Their journey began back in August of 1995 when they stepped into the kindergarten classroom on the first day of school. Pictures were taken, and hugs and kisses were shared. Parents encouraged them and gave assurance that all would be well and that they would have a wonderful time. The door closed behind them and the wonderful loving kindergarten teacher started the toddler on the path of learning in the public school sector.

As the parents drove away from either the bus stop or the schoolyard, they would have looked back and wondered what would happen to their child.

The old adage, "it's a walk in the park" explains that whatever is being discussed or considered is going to be a simple task. So it can be with many aspects of our lives. Many of our activities are as easy as a walk in the park.

The same isn't always true with a pregnancy. In fact a pregnancy is never a walk in the park. Pregnancy brings so many complications of health, financial, emotional and life changing proportions that it could never be considered an easy walk for anyone under even the best of circumstances.

Life sure can prove to be taxing. The day-to-day chores and responsibilities sure seem daunting at times and many among us feel the pressure more than others. The bills are due and the post office seems to keep the demands for our cash coming at a good clip. Why is it that the bills never seem to get lost, but the payments do?

For the most part we are the ones who have created our own financial world.

It has been 143 years since the battles and the war ended in a small town with an odd name. On the morning of April 9, 1865 Generals Lee and Grant met at Appomattox Court House and signed the documents ending the war that divided not only the nation, but families as well.

The American Civil War pitted brothers against brothers not only on one side or the other, but there were many instances where brothers actually fought against each other in the same battles.

It is hard to believe the amount of time that has passed us by. This Friday, April 4, will mark the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In the 14,610 days that will have come and gone, what would our progress report look like in our fulfillment of his "dream."

Certainly the fact that the current leading contender for the Democratic Party's nomination for the office of President of the United States is a man of African decent would indicate some improvement in how people of color are viewed. There are many examples of non-white folks leading the way in many different arenas of life in the United States; sports, the arts, business, politics, courtrooms, medicine, technology and religion to name just a few.

"Take me out to the ball game, take me out to the crowd..."

The words of this famous song remind us of those great days of spring when it was time to enjoy watching a great game of baseball. In the wonderful movie, "Field of Dreams," the story line had a number of twists but one of the messages came from the character played by James Earl Jones when he tells the hero of the movie that baseball is a game that ties us together as a people. We love the game, and we want to recapture during our adult years the innocence of our youth when all you needed for a great time was a bat and ball and a lot of folks to play a game with.

This past weekend the major media have played over and over again the ranting and ravings of the pastor of presidential candidate Barack Obama that are filled with a great deal of anger and hate aimed at what he calls, " White America." Barack Obama has been asked to repudiate his pastor's words and to distance himself from the man he has called his spiritual advisor for the past 20 years.

Obama claims he was never in the church pews during any of these diatribes against our government and many of us. Obama finally stated that if he had been in the building at the time of the comments he probably would have felt compelled to say something.

This past weekend the major media have played over and over again the ranting and ravings of the pastor of presidential candidate Barack Obama that are filled with a great deal of anger and hate aimed at what he calls, " White America." Barack Obama has been asked to repudiate his pastor's words and to distance himself from the man he has called his spiritual advisor for the past 20 years.

Obama claims he was never in the church pews during any of these diatribes against our government and many of us. Obama finally stated that if he had been in the building at the time of the comments he probably would have felt compelled to say something.