In King's words, "Everybody can be great because everybody can serve."
Peter, our grandson, almost 12, and I participated in his school's day of service projects. The school's gym was full of stations where students and parents and grandparents could knit hats, tie fleece blankets, create birthday celebration bags, make cards and bookmarks--all sorts of activities. The gym was bustling with children of all ages and parents thrilled by the turn-out.
Peter and I sorted a mountain of toiletries and filled individual bags for homeless youth. One of the women in charge of this station urged us to imagine a person who needed and would receive the colorful canvas bag packed with shampoo, body wash, bandaids, socks, and other necessities. "If you were homeless, how would it feel to know someone cared?"
Our contribution was small, but the effort by the organizers and the collective results of all who participated is momentous. One can imagine these young people dedicating themselves to a lifetime of service. Perhaps that commitment begins on a MLK Day of Service.
Once I read a definition of power in a book about women and power--sorry I can't remember the title or the author for I read the book years, maybe decades, ago, but the definition has stayed with me. "Power is the ability to do." Well, on MLK Day there was lots of doing, and the power in that was tangible.
Power at its best is love implementing the
demands of justice. Justice at its best is love
correcting everything that stands against love.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
These are good words to remember, by the way, as we experience the impeachment trial.
An Invitation
What did you learn about service when you were in school? I would love to know.
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