one for the ages

Last night was a great culmination to months of hoping and hours of CNN watching. Like so many other Americans, this election meant more than any other I've ever been a part of. We had a great time watching the results unfold with some of our friends and got a picture of the boys on this historic night.

Today one of my students was making a power point presentation about the election. He gathered ten or fifteen pictures of Barack - one in a gray superman costume, several from the campaign trail, and then, much to my initial displeasure, several photo-shopped images of Barack's head attached to ripped abs sporting gangster tats, and throwing up gang signs.

During our conversation about the choices of his content, the student said he liked the images. Far from being disrespectful, they actually showed admiration. The images were appealing because they brought an admired man into this boy's world - the street.

Of course, part of me thought "No, he's supposed to inspire you to reach higher and envision a life outside of the violence and destruction of gangs and guns. You're supposed to want to be like him." And then I thought about the incarnation. There is great comfort in knowing that someone you admire, someone who is worlds away from you, will enter your world. That's a beautiful story.