MLK Day & Celebrating Our Freedom!
By Keith | January 18, 2010
Tomorrow is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
Kids are off from school.
Many people are off from work.
What will you do to celebrate what this day is all about?
FREEDOM.
Not just for minorities.
Dr. King was bigger than that. He was inclusive. Completely inclusive…without condition.
He represented the fight that everyone has within. The fight to not only be free, but to really feel free.
I know with all of the challenges going on in our economy, many people don’t feel free. But we are indeed. Times may be tough, but there is unending opportunity to do something about it.
So tomorrow, we come back to you.
What will you do tomorrow to honor Dr. King’s life and celebrate your freedom? I mean, it’s certainly not a requirement, but it most definitely is an opportunity.
Last year, I did something really cool with my son Brennan. He was nearly 4 at the time and I took the opportunity to have a great conversation with him about who Martin Luther was and what he stood for.
We talked about giving, gratitude and being in service.
After the conversation, we went through all of his toys and books and put together a huge box of things to give away to a local charity that serves children with disabilities.
At first, Brennan really didn’t want to part with his stuff. But it wasn’t long before he shifted and really got into it. He kept saying, “they’ll like this,” and “they can have this, I don’t use it much anymore.”
We then drove down to the organization and Brennan got to give everything to the director and explained what everything was and how the children would be really happy with it all.
It was really great.
It made Brennan really happy and he talked about it all the way home.
He said, “I am happy that I helped make other kids happy.”
That’s pretty cool.
So, I am back to the question…will you take this opportunity to make a difference for your family and perhaps your community?
Or, will you do like most other people and have a BBQ?
There’s nothing wrong with either, but I am guessing you’ll remember one far longer than the other.
Whatever your choice, I hope you celebrate your freedom tomorrow. It is truly a gift and something, unfortunately, not everyone in the world is privileged to have.
If we are able to teach our children what it means to truly be free – physically, spiritually, mentally and emotionally – then we have done all we can to make sure that freedom lasts.
What have you done with your kids to teach the value of service? I’d love to hear your stories.
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