Free At Last

Today is the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have A Dream” speech given during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963.  I have been thinking all day about the American Civil Rights Movement, and the significance of Senator Barack Obama’s acceptance speech tonight at the Democratic National Convention.

I have contemplated most today about how thankful I am for parents who exposed me to people that were different than me at a formative age.

One of my earliest memories is when I was around 3 years old and I saw an African-American family at Logan Airport in Boston, MA.  It was the first moment in my short life that I distinguished the difference between the color of my skin and the color of someone from another race.  Fearfully, I ducked my head behind the legs of my father.  I am thankful that my dad did not allow my fearful reaction to pass without making it a teaching moment.  He lovingly grabbed my hand, bent down to my level, and asked, “Isn’t that family beautiful? Don’t they have a pretty color of skin?”

My parents made time for many more teaching moments about different races and cultures during my childhood. I might be a different person today without those moments.

Filed under: Family, Life , barack obama, civil rights, dnc, free at last, i have a dream, martin luther king jr, mlk

Viva

I listened to Coldplay’s Viva La Vida album in its entirety as I rode my bike into DC to work today.  The Viva La Vida anthem track came on as I was riding through Rosslyn and heading to the Key Bridge. Just like clockwork, the “woah oh oh!” refrain hit as I rode across the bridge.  It was awesome!  The spires of Georgetown University were straight ahead of me, the Kennedy Center and Washington Monument were off to the right, and the sun was reflecting off of the Potomac River.

It was one of those moments where you just have to thank God for being alive.

Filed under: Life , bike, coldplay, dc, georgetown university, kennedy center, key bridge, monument, potomac river, rosslyn, washington

Baptism By The Bay 2008

I just wanted to post a link to my flickr set from last weekend’s Baptism By The Bay event.  Each summer, National Community Church holds a picnic and baptism event at the Sandy Point State Park on the shore of the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. It was a great time!

For more great photo sets from this event, see Stephen Elliot’s and Joe Portnoy’s photos.

Filed under: Life , baptism, chesapeake bay, dave clark, flickr, mark batterson, maryland, national community church, ncc, sandy point state park, water

Katie Enlow – Rockin’ the Boots

If you are a fan of mashups then check out Katie Enlow – Rockin’ the Boots. This is a new 6-track mashup EP produced by Lenlow, featuring the vocals of Katie Enlow.

Go to the link and you can listen to all of the sweet music, including California’s Where It’s At

• Vocals: Katie Enlow singing Marlena Shaw’s “California Soul”
  
• Samples: Beck “Where It’s At”; Freestylers “Told You So”; Marlena Shaw “California Soul”

Filed under: Music , boot, bootie, Katie Enlow, kenlow, lenlow, mashup, music

Nationals Game

 

Jessica & Jared Pt. 2, originally uploaded by JaredWJ.

Jessica and I went to the Nationals vs. Cubs game today at the new Nationals Park. We were celebrating a friend’s birthday, and sat in section 301. Despite the cold weather, we had a great time. It was a lot of fun to explore the new ballpark, find the good food spots, and take lots of pictures. 

Best part: Nats won 2-0!

Filed under: Life , baseball, jared, jessica, nationals