"I Have a Dream"... Honoring Martin Luther King Jr.

In my humble opinion, everyone needs a hero to look up to, to inspire them to be the best they can be. For my Dad, & many others, that person was Martin Luther King. I can proudly say that my Dad felt so strongly about what King stood for, he participated in the March from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.  One of my daughter's favorite days of school was when Poppey came to her class and shared his experience. The photo I have of the class crossing their hands in front & holding hands is priceless!

In the spirit of MLK, there are a couple family activities you can do to honor King's memory.

• You can learn about African American History and Culture by visiting a Museum together or going to the library & reading books about the Civil Rights Movement.
• You can dedicate the day as a day of service & volunteer as a family at a local food pantry that serves homeless or anywhere else & do this in his honor.
•  If there is a March in your community protesting some injustice, you can "pray with your feet" and join the March. This is  a powerful way to teach kids King's message: "When we all march together, we can change things."
• One of my favorite things to do is for everyone in the family to write their own "I Have a Dream" speech. Tell the kids this is not the place to dream about material things they want for themselves; but for bigger wishes for the whole world or how YOU might make the world a better place in your own way. At dinner, have everyone read their dreams to each other. You might be surprised by the depth of your kids' compassion & worldliness. After sharing your personal dreams, you could each commit to one small step to making the dream come true.

Here is to making the world a kinder place. Feel free to comment on how your family observes Martin Luther King Jr.