I know most of these tunes. I believe there is room for us all if we make it. Some of us only need to move over a little bit or scrunch up but it is worth it.

I read your comment on Knoll_Haven's message. It reminded me of the culture where I lived in Tecumseh, Oklahoma. Not a happy memory....

Glad to know you JRDOG. On election night as the results were coming in, I just felt like putting some positive energy our there. Down here in Texas, the fat cats aren't interested in scrunching and are still arrogant about their ability to exclude and get away with it. That said, there are some things I love about Houston, Texas besides the fact that I was born here. Everyday folks can be quite kind, but in the work world, the lines are clearly drawn, socially and politically. But though a bit south, this is still east Texas.

Nice. "Lift every voice and sing" is sometimes called the Black National Anthem. Every time we sing it in church or I hear it sung I always tear up a bit. Here are the original words of the J W Johnson poem. Just reading them gets me to tingling. Finally they are coming closer to fruition.

Lift every voice and sing,
'Til earth and heaven ring,
Ring with the harmonies of Liberty;
Let our rejoicing rise
High as the listening skies,
Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.
Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us,
Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us;
Facing the rising sun of our new day begun,
Let us march on 'til victory is won.

Stony the road we trod,
Bitter the chast'ning rod,
Felt in the days when hope unborn had died;
Yet with a steady beat,
Have not our weary feet
Come to the place for which our fathers sighed?
We have come over a way that with tears has been watered,
We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered,
Out from the gloomy past,
'Til now we stand at last
Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast.

God of our weary years,
God of our silent tears,
Thou who has brought us thus far on the way;
Thou who has by Thy might
Led us into the light,
Keep us forever in the path, we pray.
Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee,
Lest, our hearts drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee;
Shadowed beneath Thy hand,
May we forever stand,
True to our God,
True to our native land.

Thanks for reminding me.

Monte

Monte,

I too know all the words, but they do not sing it in my Catholic Church. Too bad though, because it speaks to all of us. The words, "God of our weary years. God of our silent tears," speak volumes to be about everyone's struggle to live with dignity and grace, to overcome what life throws in our direction, and ultimately, to make peace with ourselves, and our world." Thank you for sending those words back to me.

As for America in these difficult times,
"May we forever stand.
True to our God.
True to our Native Land."

Wonderful Monte!