Monday, January 17, 2011

good deeds ~ martin luther king jr. day of service!

happy martin luther king day!  for those of you living in other countries and don't know, today is the day we celebrate one of the greatest men in the history of our country - martin luther king jr.
in addition to celebrating the man and his life, our country stops it's regular business to honor him through a day of community service.  one of mr. king's more famous quotes is:

"life's most persistent and urgent question is, 
'what are you doing for others?'"

living in the developed world means that we're probably experiencing a life that flies by at what feels like a million miles an hour.  we're busy, stressed, and loaded with responsibility.  but being blessed enough to live where we do, to have access to the internet and the simple ability to read these blogs, means that we are also in exactly the right position to help someone in need.

{at home with his family, photo from time magazine.}


i know a lot of people take the three day weekend to do fun things, relaxing things, and catching-up-on-life things.  i'm supportive of people using a free day to meet their needs of recharging, if that's what is necessary for you today.  however, i would like to encourage you to spend at least a short amount of time doing something for the good of others, whether it be visiting the elderly, cleaning up your parks, walking dogs at a rescue shelter, or bringing supplies to organizations that help those in need.  

for those of you who are currently in school, there are probably a variety of projects that are being completed in the community by your college or university.  check with your school's community service, ministry, or student support departments for ways you can get involved.  

for those of us not in school, head on over to the MLK Day website to see a list of projects near you.  just enter your zip code to find some great community service options.  and of course, there's nothing like doing some simple acts of service, like giving baked goods to a neighbor, contacting a friend who needs support, or handing out flowers to strangers on the sidewalk.  any little thing you can do to make someone else's day counts!

happy service day everyone!! 

17 comments:

  1. This is actually a great way to give back to the community, to show that we care about others and being selfless.
    Thanks for sharing this Kim !!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I wish I had time to give back today but I'm starting my first day of work and of course it's a long one. However, I figure with the two service projects I've already done for school that I can get cut a little slack? Hoping so!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I know being in school it can sometimes feel like you have no time to spare, but doing things doesn't have to be huge. I volunteer at a high school once a week, am helping plan a community event, and just finished designing business cards for a food vendor who needed some guidance. There are really so many little things out there that people can do -- and so many amazing big things too!

    ReplyDelete
  4. That such a great question you pose. I find myself coping out with the I am in school-I can't do anything a lot.
    It's really weird because I think we are meant to serve other that the world is better when we give ourself to that. However, it's hard to live that conviction. Thanks for the reminder. I really want to spread my wings in this area. Anyway, I will see who I can help out in a some way today.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Can I just call you my conscience? You always remind me of what I should be doing. But thank you and I love you for that!

    ReplyDelete
  6. What a wondeful post. It doesn't take much to brighten someone's day and this is a wonderful reminder of that :) Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Love this post...happy MLK day :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. What an inspirational post!! There's so much we can do to make someone else's day better, MLK day is a great day to remember that.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Love your idea of using this holiday as an opportunity to give back!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. what an amazing photo. and such an inspiring post.

    ReplyDelete
  11. This is a great post :) It's not a public holiday here, but you have inspired me to put the next one to good use :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. it is good to give a little (or a lot) whenever one can! i need to do more of this! :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Great post, happy MLK day!

    P.S. I’m having a giveaway on my blog, check it out if you’d like:
    http://ssecondskin.blogspot.com/2011/01/csn-stores-giveaway.html

    ReplyDelete
  14. Thanks for sharing. I'm always looking for ways to get involved in my community. Although today was full of work for me I'll definitely be able to use different service ideas in the future!

    ReplyDelete
  15. cutttte picture!!!! love your blog!

    ReplyDelete
  16. If there are any photographers willing to donate some photos, check out the Love From Me Project which raises money for cancer!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Such a great post! I love that photograph of MLK with his family. We went to a Pistons game where the theme was MLK Kids' day. They honored Martin Luther King through all the breaks in the game and brought in kids from local schools to do all of the announcements and entertainment. It was really sweet!

    ReplyDelete