MLK Day

Since every other kid was off on MLK Jr. Day, we took off the usual subjects, too. However, we watched a BrainPop movie about MLK and were to look for some way to serve another on this day since Dr. King said: "Life's most persistent and urgent question is: 'What are you doing for others?'" 

Nate tidied the living room in anticipation of my seeing a Thai Yoga client in the afternoon. He stacked books, cleared dishes, toys, and socks, folded blankets, and arranged the pillows symmetrically on the couch. 

On our morning mile walk/jog, the neighborhood dog ran out to meet us. He is a raggety, bug-eyed Shih Tzu named Samson who runs loose a lot, I've been told. (We first met him two weeks ago and thought him to be lost. We brought him home, fed him, and called a few people to inquire where he belonged. I found his owner--someone who seemed to consider a dog running loose as common as the wind blowing--and we returned him.) Samson followed us home, so we let him in again, fed and watered him, and let him stay an hour until we had to leave. When we pulled out of the garage, he emerged from the side yard and followed our car down the street, like: "Where we going?"


After my yoga class at the gym, Madelyn bought a fruit bar for herself and for her brother. 

In the evening we attended the MLK Jr. Service at Center Park Methodist--the church where Rob plays drums. It was our turn to host this annual event, and the speaker was a district something-or-other for the SW Michigan Methodist area. He was Southern-born Afri-American man, and he preached with cadences that echoes MLK Jr.'s style. The service lasted two hours, included about eight songs, and entailed a lot of high energy preaching and response. The kids held out better than usual--probably because the speaker paced and gestured and amplified his voice to emphasize his points. When he mentioned Jesus saying "What you do to the least of these, you do to me, " I nudged Nathan and whispered "Samson."

He talked about how the "black and white thing" is old news, how the challenge now is to integrate with Hispanics, Muslims, and the homosexual communities. This impressed me as it brings MLK's message into present times rather than lingering over the 50s and 60s Civil Rights, as if we're all fine now.

There was a lot of hand-shaking and hugging afterward, and we ate a light snack. If we ever stop going to Center Park--if Lyne is transferred, say-- I'll go to a black church just for the energy and warmth.