“Everybody can be great…because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”
~ Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Today, on what would have been the 92nd birthday of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I find myself studying this specific quote, by this phenomenal world leader, at this particular time of civic unrest and great division in our nation. And I scrutinize it with more conviction to act than ever before.
My son Sammy is 5 years old, but he sees the images on television when we watch the news daily. Sammy wants to watch the news. He will often say, “I wanna watch the news and see what’s happening in the world.” So we watch it and pause often, to talk about what is happening and to make sure that he understands things on his level.
Sammy hears the rhetoric as well. He observes the bullying and the violence, coupled with lives being lost to Coronavirus Covid-19 each and every day. He knows the virus is still out there and that he can’t see his friends and family, visit Science Central, or vacation and stay in a hotel. Of course, when we need to pull back with just how much he sees and hears, we do. But let’s face it; our children are growing up in a world where narcissism competes with selflessness, grace, and love. And unless they are taught right from wrong and given examples of role models right in front of them, many whom they will only read about, Dr. King’s quote will be useless.
Daily, Randy and I teach Sammy to serve others and to have a heart full of love and grace. Just earlier today, as Sammy and I sat on the floor and played Alphabet Bingo, towards the end of the game, we started saying goodbye out loud to the letters as Sammy placed them on top of the Bingo chart. All of a sudden, Sammy started kissing and hugging each letter-card as he said goodbye. In this small physical act, I praised him for showing love and affection to the letters. In Sammy’s little world, alphabet letters are meaningful to him, especially when he sees them in his name or on his Bingo card. My heart was full of joy as I watched Sammy exhibit love and compassion for these letters. And on the inside, I hoped and wished that these same emotions that he displayed will remain with him as he grows older.
We also teach Sammy to show kindness and giving by sorting through his clothes that he has outgrown, and talking with him about giving them to children in need. We do the same with his toys. Prior to the virus, Sammy and I would take used but in-good-condition clothing to the Goodwill. We have also donated clothes to a homeless shelter in our small city. And I am thankful to our local chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc., which we are members of, for the hands-on service learning project that our children and youth ages 2-18, were involved in for MLK Day last year. We set up a boutique of clothing, toiletries, etc. for high school students and families in need. Observing Sammy and his friends sort through, organize, label, and display items was priceless. And the biggest blessing of all was knowing that these beautiful children learned firsthand, how to serve, be of service to others in need, and to do it all in the name of love. This year our children and youth will re-stock the boutique.
Literacy is paramount in our home and we make sure to read books to Sammy daily that center around core values. It is vital that these principles are taught, modeled, and learned as early as possible for children. But it is never too late. I commend schools and educators that have curricula which teach students about core values. As I homeschool Sammy, I make it a point to focus on teaching spirituality, service, integrity, respect, honesty, responsibility, courage, and other core values. Many of these teachings come from some of our favorite books in Sammy’s personal, home library which we love to read over and over again.
My prayer is that despite all that is happening in our nation and world, Randy and I can continue to model the message that Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. profoundly stated and modeled. I want this for all children, youth, and adults. It truly is what the world needs now.
Thank You Dr. King!
I Have A Dream by Kadir Nelson
Martin Luther King, Jr. by Kitson Jazynka
Kindness Makes The World Go Round (Sesame Street)
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
A Picture Book of Martin Luther King, Jr. by David A. Adler and Robert Casilla
Who Was Martin Luther King, Jr. by Lisbeth Kaiser and Stanly Chow
You’re Here for a Reason by Nancy Tillman
Alphabet BINGO (TREND Enterprises, Inc.)
That’s awesome Lesley Sammy is so blessed to have such parents ❤
Thank you for your very, kind words Paula and for reading my latest blog! I truly appreciate it!
Thank you for another great post! Sadly, we are living in the world of fear, chaos, and hatred. While some moms want to protect their children from knowing what’s happening in the world, I think it is necessary for them to know what’s going on to some extent. Thank you for sharing how you teach Sammy these values at a young age. When our kids grow up internalizing these values, the world will become a better place.
Thank you so much Sookie for your commentary. I agree 100% with everything you said and I’ll add one more crucial point. As a Black family, we have to teach our Black son additional lessons growing up for his survival. Sadly, this is the world we still live in.
Lesley, Sammy has a keen desire to learn and you and Randy are Great parents, teachers and role models! Good Blog! Way to Go!!
Thank you Gloria! He really does. We enjoy sharing the world with him and want him to take risks, be hands-on with just about everything, and ask a ton of questions. He definitely keeps us on our toes too!
It’s amazing Sammy is so intesred in the news. Sadly, we are living in the world full of fear and hatred. While some parents want to protect their children from knowing the negative side of the world, I think it’s important for our kids to know what’s going on to some extent. It’s because that’s what’s happening and we need to prepare our kids for the real world.
Sammy is so lucky to be taught those important values at a young age. I truly think when our kids grow up internalizing these values, the world will become a better place to live in.
Sookie, he is truly fascinated with watching the news! He also shows empathy when certain commercials air that feature children who are sick and hospitalized, and animals that have been abused and rescued. He is exposed to a lot and we encourage it as long as we can monitor it and have a healthy exchange of discourse with him. Thank you Sookie.
I absolutely love reading your blogs. ❤️
WOW! Such a great compliment! Thank you so much Susan! I truly appreciate your kind words about WatchMonkeyMama blog posts! Take care.
Another thought provoking blog. Serving others starts at home.
Thank you Pamela! I agree with you. It most certainly starts at home.