From Dream to Legacy, Remembering Dr. Martin Luther KIng

I am honored to be here today for this year’s commemorative kickoff service for the life and work of the Reverend, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., civil rights leader, dreamer, preacher, teacher, scholar, peace maker, non-violent fighter for freedom, prophet and speaker of timeless truths.

Consider these words Dr. King spoke in 1964 as part of his Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech in Oslo, Norway.
I believe that even amid today's mortar bursts and whining bullets, there is still hope for a brighter tomorrow. I believe that wounded justice, lying prostrate on the blood-flowing streets of our nations, can be lifted from this dust of shame to reign supreme among the children of men. I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits. I believe that what self-centered men have torn down, men other-centered can build up.

Dr. King gave this speech almost 50 years ago this year. Change a few descriptive words and he could have been speaking about the way we live now. Just think about recent events and daily headlines. Blood continues to flow on the streets of our nations, at our shopping malls, cinemas, workplaces, churches and in our schools. Our country is at war and we still struggle to feed our people and educate all children. The difference is that our everyday weapons of mass destruction have become faster, more efficient killing machines with sharper sounds. They give no warning.

Were he alive, I have no doubt Dr. King would be among the first to agree that although we have come a long way we have not reached the Promised Land of civil rights and non-violence of his dream. The quotation highlights his awareness of and empathy for the conditions of his time. It underscores his visionary understanding of the timeless link between civil rights and the human condition and speaks to the enduring relevance of his life’s work.

That is why it is fitting that we are here today and that we continue to meet each year to commemorate Dr. King’s life, his legacy and his broad, inclusive dream that left out no one. While his ministry for civil rights focused on particular states, there is no doubting Dr. King’s meaning when he said:

Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds. –Letter from a Birmingham Jail, April 1963;

God is interested in the freedom of the whole human race. – March on Detroit, 1963. We may all have come on different ships, but we’re all in the same boat now.–Come, May, Different

"... all life is interrelated. We are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied into a single garment of destiny. What affects one affects all. –Letter from a Birmingham Jail, April 1963.

Dr. King reached out with his universal language of love, justice and righteousness. Empathetic people of all races and the marginalized and disenfranchised of the world heard him and embraced his dream. Because of his message more than two hundred thousand people joined him around the Reflecting Pool in Washington DC August 7, 1963. Because of his message, even more wanted to join him.

Many of you in today’s audience were not there. Neither was I. You were too young or not yet born. I was not too young. I made a tremendous effort to be there and didn’t make it. That summer, on my first overseas trip away from home I was on a study-abroad program in Mexico City as an undergraduate from the London University College of the West Indies in Mona Jamaica. I decided to play hooky from school for the first time in my life in order to join Dr. King in the March on Washington. Unlike one of my classmates who also wanted to go, I was able to persuade the American Embassy in Mexico City to grant me a visa to travel to the United States. The next day a Panamanian student friend and I boarded a Greyhound bus headed north from Mexico City.

After days of journeying through Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Virginia Maryland, and perhaps a few other states, I arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where an older brother, then a student himself at Temple University met me. After hearing of my adventures, he shook his head and commented, “You are lucky to be alive. They realized you did not know what you were doing;” and he forbade me to go to DC. When you grow up in a large family with 10 brothers and sisters, older siblings have the authority of parents. You pay attention and do what they say. He made sure I got on a non-stop flight back to Jamaica.

Of course, that summer there was none of the predicted riots or violence in Washington DC. Two to three hundred thousand people joined Dr. King in a peaceful march and heard his unforgettable “I have a dream” speech.

But destiny was on my side. Two years later, in 1965, I got the opportunity to meet Dr. King and hear him speak when he visited Jamaica and spoke at the University.

Two years later still, 1967, found me living in Washington DC, the wife of a diplomat, accredited to the White House. I still remember exactly where I was the following year, April 4, 1968 when we heard the worst about Dr. King.

Had he lived, Dr. King would be 84 years old this year. Ironically, at age 39, only two months before his death, in a sermon at Ebenezer Baptist church, Dr. King said (and I quote) I know man who lived only 33 years; had a short ministry of only three years and was rejected by people including some he knew well. He suffered a horrendous death but almost two thousand years later continues to have unprecedented influence on people’s lives.

Two months later, Dr. King’s ministry ended. He was young but left a substantial legacy.

·        He left us the example of a life of unwavering commitment to making the world a better place; a life he, in his humility, described as that of a drum major for justice, peace and righteousness.
·        He left us a legacy of unprecedented civil rights achievements that he, in his lifetime, could only dream of.
·        He left us a legacy of his writings: books, speeches and sermons—a treasure trove of inspiring and motivational sayings and edifying lessons.

