Letters To My (Our) Children: Always Have A Dream

Dear Moo and JJ,

Always have a dream.  Today we're celebrating and honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  He was perhaps one of the greatest dreamers in history.  You see, Dr. King's dream was for all people to be treated equally.  Unfortunately there was a time when we (Blacks) didn't have the same rights as our non-Black counterparts.

Dr. King's dream was that the United States (and pretty much everyone) would become united people who wouldn't judge each other based on skin color (or anything else).  Sadly, he was murdered before he could fully see his dreams come into fruition.  However, reading about his legacy and war on inequality has taught me many things about the importance of having a dream.  Here are few lessons that I've learned about dreams from Dr. King:

Be Fearless

Dr. King grew up during a time where Blacks were killed or seriously hurt for speaking out against Jim Crow laws, discrimination or bad treatment.  However, Dr. King believed in his dreams so much that they outweighed his fears.  There will be times the scope and journey of your dreams will scare you, but don't let the fear win.  Someone once said, "Be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire."

Equality, unity, love and faith are what set Dr. King's soul on fire and he pursued his passions until he took his last breath.  Therefore, as long as you two have breath in your body, continue going after your dreams.

Don't Settle/Downgrade

Set your aims for the stars and keep it there.  When you dream, dream big.  Then don't ever let anyone convince you that your dreams are too big, too much, or too anything.  Do you know how boring this world would be if everyone downgraded their dreams?  How unjust?  And while we still face great injustices today, if Dr. King and many other Civil Rights leaders didn't chase after their dreams, we might not be where we are today.  None of those people downgraded their dreams.

You won't find anywhere where Dr. King downgraded his dream of equality.  Likewise, I don't want to find any evidence of you two giving up on your dreams either!  You can totally do this.

Walk The Walk

"The distance between dreams and reality is called action."  Don't just speak about your dreams, take action.  If you're going to talk the talk, walk the walk.  Put in work daily to accomplish your dreams.  Start with one small thing and then add something new everyday.

So many people get caught up talking about what their dreams are that they forget to take the needed steps to make those dreams a reality.  Don't just be a daydreamer, be a dream achiever. 

Put Yourself First

Don't make the mistake of getting caught in building dreams for someone else.  Is it good to help others accomplish their dreams?  Of course, but don't get so wrapped up in their dreams that you start to put yourself and your dreams on the back burner.  You only have one lifetime in which to accomplish everything you want to achieve.  Don't waste it by playing second fiddle.

Support Each Other

Don't ever forget to be supportive of one another.  Our family, friends and loved ones often times are our biggest supporters.   No matter what always be there for each other.  Lift each other up by doing what you can and offering to be of assistance.

Dr. King and many activist before and after him were able to help us gain more rights and defeat Jim Crow Laws by being more supportive of each other's movement and causes.  When Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a White person, Dr. King had her back and helped organize bus strikes and marches to bring awareness to her mistreatment and how ridiculous it was that We were seen as undeserving of a place to rest of tired feet on public transportation.

The same  results can happen by offering to be a helping hand to support the causes and dreams of those we love when the time is needed. Divided we  fall, but united we strong and we stand tall.  

At the end of the day, always have a dream or two!  Never give up on the opportunity to leave your mark on the world.

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This letter is part of the Letters to Our Children series hosted by LaShawn of Everyday Eyecandy.  Keep the support going and check out Brandi's letter here.