CNN.com - Memorials, volunteerism mark King's 75th birthday - Jan. 19, 2004

It's a Monday holiday. I've just gotten settled into my cubicle, plugged my laptop into the network, and downloaded 111 new emails I didn't bother to look at over the weekend. Of those emails, a majority of the non-spam pieces were from the Christian_Postmoderns email list. I don't foresee any real time today to catch up on the group's weekend conversation, but maybe lunchtime.

My wife and kids are at home enjoying a little extra sleeping time, a little extra cartoon time, a little extra video game time on their holiday out of school. They've got a doctor's appointment, and later the pest control is going to give the house a quarterly once over. I'll work until 5:15p or so, head home to play with the rugrats and give my wife a mini-breather from a day full of kids, and we'll head to bed. Tomorrow will be more "normal" - no holiday, and hopefully not 111 inbox messages.

Life goes on. The holiday is a day off, maybe with time to reflect, maybe not. Things change, while other things remain unchanged. Things move, while other things, and people, remain unmoved. King, just one man leading other men and women, was a catalyst for change. And he was an obstacle to the status quo. Thirty-six years after his assasination, change is still taking place - and resistance is still holding fast in too many places, too. As my white family goes about its business today, I'm glad that we live in a colorful community; that we're part of a speckled church family; that we're not isolated from people or ideas or cultures that are different; that we're reminded every day that we're more the same than not, and more in this together than opposed.

Happy birthday, sir.
- posted by Rick @ 08:44