Well, today I want to share with you the feelings I experienced during our milestone tour. 2017 will always go down in history as the year I got married to my soulmate at Aldridge Gardens in Hoover, Alabama. It will always be the year I went on the best honeymoon any guy could ever ask for to El Dorado Casitas Royale in Riviera Maya Mexico. Furthermore, 2017 will always be the year that I received the Applegate-Dorros Peace and International Understanding Award from the National Education Association.
These major life events have in common that they all happened within a few months of each other, but each also made me feel important. Getting married and being a part of a wedding meant the spotlight was all on Lane and me. We felt like celebrities with all of our friends and family surrounding us and celebrating our love for each other. The entire weekend was just lovely; Walt Disney could not have delivered more notable nuptials. On the other hand, being pampered like royalty on our honeymoon gave me a whole different feeling. Although my cousin Mark may disagree, I don't think I ever knew pampering until I set foot inside the grounds of Karisma's El Dorado Resort. I am almost scared of how accustomed I became to my every need being taken care of at the drop of a hat. Luckily Lane and my money ran out just before I might have experienced a true personality shift. Finally, the NEA Human and Civil Rights awards ceremony invoked a feeling of pride and the validation I wrote about in my previous blog. It was a completely humbling experience to watch my face, our work in Honduras, plastered on the big screen in front of 2,000 people and be labeled one who acts on behalf of "peace and international understanding." Thank you to everyone who has made me feel so important over the last few months.
Watch My Acceptance Speech
But what truly makes me feel important is to know God sent me an angel in Lane, an angel who would support me in my mission in Honduras. I feel significant because God trusted me to go on a luxury honeymoon and still have the conviction to continue my work in Honduras, knowing all well I could quit and enjoy more down time anytime I wanted. What makes me feel influential is that my passion for social justice was recognized by people much more powerful than me. That I was able to communicate the need for #JusticeForHonduras in my lifetime is why I write this blog. All this being said, what will make me feel like a paramount member of society is if we can actually achieve that justice in my lifetime.
What is fundamentally important then is facilitating real change in the world. I am ready for the next step. It is past time to take greater action. Long gone is the time to worry about finding a band aid to plug the locks when the dam itself is the problem. If you are interested in joining me in Honduras on an educational team with AHMEN please contact me today. If you are interested in developing real solutions for empowering the impoverished of Honduras, please contact me today. If you are interested in donating to my personal projects in Honduras, please contact me today.
Without your help I won't be able to take that next step, for it is together that we are the difference.
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Not to be forgotten from the many amazing memories this summer is when I got to see a performance by the Bermuda-borne reggae artist Mishka whose music speaks to everything I believe.
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