Dear Friend,
Today is a holiday when we celebrate a great man's birthday, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It took a while to actually get this holiday recognized. The only time that I ever marched for a cause was to get this day recognized as a national holiday! It means a lot to me.
The word Holiday comes from the original Holy-Day. Words are important but people/society have a way of changing them to suit their personal needs or agendas. In recent times, we see this done so much that it is almost an abuse of the language. It's difficult at times for people to communicate because words have been changed to accommodate movements. political or otherwise. it can leave you wondering what the other person is talking about!
For instance, I recall a guy that I once worked with telling us about how his grandmother responded when he told her that he was gay, she said well, I'm glad that you're happy, it took awhile before she clearly understood. LOL!
Last year, as I watched some of the ceremonies for MLK Day, I listened intently but often disagreed with the comments being made. It was almost as though people had forgotten who Dr. King was or how he believed and taught non violence. It seemed that they had forgotten how he would sit and talk with anyone, especially politicians. Or how he would negotiate with people who had very different opinions than he. Of course they talked about His Dream and some told stories, it wasn't all bad but, some of it was political and divisive. I could not see Dr. King agreeing with it. It reminded me of how words that once meant one thing now means something else.
In this current environment, we could use a voice like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a voice not preoccupied with hatred, bias, and division but with love, prayer and words of wisdom. This year I'm not watching any of the ceremonies, I'm remembering MLK as he truly was, an American, who loved his country and who was all about unity and not division. A man of God.
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