Audacity

Audacity is such a great word. According to the dictionary, it means "boldness or daring, especially with confident or arrogant disregard for personal safety, conventional thought, or other restrictions." Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was definitely an audacious man.

When he accepted the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, he shared his audacity -- featured in the inscription in today's image -- with the world. He believed that mankind was capable of providing a just, compassionate and free world for all people. He "assumed the sale" as they say in marketing. He accepted the premise that a equal world was not only possible, but inevitable if more people had the audacity to make it happen.

In this very cynical world, we need a lot more people with audacity. I often wonder if using the word audacity in his bestselling memoir, The Audacity of Hope, helped Barack Obama become the 44th President of the United States. We look for boldness and daring in our leaders. Tying audacity to hope made him an appealing candidate for the presdiency. When we're looking for change, we are look for people who have the strength, courage and audacity to hope for a better tomorrow.

But here's the thing about audacity, it needs to be constant for others to trust in it. Any falter or interruption to audacity 's progress by fear or negativity generates doubt and distrust. If only President Obama had found a way to maintain the audacity he displayed on the campaign trail during his presidency. If he wants to return for a second term of office, Obama and his administration must find a way to reclaim voters' confidence in his ability to resolve the problems facing the country and get them to believe in his audacity to create a more hopeful future for all Americans.

Honoring More Than One

The Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial is meant to be more than just a tribute to the civil rights leader. It was also designed to honor the civil rights movement in general. The street address of the memorial is 1964 Independence Avenue -- the street number is an homage to the landmark 1964 Civil Rights Act of which King advocated for.

Along the upper walkway, they designed 24 niches to represent specific individuals, such as Medgar Evers and the four children murdered in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama, who lost their lives during the civil rights movement. Thoughtfully, the memorial architects left these niches open to allow for future civil rights martyrs to be added and recognized at the memorial.

Designers planted more than 100 Cherry Blossom trees around the memorial, joining the hundreds more already growing around the Tidal Basin. Cherry Blossoms were selected since they bloom each year around the anniversary of King's death, April 4. These blooming annuals also serve as a remembrance of the promise of hope overcoming the darkness of oppression and injustice.

It seems that the designs of the newest national monuments and memorials on the National Mall are more inclusive, acknowledging a broader audience than just the singular individual being honored. For example, this memorial celebrates King and the civil rights movement, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial also honors Eleanor Roosevelt's contribution as a first lady and later as a United Nations diplomat and the World War II Memorial attempts to depict the wartime experience and sacrifice of all American WWII veterans. This trend demonstrates the positive shift in our perspective and willingness as Americans to view our history through a wider, more honest lens.

King's Hands

I loved my Grandma Winnie's hands. They were perfect. Her hands were elegant, yet familiar with labor. As she aged, her hands gained more character. Lines and age spots appeared. Her veins became easier to see as her skin became thinner.

As a result of Grandma's hands, I love photographing them. Like someone's eyes or face, a person's -- or in the case of today's photograph, a sculpture's -- hands can tell a story. Even in this sculpture of Martin Luther King, Jr., it appears that the artist Lei Yixin must have felt similarly. Look at the amount of detail he included in King's hands. Although his hands are depicted at rest on his arm, they still illustrate strength and power. Like Grandma Winnie's hands, these sculpted hands tell a story of peace and perseverance.

I regret now not photographing Grandma more often, especially those hands I loved so much. As I've mentioned before, she hated to be photographed. In spite of her complaints, I should have listened to my gut and taken pictures of her anyway. At least now, I have my own hands to remind me of Grandma's. As I get older, I find my hands are looking more and more like hers. I wonder if they will be as memorable to others as Grandma's hands have been in my life.

Resilience

According to the dictionary, resilience is the ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change. Until my current work in the field of behavioral health, I wasn't familiar with the term. I knew what the word meant, but did not reference it in conversation or in my writing. Now, I feel like I talk about it all the time -- the importance of being resilient, or admiring the resilience of others. To face obstacles and overcome them is resilience. To experience life-altering events and moments and chose not to live as a victim is resilience. Every day, we are surrounded by resilient people without even recognizing or appreciating their ability to recover and adjust to life's trials.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his last speech on April 3,1968 at Mason Temple (Church of God in Christ Headquarters) in Memphis, Tennessee. The next day, he was assassinated while standing on the balcony of his motel room. No stranger to death threats, King knew that he wasn't destined to live a long life. Some even suggest that as he delivered his final address that he knew it would be his last one.

