MLK Jr Day

Today is my day of celebration for 3 good reasons. 

First and most important, of course, is Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  To my mind, he was one of the most inspirational and courageous people in my lifetime.  He forced America to open it's eyes to the plight of all the citizens.  He opened the door to not only black equality, but to the issue of rampant poverty in pockets of our country, to equal rights for women, and ultimately rights for the LGBT community.  It's taken a long time, and sometimes there have been setbacks, but I think, overall, we are a better nation because of the influence of Dr. King.  Quote of the day, which applies so well during these turbulent political times, is "We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools."

The second reason to celebrate is because today, in 1988, is the day I began my career journey as a representative for people with disabilities.  I was offered a job in Duluth, MN, which required creating a program to assist people with disabilities get through the maze of paperwork involved with getting the benefits they were entitled to.  I found this to be the perfect niche occupation for me, and I worked in this field for more than 25 years before I retired completely.  I have no idea how many people's lives I touched but likely it was several thousand. People who were homeless and hopeless, in severe pain and distress and without access to medical care. People who tried as hard as they could to support themselves and as a last resort, came to me to help them get the benefits they so sorely needed.  I like to think that my efforts made a difference in their lives.

And the third reason I'm celebrating today is that this is the 70th time I've celebrated being on this planet!  (Don't have any idea where I was before!)  I was born this day in 1947 and am rejoicing that I've made it to 70. Unfortunately, none of my siblings made it this far and I wonder what it would be like if we could be together as old farts!  Probably a lot of fun since we had a lot of fun when we were young whippersnappers!

Just for fun, I looked up things about 1947 and thought I'd share these tidbits:

How Much things cost in 1947 
Average Cost of new house $6,600.00 
 Average wages per year $2,850.00 
 Cost of a gallon of Gas 15 cents 
 Average Cost of a new car $1,300.00 
 Loaf of Bread 13 cents 
 United States Postage Stamp 3 cents 
 Men's Sweater $8.50 
 Bulova Men's Watch $52.50 
Couple of examples of houses for sale this year Harlingen , Texas New Brick House 5 room house with all furniture included $7,100 
Long Beach , California Mediterranean style Home with Most beautiful 2 story modern home overlooking the ocean well cared for grounds $37,500 
 Heinz Cream of Tomato Soup 23 cents for 2 cans 
Oranges 49 cents per dozen 

Wow!  I wish I'd bought that house on the ocean in California!

So, today is a day for me to celebrate so many things, especially the fact that I only have about 6 log cabin blocks to stitch and then can get on to the pink centers. Oh, the end of this stitching is so close!  I'm already planning the binding and of course, have to find time to make up a label.  Busy day ahead of me, I guess, including going to the movies tonight to see Hidden Figures. Can't wait for that, but now it's off to the sewing room to try to wrap up this quilt!