I have seen a lot of historic events in the 50+ years of my life.  Ths assasination of a president, the first man on the moon, the fall of communism, to name a few.  On Tuesday, January 20, 2009 I witnessed Barack H. Obama, the first African American president, being sworn into office.  Unlike many of my fellow citizens I was underwhelmed by the historic occasion.. bear with me here..it bothered me too.  Why was I so unaffected by this momentous event?  I can only conclude that I am terribly naive and ignorant..and I'm grateful.  First of all thanks to the home I grew up in it has never occurred to me that a Black (or any other color) person could not become President of the United States of America.  That didn't come from lectures at the dinner table or carrying protest signs.  Racial slurs were bad words just like all the other bad words on the playground.  People of color were just like me and welcome in our home.  Secondly I have never had to suffer the humiliation and frustration of discrimination.  I have not had to listen to or witness hateful speech or spiteful acts of prejudice.  Third and most important my God commands that I "Love thy neighbor as thyself"¹ and is very clear about who my neighbor is...even those my forefathers have hated².  I have been blessed to be so naive, but I fear I can never fully appreciate how racial discrimination has affected the people around me.  Reading history books, even personal accounts can never replace experiencing it.  Let us pray that this is the end of a dark chapter in our history and the beginning of a new brighter one.
¹James 2:8-9
²Luke 10:25-37