Wednesday, November 5, 2008

LEFT BEHIND

Do you remember the feeling of being at a parade after the parade has passed?  How about the feeling on Christmas day after all the packages are unwrapped and the dinner has been consumed.  It is an empty feeling, a feeling that it was great while it lasted but did I miss something. A feeling somewhere inside, I cannot quite describe where, that tugs at your stomach and feels like I ate too much but I didn't.   The feeling that while the parade was passing I was terribly excited but I missed something, what was I looking for that did not go by?  What was I expecting at Christmas but did not get?  It is not exactly sorrow, it certainly is not anger and it is not really depression though it feels like it a lot.  It is a mix of joy sadness, exuberance and melancholy, of hope and frustration.

I am grateful that after 40 years my generation had some small part to play in the election of a person of color.  After 40 years of riding the money train we hopped off long enough to remember why we are here and took action.  There is, as there should be, great joy in this nation.  We are about to embark on a journey that was somehow interrupted back in 1963 and in 1968.  Finally, praise God, we are back on task.

That being said there is still that awful feeling.  Our LGBT friends had there hopes and dreams smashed -- once again.  Here in California apparently one can vote for some to be free but not all.  We have not yet got the message that as long as one person, one group of people, one class of people suffers oppression none of us is free.  

I love what we as a country have done.  The parade was extra special this time.  My birthday party was fun but I am still missing something.  We are missing our LGBT brothers and sisters standing side by side with us as the parade passes.  We forgot to invite our LGBT brothers and sisters to our birthday party.  There is much work to be done.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Amen. Martin Luther King had a dream that all would be judged by the content of their character. Yesterday, we took a giant step forward, but it is very clear that there is a long ways to go. God give us the strength and grace to pick up and continue on.

Elizabeth

David G. said...

No more sittin' on our asses and thinking things are going well.
Time for some 80's ACTION, ..since it seems the new millennium is just lazy assed fodder.

Work must be done, Pride First!!

Lynn said...

Fred, we are going to pay a heavy toll by the hands of the regressives on all of this. Thank God (literally) we have a Democratic Congress to go with our new President.

I'm also a little thankful they put Palin on the ticket. It swung the moderates the other way, and the middle-ground people decided to get out and vote, and not let extremists on either side do all the deciding at the polls. I think that is the most fantastic news of all.

Leonard said...

No doubt about it...reality has come into sharper focus...so many are still confused, some are feardriven, some are plain ignorant...but, nobodies going anywhere...we´re not budging, so Akinola, Orombi and Venables and the rest of the fear-hatemongering schemers can take note: Forget it, some of us may still be cautious of the scary unknown but most of us aren´t stupid enough to go along with a bigots campaign of spreading prejudice, persecution and excluding at Church.

Leonard said...

Fred, I´ve gotta remind you of something...you LGBT family, friends have ALWAYS been here, with you celebrating GENUINE good will and progress for all people and emotionally and spiritually healthier lives...just because we didn´t ¨win¨ on our own justice issues just yet takes nothing away from the REAL JOY we feel for enlightenment and the moving away from bigotry and plain hate.

We´re always at your side...and thanks for standing with us too.

Leonard said...

Fred, I´ve gotta remind you of something...you LGBT family, friends have ALWAYS been here, with you celebrating GENUINE good will and progress for all people and emotionally and spiritually healthier lives...just because we didn´t ¨win¨ on our own justice issues just yet takes nothing away from the REAL JOY we feel for enlightenment and the moving away from bigotry and plain hate.

We´re always at your side...and thanks for standing with us too.

James said...

Someone sent this email to me today, and I'm sure you've all seen it, but...

Rosa SAT
so that
Martin could WALK
so that
Obama could RUN
so that
Our children could FLY