He had a dream

We all know who Martin Luther King, Jr was and we are all familiar with his struggles, his accomplishments, his great leadership, and of course his I Have a Dream speech (which was delivered by the way, on my birthday in 1963).  Because King had a dream, so many others have been able to dream too and to accomplish great things.  He was indeed a man who made a difference.  Tomorrow is a holiday in his honor.

We know about the I Have a Dream speech - we may even have heard it, but do we know what else King wrote?  There really was a lot and it's a shame that most are not aware of it all.  Dr. King was a minister, and in that role, he regularly preached sermons - sometimes more than one a week.  He also gave a lot of speeches - literally hundreds of them a year.  He also wrote five books and was interviewed by journalists on numerous occasions.  There is a huge body of work by Dr King that we all should become acquainted with.

Our local libraries are a great source for words not only by King, but also about him.  Speeches and sermons are also easily available online and a quick search with give you a lot of reading material. 

Most of us know one or two quotes from Martin Luther King speeches.  Many come to mind this morning on this day we have set aside to honor him.  One of my favorites is "We are called to speak for the weak, for the voiceless, for the victims of our nation and for those it calls enemy, for no document from human hands can make these humans any less our brothers and sisters."

Because of this blog and my desire to give back to society and to encourage others to do likewise, there is another quote that always flashes in my memory:  "Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?"  Think about these words, not only today but in the days to come, and to fully appreciate this great man, read more!  You really will be so much better for it.