Martin Luther King Holiday and Barack Obama's inauguration day both approach. I'm excited that the Obamas want us to reframe the MLK holiday into a day of service and voluntarism. If you want to find an opportunity near you, use this link, http://usaservice.org/page/content/calltoservice/. There are any opportunities in Austin, including food bank related efforts and street and park clean up. Bob will be home that day and I expect we will do something, and maybe walk, as we have a number of years, in the MLK Day parade from East Austin (historically black part of town) to the Capitol steps.

I'm hoping to feature a different MLK quote each day until his birthday. I'll start with the one Michelle Obama used in her letter to supporters regarding volunteerism.



"If you want to be important -- wonderful. If you want to be recognized -- wonderful. If you want to be great -- wonderful. But, recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. That's a new definition of greatness."

Martin Luther King Jr.

And I wrote a poem tonight, as a response to Belle's prompt in Skywriters, about the innauguration:

Inauguration - 2009

I would love to dance holes in my shoes
at a ball this year, dress in velvet, wear
emeralds, celebrate hope, vigor, change.
And I know the country, the world, sit
teetering at the edge of economic, political,
environmental, emotional, moral, abyss
and I wonder if anyone should be dancing.
I smile when I imagine Barack Obama
standing out in a cold January morning
offering us words of strength, hope, change.
I hope, I pray, he will put those words to work.
I hope I pray, those actions will be sufficient.

Victoria Sullivan Hendricks, 1-12-2009





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