MLKjr Day

I was going to write about this in my daughter's blog, but it wasn't coming to me quite right.  Almost like it didn't quite fit there, so I'll write my thoughts about Martin Luther King Jr. in my own blog.  The reason I was going to write about this subject in her blog is because she's the one who really got me thinking about this holiday.  She came home from school Friday all excited, "Mom, Mom it's going to be someone's birthday Monday!"  I smiled at her, and asked her if she knew whose birthday it was, and she enthusiatically replied, "It's Martin King Luther King Jr. Day!  It's his birthday and he's going to have a cake and he's going to blow out the candles!"  I chuckled and explained that that wasn't quite what was going to happen.  I asked her what else she knew about him.  She told me that he was a nice man, and did good stuff and he wanted everyone to be nice to each other and to get along. Wow, I was not expecting that from her.  I was impressed with her teacher, that she could get an average 4 year old to remember that much and be excited by it as well.  My daughter then asked me if we could have some of the birthday cake, haha.  I explained that Mr. King wasn't with us anymore.  I was trying to decide how much more to tell her when, before I could stop myself, I said he was assassinated (yes, I do use big words like that with my daughter) by a bad man who made a very bad choice.  Instead of asking me what assassinate meant, she replied, "Yeah, that's right he was killed by a gun."  Again, I was surprised by her response.  I'm not sure how much of it all she understood, but I confirmed her answer and told her it was a very sad thing, but we could honor Mr. King by remembering his good deeds, and by being nice to everyone.  She seemed pleased by that, and didn't mention the subject again until this morning.  She was lying in bed with me and out of nowhere said, "It's too bad Mr. King doesn't get to have a birthday party."  I smiled and told her that he was going to have a very good birthday.  That he would have a cake, and the angels would sing to him and he'd get to share his cake with all kinds of special people up in heaven.  Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream that little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as brothers and sisters.  I think my daughter is ready to join hands.  Are you?