Today I can’t mail a letter or visit many government offices.  That is fine by me!  That is because we are remembering the ministry of Martin Luther King and his laudable attempt to end racism.  Given that it has been many years since he gave his well known, “I Have a Dream Speech.” I am bothered deep in my soul by the protests proving racism still exists that have taken place in the last year.  My son lives in St. Louis, MO.  Specifically he lives less than 6 miles from Ferguson, MO.  I was there to see him for Thanksgiving in November.  The pain the entire greater St. Louis region was experiencing because of the issues of racism and the lack of trust being raised to a higher level was inescapable to notice!  For the first time in 34 years the live downtown Thanksgiving Day Parade was cancelled due to fears that participants would be injured by protesters.  I marveled that years of snow, freezing temperatures, rain, and sleet did not stop the parade.  But racism and distrust of law enforcement shut the parade down.  This does not seem right to me.  Right or not it is the reality we faced this Thanksgiving!

My prayer is that the observance of the MLK holiday this year will inspire us to be better controlled in practicing racism in 2015.  I also pray that trust for law enforcement will increase in 2015.  Most importantly I dream and pray that as a nation we will learn to live in peace and harmony with each other!!