One of Dr. King’s lessons I particularly like is that of The Three Dimensions of a Complete Life, taught in a sermon Dr. King preached at the Covenant Baptist Church in Chicago on April 9, 1967. (Time does not allow me to go into the details of the lesson. I will share a bit of what I like about it and hope you will be motivated to read it if you have not yet done so and to revisit it, if you already have. I think it is better than Stephen Covey, Wayne Dwyer, and Don Miguel Ruiz put together because it is based on love.

It is about achieving meaning and fulfillment by purposefully living the length, breadth and depth of life. To Dr. King, length of life relates to loving oneself and having a healthy, reflective inward concern for one’s own welfare. Faithfully pursued, the length dimension of life naturally expands into living the second dimension, breadth of life (love of neighbor) and ultimately into the height of life (love of God).

Living a successful life starts with love -- unconditional love. It begins with loving ourselves first because it is only in the pursuit of a rational and healthy self-interest that we will find the personal fulfillment that allows us to move easily into loving our neighbors and our God.

Great teacher that he is, Dr. King doesn’t just tell us what we have to do and why, he also explains how.

1.     We need to have honest self acceptance and a positive, non-defeatist attitude
If we cannot accept ourselves we cannot accept others. If we cannot be comfortable with ourselves we cannot be comfortable with others; if we one of my favorite prayers.
Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference. (No defeatist attitude here.)

2.     We need to find out what we are called to do
Finding out what we are called to do can be easy for some of us; challenging for others. It may take many tries, may require more courage than we think we have; greater willingness than we think we can muster. It may require trying, failing and trying again; and I would not rule out that it could take a lifetime of trying. Another of my favorite quotations compatible with Dr. King’s views is, we shall not cease from exploration; and the end of all our exploring will be to return to where we started and know the place for the first time.

In my explorations, I have been a homemaker, an educator, international civil servant, business owner, community leader, and most recently I took a big step out of my comfort zone and I ran for political office. How many times do you think Dr. King stepped out of his comfort zone?

3.     We need to do our best always
We do whatever we are called to do with all of the strength and all of the power that we have in our being, knowing that not everyone will become the best in his field or line of work, but that each of us can be the best at what we do; live the best life possible and achieve greatness in our own way. This little poem that Dr. King helped popularize explains his wise counsel well. I am sure you know it.

If you can’t be a pine on the top of a hill
Be a scrub in the valley—but be
The best little scrub on the side of the hill,
Be a bush if you can’t be a tree.
If you can’t be a highway just be a trail
If you can’t be the sun, be a star;
It isn’t by size that you win or fail—
Be the best of whatever you are. (Anon)

Dr. King also said:

Even if it falls to your lot to be a street sweeper, go on out and sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures; sweep streets like Handel and Beethoven composed music; sweep streets like Shakespeare wrote poetry; sweep streets so well that all the host of heaven and earth will have to pause and say, "Here lived a great street sweeper who swept his job well."

To understand fully what Dr. King means, of course, we need to know who Michelangelo, Handel, Beethoven and Shakespeare were and have some idea of the work they did. Here and now, in the 21^st century, if we don’t know, it is easy to find out. Our public libraries are free community resources that offer print, digital materials and electronic resources for accessing the Internet. They provide information on every imaginable topic including great painters, composers and playwrights. With the press of a button we can learn about people (including ourselves) places and things.  Simply Google your name or your home address and you might be surprised at the amount of information about you and your home that is already residing on the Internet. Cyberspace has taken away all our excuses for not being informed. Dr. King’s life story is in cyberspace along with his speeches and sermons. And by the way, with a computer at home, we don’t have to physically go to the library. From the comfort of our living rooms and bedrooms, we can reach through space and download the information we want.

As part of our commemoration of Dr. King’s life today, I hope we can help to ensure that his legacy never gets neglected or taken for granted like products on a supermarket shelf. In the same way that our children and grand children and their children after them need to learn that apples and yams don’t originate in supermarkets but come from trees and vines that people plant, care for and harvest with effort and diligence, they also need to learn that before there was a community organizer who became President, there was a civil rights leader who preached non violence and led diverse groups of thousands in peaceful boycotts and marches for freedom; and that himself picked up the struggle where thousands before him left off.
·        Let us commit to continued commemorations of Dr. King’s life’s work.
·        Let us commit to doing our part to build on the legacy of Dr. King’s achievements
·        Let us commit to never allowing Dr. King’s legacy to be taken for granted.

Only by doing so will we keep the dream alive and continue the journey to the Promised Land.

Keynote Speech by Eloise Gift at Commemoration Service for the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Valencia UNM Campus, Los Lunas Saturday, January 19, 2013, 1:00 PM

 

People Power - #Power of We



The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States of America established guiding principles for the creation of a new nation, http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/304331_4733775021531_1003282418_n.jpg. These principles, not imposed by a ruler or by external forces, represent the will of the people. We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common Defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity . . ..The Preamble expresses the #Power of We, a people's desire to live intentional live intentional, consequential lives true to noble ideals.

