself and others like me can speak freely and innocently, with no malice in our hearts, and not be labeled as a person who hates simply because of the words we choose.

I have a dream that people will rise above those words thereby taking away their power to harm.

____________

I am terrible with being tagged. I rarely do it, not because I don't want to, but because it would require me to never sleep. I like sleep.

But I'll ask that you do one thing: continue this on your blog or in an email to your friends or on the back of your car with shoe polish, if you have to. Simply begin with those words and let your heart take over.

Renew the dream.