Sal's Reflections

A dear friend who always seems to be upbeat shared his modus operandi with me.He said”when you wake up in the morning you basically have a choice.Every day of your life there will be something that goes wrong and hopefully something that goes right.Where you focus will determine how your day and how your life goes.”He referred to this focus as the difference between a P day and a G day.The P stands for Positive and the G for Grumpy.This simple view of life certainly has a lot of wisdom ,and I find myself more and more aware of what kind of day I choose it to be.

Tonight I will experience again the joy of being a grandparent.My six year old granddaughter Erica will visit from Iowa for Labor Day weekend.The joy that she will bring already makes me smile.Being a grandparent is one of life’s great roles.You can spoil the grandchildren,offer them forbidden food treats,act silly with them and when you are totally worn out physically return them to the care of their parents.Also their totally unfiltered views on every issue provide us with wisdom and insight that has not yet been shaped by prescribed societal expectations.The next three days will be fun, and more rewarding than words can describe.

Fifty years ago a man stood on the steps of the Lincoln memorial and gave a vision that was so compelling that his words still ring true.He spoke about the fullness of a democratic ideal where persons would be judged by the content of their character not the color of their skin.Yesterday at precisely the same moment that he spoke many gathered in the same spot to renew the commitment of achieving his vision.I was there ,and it was so rewarding to see the diverse faces of the America that he proposed willing and able to work toward “the dream”.It is now in our hands, and the hands of our children to work each day to bring hope,justice and freedom to every person in this country.The quest is for every generation the same ,and we stand on the shoulders of all those who fifty years ago paid the price for life ,liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Today is the 50th anniversary of the”I have a dream” speech gien by Martin Luther King”.His life and contribution to our society will long be remembered and revered.He paid the ultimate price with his life, but his impact will last forever. America is a better place today because of his leadership and sacrifice..On the other hand ,Assad of Syria like all tyrants, will be remembered for what he is, a war criminal.Like Hitler,Stalin and all other tyrants who murder civilians in the name of some evil vision he will fail and be brought to justice.Evil wins early in the pursuit of power, but eventually there will be no place to hide and he will be tried for war crimes.The blood of those he has massacred will be remembered and unlike Dr.King,Assad will be despised forever.

One of life’s special blessings is the relationship with grown children.Tomorrow is my daughter Marisa’s birthday, and I am blessed to have her in my life.This spring I had the pleasure of spending time with her in Rome, and she is truly a remarkable person.She will be embarrassed by my words, but that is the privilege of being a parent.Marisa has filled my life with laughter, love and a host of unforgettable memories.I am intensely proud of the person she has become and wish her all the joy and love she deserves.Happy Birthday Marisa!!!!!

My father came to America when he was eleven years old, and though there was tremendous prejudice against Italians he fell in love with this country. To him this land had a soul, and so many promises, that he bought into the idea of this democracy with his whole heart. He believed America had a soul, and you could be anything that you wanted to be ,and he passed that loving legacy onto his children. However, there were countless persons who came to this land long before my father, and America had no soul because it literally robbed them of their freedom.This legacy was confronted by the courage of those who were beaten, sat at segregated lunch counters and  bled for the right to vote.There has been progress for sure, but the soul of America and all its’ promise will only be fulfilled when we face openly the question of race, and embrace our brothers and sisters who have been denied the dream that my father so loved.

Yesterday at the Lincoln memorial I had the marvelous experience of reliving a dream that Martin Luther King presented to the American people fifty years ago.There were thousands of people from every walk of life witnessing the hope that full equality will be achieved. There were old people who had marched before, and youngsters who were brought by loved ones so that they could understand the value of commitment to the dream. Every color,creed and life style was visible as in unison people gave visible witness to their commitment to have the dream become real.One of the speakers had a quote that I found compelling.He said”we are here to demonstrate but when we return home we must agitate.”The goal must never be lost because too many in the past have given so much that their legacy now becomes our obligation. I sang the song “we shall overcome “fifty years ago and still believe in those dynamic words.

Fifty years ago Martin Luther King spoke to thousands of people about the dream of racial equality.Today I with thousands of others will replicate that day by marching to that hallowed place to reinforce the beauty and wonder of that vision.There is never a moment when the dream of total racial equality should be shelved for any political or social reasons.This nation has an ideal which can only be fully realized when the words of Dr King so reasonate in our hearts that we publicly commit to the fulfillment of his words.Every citizen can make a difference in this goal by not only marching, but by addressing the goal in our daily environments. Equality must be more than rhetoric, and it will only be achieved when those who believe in it rededicate themselves to the dream.

I saw the movie”The Butler” yesterday and was sorely reminded about the plight that people of color experienced for centuries in America.There is no doubt that we have moved forward from those days of bias but the vision of a racial equality still has miles to go.Recent events still indicate the polarity that exists between races and offers again the opportunity to face the challenge with courage and resolve.The promise of the shining city on a hill lies within the resolve of ordinary people to embrace others with a willingness to listen and dialogue.The time once was seized by the majority of Americans who faced the horrors committed against people of color.It is the time to act again to fulfill the dream for evey citizen.

In every life there are belief systems that strongly influence our decisions and outcomes.Some are the result of a host of unexamined events and one may benefit by substituting more positive beliefs.If the predominant beliefs are negative like”I can’t catch a break” or “nothing ever works out for me “they are impediments to growth.It is not “pie in the sky” to as an adult substitute more positive beliefs like: “I will find a positive solution to this challenge” or ” I believe that I am entitled to love and be loved”.Our minds often seek the information that we feed into ourselves ,and positive belief systems have better roots than old negative beliefs that have been formed by thousands of arbitrary circumstances.