Grateful for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

[featured_image] This past summer my wife and I had the opportunity to be in Washington, DC for the weekend remembrance of Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963 – fifty years ago.

For me it was quite moving to stand with tens of thousands of Americans of every race and consider the impact of not only his words, but the cause for which they marched on Washington.

Following our time spent near the exact spot where Dr. King gave his speech, we headed over to the Smithsonian and walked through the exhibit that commemorated the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.

One of the things that struck me as I reflected throughout the day was that Dr. King’s speech was only one of many speeches given that day. Yet it is the one that is most remembered. I believe it’s because he caught the tension between the reality of what was now — and also not yet. He painted an amazing picture of the future that he desperately wanted to see become reality.

I’m grateful for Dr. King’s vision and ability to cast that vision for us as a nation. However, I wish that we as a nation were closer to seeing his dream become our reality.

While we have come far over the past 50 years. We still have quite a distance to travel.