And a little child shall lead them

Here is the deal. We live in an area that is mostly caucasian. We have hispanic and asian neighbors but only ONE African-American family in our neighborhood. That was one reason I was excited about our family trip to Philadelphia and DC - I knew that my kids would experience lots of different types of people.

Fortunately for us, we have a 15 year old, special needs daughter who speaks to EVERYONE. So we get to meet lots of really nice people wherever we go.

One day, as we were riding the train in DC, my daughter noticed a lovely African American woman (who I will call Miranda) really getting in to her music. Because Miranda was swaying and moving, my daughter started doing it to. This made Miranda laugh.

My daughter invited herself to sit by Miranda and asked to share her music. Now, most parents would put the kibosh on what might seem like an invasion of personal space but not me. I have learned to let this kind of thing ride. Miranda was thrilled.

For three stops, my daughter and Miranda chatted it up and sang. As I watched this beautiful moment of human kindness with a huge smile on my face, I thought to myself "that kind of love is the solution to all the ugly 'isms' that exist." And my little child led me again for the umpteenth time.