I'm a cry baby.

So I just watched the Blind Sid@ for the millionth time and always it makes me cry.  It touches me in so many ways.  For those of you who don't know, I'm a social worker.  I work with foster families and also adoptions.  This movie hit me the first time I saw it because of the way the system can fail its children.  The ones that they are supposed to protect and how sometimes it doesn't work that way.  But it also hits me with my son.  While I realize that Gizatu's story is so different than Michael's, there is that part of me that relates.  Will I be ready to take someone down in the middle of a football game for any disparaging remarks made about my son?  When he's in his first car accident and I race to him, will they question the fact that he is my son?  As I watch his momma leave him for college, I'm gonna be a basket case.  I know I'm getting way ahead of myself, he's not even close to beginning kindergarten, but these are all thoughts that run through my head. 

Everytime I see a young black man, I wonder who he's going to grow up to be.  Will he be tall, or average?  Will he want dread locks or braids?  When is the time that he is going to wish I understood all that it means to be a black man in this world?  Because as much as I wish to protect him from the prejudices and stereotypes that this world has, I won't be able to.  So I will, instead, prepare him for them to the best of my ability.  Make sure there are men and women in his life who do fully understand it and get it, because they live it everyday.

Okay so that was a much deeper post than originally planned.  To end on a happier note here are some pictures from our first Thom@s the Train event with our Ethiopian buddy. 

Dancing to the music.

His first tat!

Love these boys!