Magic.
Magical.
Magicians.
I am not a fan of magicians. 
I am too pragmatic to enjoy the illusion.
I know it is a trick.
I don’t care how it is done.
Bah humbug!
BUT WHAT IF … I drank the cool-aid? I saw what I wanted to see?
Would it be different if I were to suspend pragmatism?
I ENJOY CHILDREN ENJOYING MAGIC.
Jubilee and I attended the Texas State Fair in Fair Park Dallas this year and we were captivated by a very mediocre magician’s captivation of his young audience. The children were enthralled and we embraced their enthusiasm.
Silly trick. OOOOOOOH.
Lame trick. AHHHHHHH.
Corny trick. Applause!
The children did not care that his tricks were old.
They did not care that his tricks can be purchased on the toy as aisle at BoxMart.
The children enjoyed not knowing, the brisk fall air, the early rising moon sharing the sky with the setting sun, an outing
with their parents and grandparents on a school night, and being fooled.
Our State Fair magician ended with a fine illusion that I thoroughly enjoyed.
A beautiful illusion with a rope and knots and a box. By then I did not care that it was a trick. I embraced the illusion.
Akin to the frog who jumped into the pot of cool water and he did not notice,
because the heat was added gradually,
that the water was boiling and he was being cooked alive.
Well poop!
This blog has taken an ugly turn.
I thought I was writing about magic and the difference between magic and illusion.
Turns out I am writing about politics in America.
I am a Christian. Not a very good one, either.
It means I read my bible and carry with me a hope for something more and greater.
It means I believe that human beings are created in the image of God, male and female.
The bible says NOTHING about “race” just that we are created in God’s image and God’s image is male AND female. (Isn’t THAT interesting? Not say male OR female, but male and female.)
The bible commends a childlike heart.
It also admonishes the reader to put away childish things.
There is a huge difference between childlike and childish.
A childlike heart is how and why I paint.
A childlike heart allowed me to enjoy a magician’s performance and the joy of the young audience.
Childishness allows a huckster,
like the midway barker,
to lead a nation down a merry trail and to the edge of a precipice.
I am almost 56.
My first memory is of weeping adults in our living room, huddled around the television, watching the news of President Kennedy’s assassination.
I was almost 3.
I feared for the lives of President Obama and his family during their administration. I prayed and I am still praying.
This past year America has entered into times unprecedented in my lifetime.
More recent than ancient history, the times we are repeating are not really so long ago. .
What is happening on our streets and in our local YMCA’s is reminiscent of stories my parents,
who are in their 80s, told of prejudice and discrimination when they were young adults.
Things are being said and done by average citizens, “good people,” that are not okay.
I don’t know who you voted for and that is probably a good thing.
Regardless of who you voted for …
IF you are NOT racist … now is the time to evaluate who you are and what you stand for before you go over the edge of the cliff.
IF you are NOT racist … now is the time to get out of the boiling water and speak up for our brothers and sisters of color.
Yesterday my cousin and I were standing in line to order lunch and an elderly lady behind us was wearing a huge safety pin in her turquoise t-shirt. She told us, “It means I have your back.”
It is time to sit down and ask our created in the image of God, American selves,
“Whose back do I have?”
And, “What does that look like for me and my family?”