When such principles get sidelined or trampled, sooner or later a spontaneous combustion of people power will seek to restore them. That's what happened in the case of the revolt of the British North American colonies in the eighteenth century and  at countless other times and places around the globe, including the recent Arab Spring. A similar effort at rebalancing and restoration of principles led to the US Civil Rights movement of the sixties and to the South African Apartheid resistance. Great leaders like Washington, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Nelson Mandela, identified with these movements were not initiators of the movements but products of them, propelled to the forefront by the Power of the people. 
 
The Power of We at work in the world can be identified in every sphere of human endeavor: political, socio-economic, religious, business, sports, entertainment. It relates to human need to have an unfetter spirit free to soar and be the best that it can be. It relates to people feeling connected because no man [or woman] is an island. It relates also to having a voice.
 
In contemplating the possibilities of political leadership on the eve of an election, http://www.eloisegift4nm.org, I consider it prudent to bear in mind that in a democracy, people have power - power to make choices.  Elected candidates share people  power - the Power of We, by agreeing to represent their interests and must be ever vigilant as to what are the interests of the people - good schools where children succeed,  sustainable jobs that pay well; sustainable housing, clean air and water, fair government. When people have power, their will prevails.

You Can Sell a Home in Winter

In our high and dry southwestern climate, we sell homes all year round,and some of us agents have been known to have winter sales that surpassed spring and summer totals. There are several reasons for this.

1.      Because of the perception that winter is a slow month for real estate, several persons take their homes off the market thus reducing the competition.

2.      Our mostly pleasant, sun-filled days are comfortable for house hunting all-year round.

3.      Buyers looking for homes in the winter months are usually serious buyers who must find a home at the time they are looking. Some may be newly relocated from other cities, states or even countries. I know this from experience when my husband had no control over his relocation schedule. Transfers were always at short notice, and when we arrived in a city we needed to find schools and a home right away no matter the season.

4.      Homes decorated for the holidays add an extra layer of appeal. Buying is an emotional experience and a beautifully decorated home is emotionally appealing to buyers.

5.      Sight is not the only sense that persuades buyers. The aroma of freshly baked bread, pies, cakes, cookies that is one of the hallmarks of the fall/winter holiday season also attracts buyers.  I remember the time a realtor brought buyer with little notice into a home I was selling. A group of friends and I had just got up from the breakfast table and moved our our conversation to the living room. (I know. I was not supposed to be there, let alone with friends. If your REALTOR gives you permission it's ok.) The table was still not cleared and the aroma of muffins and hot coffee was thick. The buyer and her agent breezed in and out in under five minutes. They did not even enter the living area where I sat with my friends. I received an offer before the end of the day.

For this holiday season, don’t hold back. Put your home on the market for the holidays. Decorate it. Enjoy the season and the company of your friends. Trust your REALTOR and who knows, your holiday gift could be the biggest gift of all: a contract.

Home Ownership Matters

Home Ownership was recorded at its highest in 2008 and since then has been falling from state to state even though according to National Association of REALTORS®(NAR) research, 70 percent of Americans say home ownership is important to them. But current social and economic forces are not in alignment to encourage home ownership. Home owners continue to lose homes to foreclosure because unforeseen circumstances including job losses, pay reductions and unplanned high healthcare costs.  Others anticipated being able to refinance to escape the payment of crushing mortgage payments due to high interest rates but discover they are unable to take advantage of now dramatically low t rates because the value of their homes have plummeted and their properties cannot appraise for enough to satisfy loans taken out at the time of purchase of the property.

Unemployment is at 9 percent. No one in this group can take advantage of attractively low interest rates to achieve home ownership. (A job is a necessary requirement for a loan.) Among the employed, stringent lender requirements, an unwarranted backlash from the mortgage crisis stands in the way of their qualifying for new loans. New proposed legislation offers no hope. Portions of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act like the Qualified Residential Mortgage requirement could solidify a requirement of a 20 percent down payment on all residential mortgages. Ironically, that requirement would immediately put home ownership outside the reach of a significant number of people. That group would include all the fully employed workers whose incomes have never and will not now allow them to save enough for any such down payment. Economic uncertainty keeps yet another group from embarking on one of the biggest financial undertakings of a lifetime because of the perceived greater risks than usual. So even though 70 percent of Americans value homeownership, home ownership remains in decline.

