A day to be thankful
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Today was a day to be grateful.
For being an American and a citizen of the world.
After 4 years of what I never imagined my country would be, today is a new chapter, in our long history of grappling with challenges, facing injustice, and overcoming.
I'm thinking this evening of Pete Seeger's song, "If I had a Hammer." I was reminded by a friend about his voice recently; I grew up listening to Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, and others. I can hear this song now.
It's meaningful to me as I think about it now: these are the lyrics. I can hear him singing it from my Dad's tape reels.
The lyrics are enough. We have challenging and hopeful times ahead. This image of a girl lighting a lantern in Hoi An, Vietnam on a Full Moon celebration always brings hope.
I'd hammer in the morning
I'd hammer in the evening
All over this land
I'd hammer out danger
I'd hammer out a warning
I'd hammer out love between
My brothers and my sisters, ah-ah
All over this land
I'd ring it in the morning
I'd ring it in the evening
All over this land
I'd ring out danger
I'd ring out a warning
I'd ring out love between
My brothers and my sisters, ah-ah
All over this land
I'd sing it in the morning
I'd sing it in the evening
All over this world
I'd sing out danger
I'd sing out a warning
I'd sing out love between
My brothers and my sisters ah-ah
All over this land
And I've got a bell
And I've got a song to sing
All over this land
It's the hammer of justice
It's the bell of freedom
It's the song about love between
My brothers and my sisters
All over this land
All over this land
All over this land
All over this land
All over this land
All over this land
All over this land
It was a day of joy and hope. For the first night in a very long time, I didn't feel the need to light my menorah candles.
ReplyDeleteLisa, I wept yesterday. The words of the oath shot through my heart filling me with hope I have not felt in a very long time. It is indeed a new day walking toward healing what has been broken in so many.
ReplyDeleteI was amazed to find myself in tears multiple times during the inauguration and at other times throughout the day. But they were tears of joy and relief. I had not realized how much I had been repressing and controlling the past four years. What a beautiful relief for me, the nation, and the world!
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