I had the amazing privilege of intersecting the stories of 3 great people in history. I came across the first 2 when I was in Memphis, Tennessee for a conference where I was giving a paper on Carrie Judd Montgomery. These were all unexpected as I was so busy working on submitting my thesis that I had absolutely no time to research where I was about to go, so all of these intersections came as a wonderful surprise to me. Of course I ditched the first day of the conference to explore the city where along with a couple friends, we ended up at Graceland. I had never realized how significant the artist Elvis was in breaking down racial barriers by choosing to integrate black music into his style. By a white person embracing this genre, through music, he began to breakdown dividing walls. Additionally, some of Elvis' biggest success came from his Gospel music. Music is one of the most powerful mediums of communication. That and other artistic expressions have some of the most significance impacts on the world.
The next stop after learning about the "King" of rock and roll was to see where Martin Luther King Jr. experienced his last moments on this this earth. I went to the hotel where he was assassinated (Room 306). Later that night I also went to the Mason Temple where he spoke the night before he died. Interestingly enough, the prophetic quote below that he said there suggests that he felt the end was near. That didn't matter though because he had accomplished his destiny. One of my personal heroes, it was fascinating to be in the same space where he both spoke and then also where he later died. To see part of his "I have a Dream" speech and to read an excerpt about him that I have in Silver to Gold go here.
Visiting the East Coast, my good friend Laurie and I went to Mount Vernon and learned all about George Washington and walked where he walked. I never realized what a humble and great leader he really was. Even though the people wanted to make him king, have him be president longer than 8 years and much more, he turned them down and put the government in the hands of the people. He was also a genius farmer who innovated some new methods to be more effective in farming the land. I had no idea of his courage in battle, his humility, and his strength. He stood apart from the rest during his time.
These 2 "Kings" and a pioneer all had what I would call "it." They had something that set them apart from the rest, led by strong convictions to not compromise their hearts and destinies. They all embarked on a destiny of following their hearts and responding to the needs and the culture around them to bring huge breakthroughs. Elvis contributed to breaking down racial walls, Martin Luther King Jr. risked everything to bring freedom and equality, and George Washington believed that it was the destiny of the colonies to be free and so he fought in a way where only two options existed, freedom or death. All of these 3 no doubt faced criticisms from all sides but nonetheless carried on to follow their hearts and God-given destinies to shine in the way that they were destined to, no holding back, they were made for such a time as this. While they all had their faults, they didn't let those hold back from engaging in their destinies. I feel honored to have had the opportunity to learn more about these. I hope my recent journey and those who came before can similarly inspire each one of us to continue on to engage in our destinies at all costs. Until next time, thanks for listening,
Jen
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