Watching History from Here...

I stayed up all night watching the US elections. Here in the UK, it was just after 4am when Barack Obama was projected by CNN as the next President of the United States. I lifted my weary head off the couch pillow and watched both John McCain and Barack Obama give great speeches. From across the Atlantic, in a country where I was born but is not my home, I was proud to be an American citizen.

Melia and I both have been Obama supporters. For the first time in our lives, we even made a few donations to the political campaign. By default, Tanner and Konner have been in the Obama camp as well. As they went to bed long before any results came in, I made sure they could appreciate the gravity of the history that was about to be made, no matter what the outcome. An African-American in the White House, or a female Vice-President. Wow. Either way, can we all stop for at least a moment and reflect on what a historic moment Nov 4, 2008 indeed was? This is what I tried to tell my 12 and 8 year old young boys as they drifted off to sleep on what for them was just another day.

It might not matter to you, but I wanted to tell you that the view from most on this side of the Atlantic is hopeful and positive. And I’m not only referring to Obama, though this is certainly the case. The best of the USA was on display last night. The world, deeply divided by conflict, poverty, terrorism, climate change and this economic crisis, still looks westward to a land of opportunity. As they watched a white man concede peacefully and a black man give a determined speech to thousands, what they see indeed reveals the truth. For all its faults, every four years, the USA reveals its true greatness, not in military might but in the power of people deciding themselves who will lead them. The irony is not lost on me that Kenya celebrates while just a year ago it could not do the same in its elections.

I have heard John McCain give two great speeches in the last few weeks. One was at the Al Smith dinner in New York, where Obama was also in attendance. It’s worth a watch on YouTube, in the midst of a heated campaign. The second was last night, in graceful concession. He is a great man. Our country still needs him.

I know he has been a divisive figure, but watching Jesse Jackson in tears last night was quite moving. We forget that Rev. Jackson was there with Martin Luther King, Jr. during the dangerous days of the Civil Rights Movement. He was there on that terrace when MLK, Jr. was shot in Memphis. That famous photograph is not only of Dr. King laying in his own blood, but of Rev. Jackson (and others) pointing towards the roof from whence the shot came. He was there on that fateful day in April, 1968. I wonder what he was thinking last night as Obama became President-elect?

A close friend of mine who did some inner-city work in Memphis, TN years ago tells me a story of an aged African-American woman who marched with Dr. King from Selma to Montgomery. She still speaks of the bricks thrown, the tear gas and the billy clubs used by police, and the amazing verbal hatred hurled at them most every step as they peacefully made their way after three attempts from Selma to Montgomery in 1965. She still works amongst the urban poor in Memphis. I wonder what she was thinking last night? No matter your politics, I sincerely hope you can appreciate the history.

Today, most of us will get up, get our kids ready for school, head to work, and continue to do our best to make this day a little better than yesterday. In that, it would be easy to assume that not much has changed. But change generally doesn’t happen in giant leaps, but in small steps. I don’t know if this election will actually result in anything pragmatic. That remains to be seen. I am obviously hopeful that it will. But I do know that any change I want to see must start with me. I voted, but more importantly, our family has chosen to serve, through teaching children, as Melia does heroically everyday, or through human rights campaigning which I find myself doing literally around the globe these days. We bring change by investing our time in our own children, exposing them to the realities of a harsh world as well as the possibilities that exist alongside those challenges. We bring change when we love our neighbors as ourselves, and when we do unto others as we would have them do unto us. This, I think could work in our neighborhoods, in our cities, and I dare say, it might work in foreign policy. Of course, this is my faulted idealism revealing itself. Trust me, after years of working in poverty and human rights, I’m just glad that idealism is still there. It's taken a real beating the last year or so.

This is not intended to be a political post, just some thoughts as our family watches an historic election from across the water. I hope you read it as such.

Blessing and Peace - Andrew

A Day in London with Tanner

Today was Tanner and my day to go out and be together. Every once and awhile, Andrew and I split the boys up so that he takes one and I take the other and we have a day with one of the boys. Today was mine and Tanner’s day. Konner stayed home with Andrew.

So at 10:00 am, Tanner and I set out for an outing into London. Chafford Hundred, where we live, is outside of London. We are in a small community in England but we have the access to the big city of London at our fingertips, if we have the time. There is a 30 minute train ride into the city and then from there are the underground tubes, Double Decker buses and/or walking. You cannot be in a hurry to get there or you will just be frustrated especially on the weekend. The trains and tubes do not run as often and sometimes there are delays due to railroad repairs. Tanner and I were relaxed, we had time and we only had 2 things on our agenda to see; a gallery and a museum. We made our plans simple so we could enjoy the day, be home by dinner and not be exhausted.

Recently, Andrew shared with us a story about a man who is from London who suffers from autism. His name is Stephen Wiltshire. When Steven was a child he was mute, but at age 7, someone uncovered his gift which unleashed his voice and his soul. He is considered a savant. He is the most amazing artist. He flew in a plane to get a good look at London for only 15 minutes, came down, and began drawing the panoramic view of London from a birds eye view. It took him 4 days to complete the mural size drawing. The picture astounded critiques when the detail of the buildings even had the correct number of windows on each building he drew. Breathtaking! Tanner was impressed with this story and could not quit talking about it. So on our day in London, Tanner and my first stop was the Steven Wiltshire Studio near Piccadilly Circus. I do believe, Tanner has a new favourite place in London now. We were inspired by Steven’s work and his accomplishments.

After leaving the studio, Tanner and I walked to Piccadilly Circus to visit Andrew and my favourite London museum that we visited on our honeymoon 17 years ago - which unfortunately has closed down. In its place was the Ripley’s Believe It Or Not museum (which our family had already been to in San Francisco). Of course Tanner insisted. So we went. It had a mirror maze that was truly eerie and haunting and could cause one to panic when one got so easily turned around and lost. We loved the bizarre and wacky objects but mostly we just enjoyed being together.

It was good to be with my twelve year old son. Tanner helped me to navigate the underground and train probably better than I could do on my own. I was glad that I had him with me.

We had lunch at McDonalds before getting on the train to come back home. I told Tanner, “I can’t believe we were in London all day and we did American stuff.” Ripley’s is an American museum and nothing is more American than McD’s. I still can’t believe I caved on lunch. Looking back though even McDonald’s is a cultural experience in London. The day was a huge success. Tanner and I had a fabulous day in London enjoying the transportation, the buildings, and the scenery but mostly it was great being with Tanner. He is such a great kid.