After watching the video and listening to the words of his "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech he delivered that night, I tend to agree. However, what is also clear is that King believed in resilience. He knew that whatever happen to him and/or other civil rights movement leaders, that his followers must be resilient and the movement must recover from his death and keep moving forward. To do this, he shared his premonition with the congregation. He told them how he had seen the future and the world the movement had created flowing with justice, humanity and equality. He assured us that while he may not get there with us, we must be resilient and soldier on, advocating for the voiceless and bringing about a more humane world.

Now that the 9/11 10th anniversary has passed, you might be thinking what's changed ten years later? What do we do now? We must continue to be resilient. Resilience is programmed into our DNA. We just need to activate it by creating a goal and start working towards it. Thankfully, we live in a world where there are people, resources and supports to help us on our road to recovery. I've mentioned Lao-Tzu's quote "The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step." Step after step, let's keep moving on the road of recovery and resilience.

Ending of King's I've Been to the Mountaintop" Speech:

Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn't matter with me now, because I've been to the mountaintop.

And I don't mind.

Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land!

And so I'm happy, tonight.

I'm not worried about anything.

I'm not fearing any man!

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord!!

Also enjoy singer Patty Griffin's song, "Up to the Mountain (MLK Tribute)" which was inspired by the themes of King's last speech:

Charity

Throughout the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, quotations from King's speeches and writings are displayed. One of my favorite King's quotations used in the memorial was:

Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.

At this moment, ten years ago, the first hijacked plane struck the World Trade Center. While there was nothing charitable about this act of terrorism, from that moment on, charity throughout New York, the country and world was activated. Of faith, hope and charity, charity is the action step. While you can't create faith and hope, by using your heart and soul as a source, we can create charity.

Charity is a form of light that can drive out the darkness of hatred, violence and intolerance. On that day, and the ten years that followed, people have been giving of themselves -- money, time, expertise, and wisdom -- to bring light to the lives of those directly impacted by this tragedy and help ensure that this moment will not repeat itself. Through compassion, empathy, generosity and sacrifice, global citizens have been counteracting terrorism. While there may have been lapses and steps backwards in this charitable progress since 9/11, we have made great gains in reframing this anniversary into one that now selflessly serves others.

Today is the September 11th National Day of Service and Remembrance and thousands of people around the nation will be volunteering and helping others in their communities as a tribute to the more than 3,000 people who perished on September 11, 2001. It is a fitting tribute, especially honoring of the more than 300 first responders who lost their lives while serving and protecting others. Their sacrifice motivated the creation of this service day in 2002 and it is a spirit we should carry through our day today and all the days of our lives.

As you listen to remembrances and stories about the victims of 9/11 today, you'll hear more about the good things they did or the reasons why people loved them. That is how it should be. We should all be remembered for the kind, thoughtful, generous acts and words we have shared in our lives. We must live a life worth remembering filled with compassion, love and charity for our fellow man.

It is unfortunate that the terrorists involved in these attacks chose to define their lives by this vicious, inhumane act. We must all chose differently. We must drive out hate and ignorance in the world with our own weapon of mass destruction -- love and knowledge. Through acts of charity, we can demonstrate the power of love and knowledge to overcome such obstacles and create a better world for ourselves and future generations yet to be. I chose to leave a legacy of charity with every word and action I make.

While I may not be wearing my faith, hope and charity charm necklace around my neck all the time, I chose to wear it on my soul each day. I've challenged myself -- and you -- to lean on faith, to multiply hope and live a life of charity. These are the keys to manifesting the world of Dr. King's dreams.

Now, let's go forth and build it together.

Hope

My co-workers marvel at my ability to always find the positive side of difficult situations or dilemmas. Regardless of how things ago, I always seem to find the upside. At times, this trait can be annoying to others, but I can't imagine seeing the world any differently. To be a Debbie Downer and only focus on what's missing, what's wrong or the evils of our world is just intolerable.
But, I am only human and I too have my negativity-filled weak moments just like everyone else. In the days following the 9/11 attacks, it was hard to keep depression and sadness away. After many hours of watching news coverage of the attack aftermath and listening to talk of death, grief and war, I struggled to stay positive. It was during those struggles that I knew I needed to change my focus. I needed to start looking for the upside in this tragedy.

