moving forward

It has been such a hard week.I didn't blog yesterday because 1) I'm not sure you would have wanted to read what my mind was thinking and 2) I needed some time to clear my head.I think now that the anger has passed, and I've moved on to just sadness and reflection, the waters are safe again. At least I hope so.What helped me to move forward more than anything was seeing President Obama's speech after the election. That man possesses more strength and grace than anyone I have ever known, and he inspires me daily to be a better person. I can only hope my son has a president of such magnitude in his lifetime (or one that he will remember, rather).Here are a few things I have done in the last day to make myself feel better.

1. I have signed up with several volunteer organizations in town, including this one. The best way I know how to fight ignorance and racism in this country is by raising my own son in a fashion that shows him the importance of charity and kindness while teaching him to respect all people no matter their race, gender, religion or sexual orientation. I will also be teaching him to stand up for those who are discriminated against and to bear witness for those who need it.
2. On that same note, I have set up a drive to help this organization gather goods for single mothers working hard to get their families out from under the poverty line. If you would like more information on how you can help, please shoot me an email.
3. I am working to order these beautiful signs for my neighborhood showing that we welcome everyone, and this is a safe place. The signs were designed and created by my wonderful friend Jaime.
4. I am donating to the ACLU.
5. I have used more patience than I ever knew I possessed to discuss racist and inaccurate postings on Facebook. Some posters have ignored me, while others have rewritten their posts or corrected them and thanked me for the civil dialogue. This has been the most difficult thing by far, but I encourage everyone to give it a try. Be nicer than you want to be, but make your points strongly. Racism is never acceptable.

And now that I have that off my chest, please enjoy these photos I took while we were on the North Shore last weekend. That blissful retreat seems like last year, so I sure am glad I took photos to remember it by.