How Different Are We?

I wanted to share we you all a personal experience while visiting DC for the first time in my life. I was on a business trip with a co worker who I count as a good friend and kindred spirit. He had worked for 4 days to get us a flight out of town during a multiple hurricane weather jag. When we finally arrived in DC we had just two days of the 5 day training we were booked for and it was a bummer. I was determined to honor his hard work by getting us at least one sight seeing tour of DC.

I knew from my tour book they had night tours and we had one free night. It ended up being a trial to get on the bus but we made it and it ended up being one great tour and I reccommend anyone to take a night tour. It is much more meaningful.

The thing I want to share with you is about the time we spent at the Lincoln Memorial. In my family Lincoln is akin to Moses is to the Jews. We have an old newspaper somewhere saved by my family from the time of Lincoln's murder and death. I was in ah of the monument. The other person revered in our household is Dr. King. I immediately made my way for where I knew he stood. I remember the speech on TV. I was 4 years old and it is one of the few memories of my early childhood I remember. I remember the grownups being very serious and hushing us as they watched this man speak hanging on his every word.

There was a large group of children looking for the spot Dr. King stood and having trouble. It was pitch black that evening on the platform and you couldn't see your hand let alone the engraved stone marking the spot. I could hear by the voices the children were of all nationalities. I pulled out my flashlight and shown the light on the stone and motioned for the kids to come over and together we all looked at the stone.I told them what I could remember and then what I remembered when Dr. King lost his life for the cause of Civil Rights. I remember my dad and me singing together the old folk tune Anybody Here." We all looked out to the distant lit Washington memorial and the reflecting pond and wondered what it must have been like to stand up there speaking or be out there listening in the audience. I turned my light out and I thought in this complete darkness we all look the same.