I’ve learned there are a whopping 8.7 million different spices in the world. The spice trade is both huge and ancient. It’s been around for over 5,000 years. Spice trading was a global industry even before we discovered the world was a globe, instead of being as flat as my kitchen table. Clearly there has always been a demand for more than my basic ten choices.
It was the 226th anniversary year of The Battle of McIntyre’s Farm, also known as the Battle of the Bees. Located seven miles out of Charlotte, this historic 1780 battle ended with 14 American Patriots routing 600 of British commander Lord Charles Cornwallis’ finest. I need to remember the powerful family stories. I need to remember how my relatives did #resist, fought with the colonists, built the underground railroad, worked in the mines, and were the Hornets running off Cornwallis.
Stories from the past can be great teaching tools for today. I’ve thought about the stories told in our old photographs – both what I see, and what I don’t see. Our family pictures show people wearing their best clothes and posing for the camera.
Grandpa had many adventures in his long life, but on that Saturday in 1953 he wasn’t sharing stories about any of that. Instead, we just exchanged a few simple words before he took my untested young grip with his weathered hand.
I met Mark Ethridge in the Grier Heights Community Center. We were part of a multi-racial book club discussing Rev. William Barber’s book, The Third Reconstruction. I was curious to learn how he gained his interracial knowledge at such a young age. He then told me about The Urbanites and the work they are doing at Charlotte’s Urban Ministry Center.
In 2017, I will focus on the two big magic words, THANK YOU. I’ll say “Thank You” for the people and memories in my life – some old, some new – for filling me up each day. I’ll say thanks for all the gifts that come my way. I’ll say thanks with my words, with my smiles, and with my acts of kindnesses.
I already had enough stuff, so I put my retail therapy on hold for a year. I wanted more time for intentional choices. It was actually easier than I thought it would be. I didn’t buy a single piece of clothing all year! For 2017, I vow to only buy when necessary, focusing on keeping what I have in good repair, and then replacing things when it’s time …
In every tradition: Christian, Islam, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikhism, Judaism, Baha’i, “Nones” and more – the message is the same – Be Kind.
“Are we being good ancestors?” Getting that answer right shapes my legacy. If each choice I make reflects a desire to be viewed as a good ancestor then the choices should all be good. The choices won’t be only for today, but choices that will reverberate forever through time, into my children’s children’s lives and beyond. If the children smile and are happy, it will have been a good choice.
I had a meeting – my first scheduled walking meeting. The organizer just wrote, “Walk at 10:30 AM – Freedom Park.” No written agenda, no coffee served, no “death by PowerPoint,” just fresh air, exercise, and conversation.