Hi, friends,
I was 13 when the Cuban Missile Crisis erupted…14 when Martin Luther King gave his “I have a dream” speech and when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated…and 15 when the Gulf of Tonkin resolution passed through Congress(marking the escalation of our country’s involvement in Viet Nam.) I had been accustomed to the relative tranquility of the 1950’s and early 60’s, and then entered one of the most tumultuous decades of American history. All of the rules seemed to be changing. What were we becoming? I didn’t have a clue. The decades have helped me get my perspective organized.
Each year the students in Milton are invited to write essays and submit art-work, revealing their thoughts and impressions about Dr. King. Some excerpts from some Middle High students in our church:
“He organized sit-ins and in the government there were cave-ins….He changed the world, which was an amazing feat, and I think that’s pretty neat.” –Andrew and Larry
“He helped those lost in the darkness find a light to guide them…Our King fought with his words, not fists, and believed that one day little boys and little girls of any color would be able to join hands.” –Avery and Caroline
“Praise the brave, the teacher; our hero. Ode to those who stand their ground…knowing the danger. Ode to the thanker, the forgiver. After all this you stand. Thank you.” –John
I am grateful for and moved by these heartfelt words(and more than a little humbled). They HAVE a clue! May their work impact them as citizens and in their understanding of themselves as children of God. And may their messages be hardwired into our heads and hearts—because we still have a long way to go, and we cannot afford to forget. Sometimes the young need to lead the rest of us.
Your fellow traveler,
Jeff
Liminal Space 