For the New Year

I took this photo outside the Lorraine Motel back in November when Catzie and I were in Memphis. If you don't know, the Lorraine Motel is where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated, and it is now The National Civil Rights Museum. We didn't get to visit the museum (I took these pictures around midnight) but the outside of the museum has been preserved as the motel had been back in 1968, and the place where Dr. King was shot is commemorated with a wreath.



This time of year is one of joy, no doubt. My kids are beautiful and happy, and for me, my family matters most. But this time of year always makes me pensive, too, in my private moments because I know there's so much that happens despite the haven that my husband and I have made our home to be. There is still war; still poverty; still slavery; still domestic violence; still alcoholism; still rapes; still political corruption; still racism; still, still, still. Terrible things happen to innocent people. Horrible things happen to people we care about and love. I make these points to entreat you to look beyond the gifts and the parties and the showing off to hug your mom, dad, brother, sister, cousin, uncle, aunt, son, daughter, friend, and anyone else you love and tell them how wonderful it is to spend some time with them. Please cherish these moments.

At this time of year, I wish you and yours many blessings for the coming new year. And I hope that we all actively try to protect our loved ones by helping to wage peace.

All the best always,
Michelle