Two days from today, we will celebrate the birthday of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and it is important that we reflect on the life and selflessness, of Rev. King and how he did what he could (and more) to remind the world that all people, regardless of race, color, social class/status, occupation, possessions, and more, that all people deserved to live peacefully with decency, civility, and dignity.

Dr. King marched, spoke to large crowds, visited many people living in poor areas and was a voice for those who needed one to make others see and hear their plight. Dr. King always advocated peaceful ways to get the message across that all men, women, and children were, as was written in the Declaration of Independence of this nation, created equal.

There will be many gatherings come Monday, that will celebrate Rev. King’s Birthday, but instead of the traditional singing of Happy Birthday to him, maybe we all should do a YouTube search and find a song, which I first heard while watching an episode of The West Wing, titled, Shed a Little Light, written and performed publicly by James Taylor. It was/is a song of reflection, a song reminding us that we are all equal, and hopefully we can live that message, and teach it to our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. The VFTB offers the lyrics of James Taylor’s song:

Shed a Little Light

Song by James Taylor

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Lyrics

“Oh, let us turn our thoughts today to Martin Luther King

And recognize that there are ties between us

All men and women, living on the earth

Ties of hope and love, sister and brotherhood

That we are bound together

In our desire to see the world become

A place in which our children can grow free and strong

We are bound together by the task that stands before us

And the road that lies ahead

We are bound, and we are bound

There is a feeling like the clenching of a fist

There is a hunger in the center of the chest

There is a passage through the darkness and the mist

And though the body sleeps, the heart will never rest

shed a little light, oh, Lord

(So that we can see) oh, yeah

(Just a little light, oh, Lord) just a little light, oh, Lord

(Want to stand it on up) stand it on up, oh

(Stand it on up, oh, Lord) stand it on up, oh

(Wanna walk it on down)

Gonna shed a little light (shed a little light, oh, Lord)

Don’t see me no light, no dollar bill

(Don’t give no light from the TV screen) no, no, no

(When I open my eyes, I want to drink my fill)

(From the well on the hill)

I know you know what I mean

shed a little light, oh, Lord

(So that we can see) oh, yeah

(Just a little light, oh, Lord) just a little light, oh, Lord

(Want to stand it on up) stand it on up, oh

(Stand it on up, oh, Lord) stand it on up, oh

(Wanna walk it on down)

Gonna shed a little light (shed a little light, oh, Lord)

(Shed a little light, oh)

There’s a feeling like the clenching of a fist

There is a hunger in the center of the chest, oh yes

There is a passage through the darkness and the mist, oh

And though the body sleeps, the heart will never rest

Oh, let us turn our thoughts today to Martin Luther King

And recognize that there are ties between us

All men and women, living on the earth

Ties of hope and love, sister and brotherhood”

Martin Luther King saw the ties between us, and hoped for the brother and sisterhood, all of us, and love among us all, and yes, he was a self-proclaimed dreamer hoping his hopes could/would become a reality, but he was not God, he wasn’t a Superman, he was just a hu-man, like all the rest of us. He saw things he thought were wrong and tried to right them, in a lovingly, peaceful way. He taught a valuable lesson to every hu-man. It’s never too late to keep his legacy, hopes, and dreams alive and in action. Happy Heavenly Birthday, Rev. Dr. King.