So, I started devouring any news stories I could find about heroism, compassion and kindness following the attacks. I read, watched and listened to tales featuring the light of our humanity in the face of such viciousness like how New York firefighters stopped to carry the lifeless body of their beloved chaplain Father Mychael Judge who died while administering last rites to the fallen at the World Trade Center to a nearby church or the co-worker who stayed with an overweight colleague who could no longer go down the stairs in one of the towers because he didn't want him to be alone or the countless of stories of selflessness during and after the attacks.

Looking at the positive outcomes instead of just the negative ones helped me find and hold on to the hope that everything would be ok. It was like a lifesaver for my soul. The idea of living in a world filled with such darkness, hatred and violence was eating away at my spirit and grabbing on to a more hopeful outlook for mankind made moving forward so much easier. I needed to believe that we could be better, we were better, than those who perpetrated the attacks.

I know humankind has the ability to do exactly what Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. suggested that we are able to do --  forge "out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope." Even in the face of such cruelty, injustice and violence during the civil rights movement, King could still stand on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and believe that his dream that one day we will all get along peacefully would come to fruition. His optimism and hopefulness for a better future for his children and all mankind inspired so many others to manifest the world of King's dreams. Are we there yet? No. The terrorist attacks in 2001 and other atrocities since demonstrate that there is still much more work to be done.

Just like that Sandra Bullock and Harry Connick, Jr. movie title suggests hope can float. Hope can keep us from drowning in a sea of inhumanity and it can anchor us by serving as a life goal to aspire to. Each day, I try to live a life that generates more positive ripples in life's pond than destructive ones. If everyone tried to live their lives with such optimism and hopefulness, what a wonderful world this would be.

While I wish the 9/11 attacks in New York, Washington, DC and Pennsylvania never occurred, I do miss the spirit of teamwork, togetherness and kindness that resulted. I enjoyed its healing presence at the time and long for the day when we can be that way all the time. With hope, my soul feels lighter and rooted. It's a feeling I wish more people would embrace and model for future generations how to live life with a "glass half-full" perspective.

Faith

This weekend, we observe the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. As a DC-dweller, the sadness of that day is often present here throughout the year, but heightened around the anniversary each September. Instead of dwelling on the sadness and fear that accompanies this occasion, I wanted to focus on three uplifting concepts instead that are very meaningful to me -- faith, hope and charity. Throughout the weekend, I will be blogging about each term and how I think it relates to this significant experience in our lives.

One of my favorite pieces of jewelry is a charm with a gold cross, anchor and heart symbolizing faith, hope and charity, respectfully. It was given to me by my godmother, one of my favorite people on the planet. I often wear it when I need some extra strength or courage to face a challenging day. Since it was given to me by one of the most spiritual people I know, I feel as though it holds a peaceful energy that helps center me whenever I wear it.

So, let's start with faith. Faith is the perfect beginning for this weekend's conversation, because it's the foundation of everything I am and live by. When talking about faith and spirituality, people tend to get caught up on semantics. We always feel as if we have to name and label things, which hold little interest to me. From my perspective, faith is the belief in something greater than oneself. It is the acknowledgement that that greatness resides within ourselves and in people around us. It is knowing that we embody part of that higher power and each  hold the ability and responsibility to share it with others through our choices, words, thoughts and actions.

Faith isn't just about religion or spirituality. It is also the difficult acceptance that light and dark co-exist in the world and that while bad things may happen, good things happen at the same time to counteract that action and create balance. While hatred and ignorance may have flown into those buildings ten years ago, we heard and saw stories about how love, compassion, kindness and humanity flowed out of it in the form of strangers helping each other escape or get home, first responders toiling for days  without rest in rescue and recovery missions, and people all around the world holding vigils and rallies to demonstrate their love and support for America in this tragedy.

Faith asks us to make a leap, to believe in something that we often can't see or prove even exists. It is the tenet that asks us to trust that while the day may seem dark, lighter days will follow. It is a philosophy that requires us to believe that when a door closes, another will open. Like Indiana Jones did in the Last Crusade film, sometimes we have to leap out onto a ledge we can't see, trusting that our foot will touch solid ground even when our ego insists we will fall.

I leaned on faith a lot following the 9/11 attacks and lean on it now as each anniversary passes. Faith is what keeps the fear at bay. It is what allows me to brave Metro trains and trips downtown when raised terror alerts inflame nerves calling me to stay home. Faith is our champion against terrorism and the other man-made evils present in our lives. It was the warrior Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. called upon in his battle against injustice and prejudice. As the saying goes, with faith all things are possible. It the cross that  keeps love present in the midst of great sadness and hatred.