Let's not forget...

"The only thing worse in the world than being talked about is not being talked about." Oscar Wilde

I wanted to write a post last weekend in honor of both my father and of Martin Luther King, Jr., whose birthday we paid tribute to as a nation, but I didn't get to it.  I thought deeply about what I wanted to say about the legacy of Dr. King and how we now pay gratitude for the enduring battles that he fought in the name of peace and equality, and I am thankful that his messages have prevailed.  I am thankful that his life triumphs were carried on by others who knew that his words were truth, and who were willing to sacrifice themselves for the good of all.  I opened my blog with this quote by Wilde because I am grateful that we continue to talk about Dr. King as a prevailing presence in the civil rights movement.  We, as a society, are still struggling with creating peace and equality among races.  Thus, we must call to mind the example of Dr. King to keep us aligned to that path, rocky as it may be.  And I don't want to stop talking about dad.

He was too much of a presence in the world not to be talked about any more.  I have not started a movement in his name, we haven't organized others to spread the word on motorcycle safety, or rallied agnostics to rejoin the church because dad was such a believer.  I have this little blog, and my family and our friends to keep him alive in our hearts and minds.  But I think more can be said about him, and it may take me a while to get it all out.  Perhaps it is only my need to keep my memories of dad alive, that he, like others who have passed, live quietly within us.  But living with a death, especially the passing of someone so significant in one's life, can not be so easily and quietly let go of, and it seems as if it shouldn't be.

My dad lived a tremendous life, and he, too, fought for equity, peace, and love as did Dr. Martin Luther King.  I am compelled by the challenge to advocate for those who have less and to give of myself for the good of others.  Dad was probably called to serve others in the special way that he did, as was Dr. King, so we can't exactly compare ourselves to them.  And there are many, many people in the world today who fight and give so that others may have and feel loved.  Grandpa lived by a more humble philosophy of just work hard and stay the course.  He didn't expect grandeur or heroism.  But dad exceeded his lessons, and strove for making more of an impact.  In the end, though, even looking back on a life that came, changed lives, then slipped away in a fleeting second, I know that we are all the same.  But what a wonderful dream to be among the few to be talked about, even when we are no longer around to change the world.