Every great dream, begins with a dreamer...

One of the MANY blessings I received this summer is the fact that our cash reserves were siphoned into two weddings.  Granted, not your USUAL "blessing".  Which meant our vacay plans were more low- key cheaper than usual.  In fact,  vacays all revolved around Thing #3 and her quest to find that elusive perfect college.  A blessing because it forced us to visit some of those places we sometimes take for granted because they are just too darn close and often overlooked.  Case in point, Washington, D.C.  Our nation's capital.  More importantly...where I was born, boo-yah! Pops was a D.C. police officer. The madre' a Congressional secretary.  A mere three hour car drive and I can't even tell ya the last time I was there. Reeeeaaaallllly STUPID 'cause I love that city!

August 28, 1963.  Amazing how life was so different back then.  Yet in some ways...still the same.  On this date, fifty-one years ago, on the steps of this building...

"Simple Lines"
Lincoln Memorial

Washington, D.C.



"I have a dream that my four little children
will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged
by the color of their skin,
but by the content of their character."

-Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Soaring"
Lincoln Memorial
Washington, D.C.

...a defining moment in America's Civil Rights Movement happened.  August 28, 1963.  A time when more than two-thirds of African-Americans lacked the right to vote, attend integrated schools, or use the same public facilities as whites.  My lifetime.  When I entered public school in Philly, my school building WAS integrated.  But the classrooms were NOT.  Our only interaction was at recess on the blacktop.  I would sit there on the curb, with my other white classmates, staring in wonder at those OTHER first grade girls as they effortlessly double-dutched on the pavement. Sitting so close.  Yet worlds apart.  Even as a first-grader I was keenly aware of the divide.  I fear altho some things have bettered themselves, others have not.

"Every great dream begins with a dreamer.

Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion

to reach for the stars to change the world."

-Harriet Tubman

"I Have a Dream"
Lincoln Memorial
Washington, D.C.

Fifty-one years ago to the date, my Pops stood somewhere in the crowd of 250,000 Civil Rights supporters crammed onto the National Mall as they looked to the steps of the Lincoln Memorial for inspiration.  Pops was on duty as a District of Columbia police officer that day.  When you live in D.C., oft time you have ring-side seats to history in the making.  You just don't know it at the time.

"A dream doesn't become reality through magic;

it takes sweat, determination and hard work."

-Colin Powell

"Looking Forward"
Lincoln Memorial
Washington, D.E.



"Hold fast to dreams,
for if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird,
that can not fly."

-Langston Hughes

"The Great Emancipator"
Lincoln Memorial
Washington, D.C.


"You may say I'm a dreamer,
but I'm not the only one.
I hope someday you'll join us.
And the world will live as one."

-John Lennon

Sometimes you have to go back to your roots to remind yourself how far you've come.  And how much further you still need to go.  Dreams that are dreamt of together are what form realities.  Some dreams are just meant to be shared.  All it takes is that first dreamer.

Here's where I "link up" today.

(click on image for description of Song-ography)

Tuesday's Song-ography title is "High" by Young Rising Sons.

Come back and link up!