Anna M. Aquino

            I have often joked that my ethnicity is Ohio Redneck.   Many of you have a shared a laugh with me as I’ve said it.   That’s partially true.   The best answer would be that my ethnicity is Appalachian, but before that:   My family tree can be traced back to Ireland, Scotland, Germany, with a Native American.   I still claim the Ohio Redneck, but the majority of my Heinz 57ness is Irish.   I often say I come from a long line of Irish story tellers: That my destiny was found somewhere in my genetic code. (grin) Somewhere in my stacks of papers I can find the shipping manifest of where my grandfather’s father (I believe it may be an extra generation back) emigrated from Ireland.   Within my cultural code, Ireland is the culture I find I most identify with, though I have a few German/Indian moments. One of these days I’d love to visit the country.      ...

I have heard people tell me over the years that “You are just one person, and you couldn’t possibly make a difference on this earth.” On this Martin Luther King Jr Day of 2012 I want to remind you all that one person can make a difference. Martin Luther King Jr was one pastor, one father, and one man who essentially changed the world. He helped bring about change in this nation, and when the wars of apartheid sprung up in the 80’s in South Africa I know his inspiration was there as well. One person can make a difference on this earth. Names like Martin Luther (who broke off of the Catholic Church in the 1500’s), Nelson Mandela, Corrie Ten Boom, Anne Frank, and Billy Graham. They were all probably people that would have been considered normal. However, as I wrote in a facebook status update yesterday, “God loves to take ‘normal’ people and do extraordinary things. But it takes the ‘normal’ person to step out of the box of normalcy, and dare to believe Him.” Many of you have heard me tel...