Home ownership was at 69.2 percent (the highest ever) across the nation in 2008. The rate has continued to fall since 2008 and currently the average is 59.9 percent, with some states recording percentages well below 50. But all is not yet lost. Consumers can still find reasons to be thankful. Strong advocates of the American dream exist even outside the group of would-be homeowners. The National Association of REALTORS®, since its inception has been an advocate that continues to champion the cause of home ownership as one of the foundational beliefs embedded in the Preamble to the1913 Code of Ethics.  REALTORS® should recognize that the interests of the nation and its citizens require the highest and best use of the land and the widest distribution of land ownership. They require the creation of adequate housing . . .

National Association of REALTORS® continues to champion the cause of home ownership by challenging laws oppositional to home ownership in the legislature. To build awareness and highlight the importance of  owing one's home, NAR has taken the issue on the road. The association is also supporting local associations as it visits offices on its bus tour across the country. The bus stopped at the Greater Albuquerque Association of REALTORS® office in Albuquerque in October.

#BAD11 Food - We Are What We Eat

It would have been appropriate for my husband to launch his change in eating habit on World Food Day, but he didn't. That is why I think it appropriate to share it today on Blog Action Day. I am not sure when he made the decision but it was about mid January of this year that my husband announced that he would no Ionger eat any animal product and was switching to a plant-based diet. He would no longer eat meat of any kind, no fish, no cheese, no eggs and no dairy products. This was startling news from someone who drank milk like water, loved cheese, eggs, steak and potatoes, on a daily basis.

I decided to humor him, expecting that he would soon get tired of his experiment while  I secretly hoped he was serious and would no longer be bring home slabs of Muenster, Swiss and cheddar that I had difficulty resisting.

It has been nine months since the announcement.  It turns out, switching to a vegan lifestyle was not a passing fancy. My husband does not compromise on the types of food he eats.  I have learned how to use egg replacer instead of eggs for baking. I know at least six alternatives to dairy milk and I am delighted that our house is rid of artery-clogging cheeses. I know where the vegan restaurants are in our town. When we travel, we call ahead to find out which restaurants serve food he can eat.
Apart from not eating meat and other animal products, my husband maintains his customary lifestyle of daily biking, swimming and working out at the gym. He eats three meals per day with snacks in between and is two sizes smaller and twenty-five pounds lighter than when he started. His doctor confirms that his body is undergoing significant positive changes.

Therefore,  it is true. We are what we eat. How else to explain how eliminating certain kinds of food can change one's appearance and improve health? It is interesting that bread, a metaphor for food in general, is universally referred to as the staff of life. Food maintains life. Without food we die, abruptly or slowly. How ironic, then that eating food could be dangerous to ones health! My husband says his only regret is that he did not read T. C. Campbell’s The China Study earlier.
Eloise Gift
Gift Realty NM

Voting Day



Balloons Over Albuquerque

I always like to take advantage of the opportunity to vote early, meaning before the  actual day of the elections. If I don't, on election day everyone and everything seem to conspire to keep me away from the voting center until it is too late. Few things are more upsetting than discovering that election day ended and you did not get to cast your ballot.
Today, October 4, 2011, as the International Balloon Fiesta continues, it is municipal election day in Albuquerque. I did not get to vote early so I gave priority to getting to the voting center as soon as possible after 7:00 AM when the polls opened. I was impressed at the steady stream of people entering and leaving the Ventana Ranch Elementary School to participate in the type of election that traditionally has a low turnout.
In this election, all voters get to vote on bond issues, gross receipts tax  revenues and a referendum on the Traffic Light Camera Program while residents in even-numbered districts also get to choose their city councilor. Every issue is important.

Based on my observation, either the importance of the issues or the newly established Consolidated Voting Centers that allow residents to vote anywhere in the city must be influencing voter turnout. If what I observed has any validity, turnout will be significantly higher than in the last municipal elections.
Eloise Gift
Gift Realty NM

Rio Rancho -- Each Day A Surprise

Rust Medical Center

The New Presbyterian Hospital in Southeast Rio Rancho adjacent to Cabezon  is not yet complete and already a flurry of new  activity surrounds it.  Across the street, what appears to be flood control construction is almost complete. Adjacent, the sign announcing medical office pads for sale is gone and earth movers are sitting on land scraped bare of vegetation alongside stacks of long, blue, cylindrical tubes.
On the corner, a new pharmacy opens next door  to another also recently opened. All this, where just a year ago ago, acres of tumbleweed and scrub land existed. A quarter mile up the road, in anticipation of all the new employees who will soon be in and around the Rust Medical Center, restaurants and entertainment spots are springing up.



I have reason to travel along Unser Boulevard frequently -- several times per week.  I am constantly surprised by the changing skyline.  Rio Rancho, at least some parts of it, seem to be unaware of the real estate downturn. Residential and commercial construction continue to change the skyline. The city may deliver before too long on the prediction that it will surpass Las Cruces and Albuquerque in growth.