Posted by Margarette on November 3, 2008 at 5:52pm
November 4th is a day that seems to not be able to come fast enough. After months of screaming YES WE CAN…the day of reckoning is just around the corner. Now many of you think I’m speaking of the election….but instead I think it’s time for all of us as newly engaged citizens, on fire for a candidate, to use this day to confront our own needs for personal and spiritual housekeeping.We, more than most, get and connect with the fantastic voyage that is Barack Obama’s story. The question becomes, “will we allow Barack’s story to be just that, a story that happened in the midst of our daily complaints, fears, errands and etc.?” Will we get stuck in the land of amazement at our baby boy or girl’s love of Obama or will we figure out how to transition his faith walk and determination into lessons our babies can understand? Will we worry about the attacks coming from his opponents or will we make sure that we learn valuable lessons about moving forward through our own fear and threats of evil opposition? Will we make sure some young person understands that their opposition is not based on perceptions of their weaknesses but the fears of their undeniable strengths?As an early voter, I can say that I felt a surge when I was able to mark an x beside Barack Obama’s name. I was surprised at how choked up I felt when walking back to my car. I kept thinking, Lord Have Mercy…I just voted for Barack Obama, FOR PRESIDENT. I was proud for all of the reasons that we all are. But I admit that there were other things that I thought about that day and most days since.Maybe it’s just me, but when I look at Michelle Obama I see the many sisters coming out of the hair salon after a sweet blow out…when you can’t tell us a thing. When she infuses a certain look when making a point, I see my mom and my girlfriend Lavita. When I see her standing eye to eye with her husband, looking feminine and strong, it reminds me of my girls Nicole, Toni and Tina. When I see Sasha and Malia I see my very bright cousin Madison and the snaggle toothed smile of MaKenzi. When I see Barack’s cool “what’s up” swagger, I see men from my circle like Henry, CJ and Wade. When he’s blamed for being too much of an intellectual, I merely hear the same style of speech used by my friends Omar, Artis and Mike.So in the end, I guess that my greatest pride won’t be JUST that Barack may win but that people and images that are NEVER shown on TV, heck are rarely ever acknowledged, will be selected by MILLIONS for the role of the ultimate leader. And as many are patting themselves on the back for being so FORWARD thinking by selecting Barack, I will know that the things they admire are right in my circle; in my community; in my family.My only desire now is that our pride and recognition of similarities with the Obamas will transition beyond next week. Most of us won’t ever meet Barack Obama. He won’t come to our church and he may never kiss our babies, no matter how cute. Nevertheless, we’re not out of luck. On November 5th, every community has the ability to connect with its own Obama by meeting the NEW YOU. You won't be new because you’re gonna change but new because you’ll decide to share more of your gifts with the people around you. You will choose to vote NO to fear and self doubt. You will recognize that you're only limited by the questions you're scared to ask and the opportunities you're afraid of pursuing.On November 5th communities far and wide can learn that actually we have lots of great black fathers. We can choose to show that there are plenty of happy couples out there who actually like and support each other. Most importantly each of us can introduce our zip codes, our families, our jobs and our friends to a person who truly has FAITH not only in a candidate but in themselves. I’ll leave you with the words spoken by Mandela, but written by Marianne Williamson….“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”May we all be blessed and inspired during this GLORIOUS upcoming week. Enjoy your liberation. :-)Margarette PurvisFounder and CEOThe Purvis Consulting Groupwww.askpcg.com
Comments