It's A New Day

My new favorite song is "It's A New Day" by Will.I.Am ("Will I am"). I saw it on Oprah (and you can, too, by clicking the link below):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpW4gLb3p8M

Pretty soon, I will get more used to the FANTASTIC times we are in now and I will go back to posting about my girls and our life together. (We went to the Veteran's Day parade today and so pictures will follow!)

I have never been one to be so "political." The most I have done is tease my mom back and forth every election with "I cancelled your vote!" (She got the first shot this year and told me SHE cancelled MY vote. LOL! I replied, "Yes, but you can't cancel all the votes." And, I hoped with all my heart that what would happen with the election was what DID happen with the election.)

I have never put a bumper sticker on my car before. But, I put an Obama-Biden sticker on my car. At first, I taped it to the inside of my car's window. (CHICKEN!) But, when Gen. Powell came out to back Obama, I strutted out to my garage and moved the bumper sticker to the outside of my rear window on my car. I felt pride and hope.

Hope is a thing I have not felt since 9-11-2001.

I don't put bumper stickers on my vehicles, because I do not like to alienate people. I am all about oneness and acceptance. To shove my point of view at every driver who happens along behind me is just not my thing. Ugh.

But, I believed so strongly in Obama and his message that I decided to work FOR him, and not AGAINST anyone else. I have a lot of respect for Senator McCain. If he had won, I would not have died! LOL! His choice of running mates? Wellllll ... that's a whole other story! Sheesh.

I put on that Obama bumper sticker, knowing full well the Red condition of my county. (This county voted 60% for McCain.)

But, by now people know me. They know I love my family. They know I care for my neighbors. They trust me with their kids, their secrets, their friendship. They see me volunteer at the school in each of my children's classes. They know me in the China-adopt community. They know me in my church community. They know I am a friend to many. They are safe with me.

I am a child of the 60's. I grew up with the Civil Rights fight. I remember Martin Luther King, Jr. and Bobby Kennedy. I can recall as a child being APPALLED that anyone would be judged by skin color. I remember being threatened in high school because of the color of my own skin. I remember race riots in the school cafeteria. I remember being friends with the only person of color in each of my classes. I remember a high school friend pretending to be Black when he was actually Eastern Indian. So many memories.

I worked for the Visiting Nurse Association in the early 80's and it was a true melting pot! We had a large work group, and group of friends from all walks of life. It was wonderful!

I am a huge fan of jazz music, and I have learned over and over and over of the prejudice, hate, struggle and injustice that black musicians have suffered. One of my life's greatest moments (two days) of joy was when I met and spent some extended time with jazz great, Joe Williams.

More recently, an adoption agency risked their relationship with the Chinese adoption officials when they went to bat to help an African American woman adopted a daughter from China. It was a hard fought fight and almost did not happen! They are a beautiful family!

So, as much as I tried to leave race out of the presidential election (Senator Obama is a man to be respected, regardless of race), I could not help but long, dream, and yearn for this moment. The first African American President of the United States!! It makes my heart SOAR!!

Our family is a family of color. Our cultures are blended. Mostly, we fight "reverse prejudice" and things such as "That great Asian math brain" and "Chinese girls are are so ____." While these blanket statements appear positive on the surface, they are generalizations based on race.

I could go on and on and on.

Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream. His dream is coming true! Isn't it an amazing time we live in??? WOW!! Wow is not a big enough word.

It's a new day.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpW4gLb3p8M

-Holly