Elijah Cummings: Something to Smile About

"It may take some time but as long as we keep our eyes on who we are, who we want to be, and how we want to live, we will do just fine."

Ann: Representative Cummings, I feel a smile coming over my face and think you are here with me.

Elijah Cummings: And isn’t that the nicest thing anyone could say! Have you ever noticed that when left to our own devices we are a joyful lot, so much to laugh at, wonder at, take into our hearts to discover some hidden treasure? I laughed every day because I never thought it was as desperate as it seemed. Oh yes, there were desperate situations and players who were apparently blind to the effects of their actions, but something always connected us.

Did you ever see a little bird fuss and chatter at the squirrel friend who stole his food? You just gotta laugh, cause as one of my kids used to say, even though they taking the bird seed, they are kinda cute.

Before and after every horrible event is the little moment that makes you smile, that lets you see how everyone has that smile buried deep inside them. Some of us may not excavate it in this lifetime, but it is there - just like the little black girl who wrote to Strom Thurmond to help her get a job. He never knew she was black, and she smiled all the way to work. Miracles of delight are everywhere.

We’re going through a rough time now but even as bad as it looks right now, it’s better than it has been, and we have a foundation that took many years to build, and the folks who built it aren’t walking away. Oh, the top of the hill may get a haircut but the solid earth beneath is still there.

We just need to keep looking at where we’ve been, how we got there and smile to see where we are going in the future and try not to give too much attention to those who are chipping at the sidelines because they are afraid the train is leaving the station without them. Sooner or later they will see that this train can carry not only them but their children and grandchildren into a better life than one built on the fear of losing ill-gotten gains. That other train built on falsehoods will never stand the test of time, and that’s what’s sparking some of these outsize reactions.

It may take some time but as long as we keep our eyes on who we are, who we want to be, and how we want to live, we will do just fine.

February 28, 2020

All blog entries are works of the imagination and are for spiritual and entertainment purposes only.