That One!
Excerpt from The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman by Ernest J. Gaines copyright 1971
People’s always looking for somebody to come lead them. Go to the Old Testament; go to the New. They did it in slavery; after the war they did it; they did it in the hard times that people want to call Reconstruction; they did it in the Depression—another hard times; and they doing it now. They have always done it—and the Lord has always obliged in some way or another.
Anytime a child is born, the old people look in his face and ask him if he’s the One. No, they don’t say it out loud like I’m saying it to you now. Maybe they don’t say it at all; maybe they just feel it—but feel it they do. “You the One?” I’m sure Lena asked Jimmy that when she first held him in her arms. “You the One Jimmy? You the One?”
This passage from the book takes place in the late 1930's. Do you think President Obama's mother knew he was The One the first time she held him in her arms? Maybe she knew he was special, but how could she have known he was going to become That One? Here's to all of our elders and ancestors who kept hope alive and dreamt big. Thank you for pavinig the way for new leaders and believing in them before they were even born.
What an awesome week in history! Thank you for letting me share my joy with you every day!
~Joan
5 comments:
Such a great, great week of posts, Joan. Thank you!
Terribly sorry that I wasn't able to comment more, but I did read everything you posted each day. How did that happen? As a sign of our commitment, we converted as one of your official followers today. Take a peak at your sidebar. :)
-Francesca
That was a great post! You are really finding some good stuff for your Obama week!
Another great Obama post!
What an amazing post. Thank you. I feel enlightened!
That was an excellent read, and sounds like a book to remember. Thanks for sharing.
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