Wednesday, August 28, 2013

nothing to do with baking

Just listened, riveted, to the President's speech.  What a knockout!  My eyes are quite red; I cried almost throughout the speech.  Some of this may be attributable to the fact that I just read, at Eloise's recommendation, "Five Smooth Stones."  A book that somehow escaped my attention until now--yet uncannily apropos.  My eyes were quite red throughout the 750 pages of this quite remarkable book.  Despite bits where the plot was a little thin and/or contrived, for the most part, it is impossible not to feel like the main characters are personally known to the reader; impossible not to love them and feel (forgive the cliche) their pain.  A few weeks back, the president made some remarks which included his comment that no black man, himself included, hadn't known what it is to be followed in a department store.  The experience of reading Five Smooth Stones brings that home in a frightening real way.  To then see the crowds reassemble before the Lincoln Memorial and to hear the President pay tribute to what has been accomplished in the ensuing 50 years and call upon us all to do what still remains to be done--it all cuts close to the bone.  A hopeful moment preceding the imminent return of our do-nothing legislators...

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