Waiting

I am not one for waiting. First, I am American and we are not known for our patience; think Happy Meals versus a two-hour Slow Food banquet. Second, I am an only child, which means Copernicus, Gallileo, et al were wrong and the Earth orbits me. Although this was significantly tempered by being raised by a teacher. In fact, I'm pretty sure the Earth orbits my mom, if only out of fear. I have certainly improved with age and am a pretty un-American-American. No, not that kind of un-American, Gov. Palin! It's not the little waits that get me; I am not one of those who hurls my drink in the face of the barista for foam on my no-foam latte. It's those waits for the big things, that whole "let go, let God," stuff.

I am waiting to hear if I've been accepted into my first choice for graduate school. I have decided to pursue a masters of social work, or M.S.W., or as I like to call it, "masters of saving the world." It's been a bit of a whirlwind month and while I didn't anticipate most of this I finally feel things coming together in a deep, tectonic way. I just returned from a visit to the school, which was awful only because now I really want to go to school there and not being accepted would actually hurt. I met with many professors in the department, who were incredible and opened me up to thinking about potential directions I'd not considered. It felt right, felt like the place to bring together my energy, experiences and passions. I should hear by mid- to late-November and would begin in January. I have plenty to keep me busy for now, but it's still waiting and it still eats me up. Fingers crossed....

Salaam.

Thank you, Colin Powell

Thank you, Gen. Powell for your thoughtful endorsement of Sen. Barack Obama, not just as a citizen who voted for Obama, but as an American very troubled by the potential future of her country and the rest of the world. What I appreciated most was your pushback on the dangerous and divisive fear-mongering from the right: the whispers about Obama's upbringing, religious beliefs and professional associations. In expressing that the truly correct answer to "Is he a Muslim?" - not "No, he's not," but "So, what if he is?" - you pulled back the curtain shielding an ugly crowd of bigots that has been left untouched by so many and you honored the lives and faith of countless Muslims who live in this country. And thank you for reminding us that not all the graves at Arlington National Cemetery bear a cross or star of David, for remembering that Americans of all faiths have given their lives for this country, that no political party or ideology can lay claim to patriotism.

Salaam.

PS:If you missed Powell on Meet the Press Sunday, be sure to hunt it down on the internet and watch the interview for yourself. Meaningful and moving to say the least.