I Remember

"We may have all come on different ships, but we're in the same boat now."  - Martin Luther King, Jr.

"I have decided to stick with love.  Hate is too great a burden to bear." -Martin Luther King, Jr.

Today is the day that we celebrate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  I remember his life and I hope that I can preserve his legacy.

Every day there is something that reminds me of the Civil Rights era.  Whether it's simply the cultural differences in my own household or whether I see President Barack Obama on television.  It might be something so simple as eating at a restaurant where I would not have been welcome during that era, or even noting my educational background which would have been difficult if not impossible prior to this era. I remember the ugly words, dogs commanded to attack, water hoses, firebombs, and assassinations. (No I didn't forget the white hoods and rebel flags either.) It makes me thankful for the progress that has been made, but also painfully aware of how far we still have to go.

There is still a lot of hate and anger in this world.  Some are aware and strive to do better, some know and try to cover it up in the presence of those who would object, and some are still very blatant with it.  There are also those who use the weaker ones to push their agenda.  They whisper in an ear and sit back and watch the fight.   Just remember if you must apologize before you make the statement, do damage control after a statement, or if it has to be said behind closed doors it is not appropriate and it is hateful.  If we stop the yelling and actually stop and calmly and rationally talk to each other and truly listen, maybe we can all co-exist, accomplish something and learn to love one another.

We should stop today and every day and take a good look in the mirror. Do we see hate or love?

Sunset

If I kept a favorite things list like Oprah does, sunrises and sunsets would be at the at the top of my list.  I can never capture the beauty, the colors.  Texas is blessed with some of the most spectacular skies from the cloudless beautiful blues to the cloud-streaked sunrises and sunsets with their brilliant blues, purples, oranges and reds. Don't forget the building thunderstorms that you can see for miles.

If I could only paint.........One of these days I'll learn to keep my Nikon with me at all times.  My Droid camera just doesn't do this sunset justice. 

Caching Up

I am so far behind on everything.  Working a second job took a definite toll on me and my home.  I haven't been able to adequately plan and cook meals and I have been too exhausted to exercise.  We won't even discuss the house. My husband tried to help, but women can see all of the dust and lack of order.  (He even learned to clean toilets and run a Swiffer!) My bank account is no fatter either.  Working late nights and rushing from one job to the next encouraged the awful fast food habit and there was no time to do any of the things that I always did to save money.  I no longer clipped coupons or even loaded my Kroger card online.  I hardly ever cooked so there was always a need to stop and pick up a burger or Chick-fil-a. I won't even talk about how many times I had to "hop on the tollway".  Now that we have two full-time employed adults here, I realized that I was ripping, running, and exhausted for nothing.  So the second job is done, finished, I quit.

Now I have to get a routine going again.  I have to plan meals and get this house in shape. I have a huge job ahead of me.  Guess it's time to read my Fly-Lady e-mails and try out more of Rocco's recipes.  I'll keep y'all posted.  (Yes, I'm behind on blogging too!)