40 Years Ago....

With the phrase "40 Years Ago," I'm not talking about my impending birthday, which is now a mere 23 days away. I'm talking about the assasination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., perhaps the greatest American ever in our country's history. If you read Dr. King's autobiography, you see what a tortured life he had - he was faced with peril at every turn - not just against himself, but against his precious family. For the change he wanted to occur, it took the kind of courage that King displayed. On April 4, 1968, the day of his assasination (when he was my age now - very hard to believe), my mom must have been "big as a house," waiting for the arrival of baby Scarlet, which would occur about 24 days later. I wonder if this terrible event had a physical impact on my mom, that translated to me in the womb. When people ask me "why" do I feel the way I do about social issues -- where do my ideals and beliefs come from, the only answer I can give is that they come as naturally to me as the sun coming up in the morning. Although I don't recall ever discussing the assasination with my mom, I know how she must have felt on April 4, 1968, because I know her beliefs and character, which she instilled in me.