Friday, August 26, 2011

The Stone of Hope

I was 16, living in the Bronx, when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his immortal "I Have A Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

A few nights ago my friend and I walked three miles to preview the newest memorial in the nation’s capital where I now reside.

When we arrived at the central entryway to the memorial entitled "The Mountain of Despair," our eyes are drawn upward to the Stone of Hope, a 30-foot likeness of this civil rights reverend. Like the eyes of the Mona Lisa painting by Leonardo da Vinci, Dr. King’s eyes follow us as we walk around the monument.

What is he asking of us? What answers do we have to offer him? Where does justice dwell today? Where is the righteous peace that he dreamt about so many decades ago?

The monumental granite statue of Dr. King revives our deepest desires for justice and equality, democracy and love.

Dare we dream again?

Please note: The dedication, which was to have taken place this Sunday, August 28, has been postponed indefinitely due to the arrival of Hurricane Irene this weekend in Washington, DC. Go to the webiste for more information: www.washington.org/mlk

Friday, August 19, 2011

Priority Passenger

A young man with stumped arms and legs wheeled himself towards the priority seating boarding line. The stewardess quickly offered assistance, and together with another crew member the three disappeared down the breezeway.

An Iraq casualty? A suicide bomber attack? An innocent civilian caught in the middle of a battle?

A mother’s son. A country’s soldier.

My mind did not settle down during the fifteen minutes it took me to embark the plane as a number four zone, economy-class passenger.

I entered the aircraft and again encountered the priority passenger seated in the first row, first class, aisle seat. With the precision of someone with ten fingers, my mystery man was typing away on his iPad.

I drifted out of pity mode and melted into awe and admiration.

He deserves every priority on every plane, train and boat anywhere in this world.

Friday, August 12, 2011

Dream and Deed

Dream and deed are not as different as many think. All the deeds of men are dreams at first, and become dreams in the end. -Theodore Herzl, journalist, visionary, Zionist, and founder of the state of Israel


Our daily work is filled with little dreams that get accomplished through a big vision. The dreams of our unconscious longing are embedded in our mind’s third eye and get translated into motions and actions that share the space.  


May your dreams and deeds expand into a reality of your own making. 

Friday, August 5, 2011

I Cried for You

My two-year-old granddaughter woke up suddenly from her afternoon nap.

I rushed to pick her up.

She cried and squealed as she repeated her mantra of the moment.

“I want my mommy." Pause. "I want my mommy." Pause. "I want my mommy." Louder: "I want my mommy!”

I held her. I rocked her. I sang to her. I assured her that mommy would return.

Five minutes passed, and the mantra magnified.

“A popsicle?” I suggested.

It worked. She pointed to the freezer, and we picked out an eight-inch-long squishy green popsicle sealed in a plastic tube.

When mom came back, she asked her daughter, “How were things with grandma?”

“First, I cried for you, mommy. Then grandma gave me a popsicle!”