Thank you, Maya Angelou, for reminding me.

I looked into my baby's eyes for the first time, and finally, the world made sense.

Ponder for a moment on the thought, that you are someones hope. You are someones dream. That once long ago one of your ancestors dreamed of a better future, and that future included you. That in the moment you were placed into your mother's arms, an instant after your first breath a dream started to form. As she looked into your eyes for the first time she saw all the hope and good this world could hold, in you.

I listened to Maya Angelou recite her moving poem "Still I Rise" today. I could not hold back the tears as her words rang deeply within my heart. I do not share the same decent as this magnificent woman but that does not mean I can not relate to the message of her poem. Or appreciate the strength and brilliance of the gifts her ancestors gave her. We all stand here today because of the sacrifices that were made before us. Because we were someones hope. We were someones dream.

Who do you hope for? Who do you dream for? What future are you longing to see as you look into your child's eyes for the first time? We will each give our descendants a gift based on the history we create for them to build on. Is your gift a treasure of love? And the courage to live that love, and inspire in others the desire to become all that God intends for His children? Or the curse of indifference and hatred? What will they have to rise from? What foundation will they have to stand upon?

Never forget the importance of the work you are doing, and the world you are creating.
Today, I encourage you to listen to Maya Angelou's poem "Still I Rise" she recites it elsewhere on You Tube, and it's wonderful, but I chose this recording because it moved me beyond description. May it uplift and inspire you as well.

DD