They Mattered

"It doesn't matter how long you live, but how well you do it."  ~  Martin Luther King, Jr.  There were three men born about the same time, each one of them making their mark on the political front and all three were gunned down, I was trying to come up with a better word than "gunned down" but unfortunately that is exactly what it was.  John F Kennedy was assassinated  in 1963, his brother Robert Kennedy in 1968, and Martin Luther King, Jr. also in 1968.  I was a young girl in 1963, had completed 2 years in college, had met the love of my life and was planning a wedding when President John F Kennedy and his wife, Jackie, came to Dallas.  It was lunchtime, and we were excited to try and catch a glimpse of the motorcade as it sped thru the city.  The streets were crowded with people like us, trying oh so hard to see the President of the United States.  As I looked around, there was a large truck with the driver sitting in the driver's seat with a perfect view....never one for shyness, I walked up to him with begging eyes and asked if we could please, please, please stand on the side-runners.  "Sure come on up" he replied, and with that we were able to climb high enough to see the President and the Mrs. First Lady in her pink suit and hat drive by waving to the crowds.  It was over in a flash, we thanked the truck driver and then went for lunch at a restaurant close-by.  As we were leaving the restaurant to return to work, a man with a portable radio walked by and said that the President had been shot.  What!!  I just saw him less than 30 minutes earlier.  The nation was shocked, I was shocked that it literally happened within 5-10 minutes after I was standing on top of a truck waving furiously, so filled with excitement to be a part of this welcoming crowd.

A few years later, married and a young mother two more would be "gunned down".  Today as we celebrate the birth of Martin Luther King, Jr. I wonder what our nation would be like if these three men had lived to continue their journey.  I think it mattered how long these three lived, I think it mattered to their families, their wives and children, it mattered for all that believed in their work, it mattered that they were not able to finish their dreams.  God bless you Martin, Robert & John you mattered. 

Linking up with Lisa at Creative Exchange, Kim at Texture Tuesday and Katy at Scripture & A Snapshot.

Until next time.......