Beaming with Pride

 

First off, I feel like Martin Luther King Jr. is a hero who should be celebrated more than he is. His life was dedicated to making right out of wrong. He was a leader in every sense of the word.

The girls have been memorizing quotes and one of my favorites is, "Darkness cannot drive out darkness... only light can. Hate cannot drive out hate... only love can."

 

Jody called me and said that the essay competition entries were due that very day.

I wasn't expecting anything, I just wanted to take the time with my girls to honor a man who did so much for us. I wanted them to think about his life and again, just take the time, to ponder and reflect and honor him with some words.

 

And then... of course... Christina won!!!!! Out of the entire Washoe County School District, Christina won on the Elementary School level. It was judged by the Air National Guard and she will be receiving $100. She also won tickets to the Martin Luther King Jr. dinner at The Nugget this year. She will be invited to a special scholarship reception before the event to meet members of the community. Free food! Woot!

 

In all honesty I'm so impressed by what she wrote. But more so with her reaction to the award and money. The very first thing she said was, "Well that means I'll need to pay $10 for tithing."

 

I think Martin Luther King Jr. would be proud. Because she recognizes so early that God has truly given us everything. He asks little of us and blesses us freely. She has a Christ centered heart.

 

Maria also participated in the essay competition and wrote a beautiful piece. We edited out one part, but it was my absolute favorite part, "Really, if people would just get baptized in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and follow the commandments it'd be a peaceful world."

Mormons aren't perfect!! But I'm glad she understands the importance of baptism and keeping the commandments.

 

Everyone came to support. Yaya Sofia, Yaya Kota, Papa, Daddy... a family email was circulated and her teacher was super supportive too. Quote, "OMG!!! THAT IS SO EXCITING!!!"

Thank you Mrs. Hensley. She had Christina read her paper to the class and everyone clapped. I guess at recess she had a lot of people asking to play with her too. Ah, the joy of fame.

 

At recess, Maria got whacked in the face with a tetherball. I got a call from the clinic. We're lucky she was just hit in the jaw. It hurt. The boy who did it apologized.

I was a nervous wreck driving to the school.

But she was fine, thank The Lord!

 

 

Here were all the winners. I love Brother Hardaway. He is a talker!!! But when he talks, you listen! He is the President of Northern Nevada Black Cultural Awareness Society. He truly loves children and wants them to succeed. He volunteers countless hours and is always so positive and supportive.

 

Practicing!! For the Washoe County School Board Meeting, they wanted her to read part of her essay. She did so beautifully. Not too fast, with enthusiasm and inflection.

She is so articulate and confident. What a blessing she is.

She will do much good in the world.

 

Papa... always taking care of Eli. The poor little guy had to wait quite a while because the meeting was running late. He had a meltdown with Mommy, but Papa to the rescue.

 

Here she is with our Superintendent Pedro Martinez. And do you love I have no clue who the woman is. I love that she invited Maria into the picture. Maria is a winner too. Anyone who takes the time to write about love, peace, and what we need to do to help the world is a winner!

 

Papa and Yaya took us out to celebrate!! Christina chose Olive Garden.

 

It was a wonderful day/night. Maria went on a daddy daughter date and I hope they took pictures!! I'll blog about that one later!

 

Here are their essays:
Christina-

Who was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.? He was a good man that tried to make peace with mean people. He was a humble peacemaker.  In a time when slavery was over, but segregation still existed, Dr. King said it was not right! It was not right because it was not fair and all people deserve freedom, choices, and to go wherever they like. No person is better than another, we are all the same… even if we look different! We are all the same because we are all the children of God.

            As a boy, Martin wanted to speak great words and he did! When he grew up he became a minister like his father and taught people from the Bible. He set things right! He went where people needed help. He marched with others for their rights. He walked with them, talked with them, prayed with them, and sang with them. He was never violent. He was like a peaceful dove gliding over a chaotic lake.

            Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a very honorable man. He taught us peace, love, and to be faithful and have hope at sorrowful times. How do we continue his dream?  I am speaking to you because the world needs peace. Peace is supposed to be strong. Hate is harsh and harmful. We should be like Martin Luther King Jr. and teach people to fight with words not fists. We need to STOP hate because hate kills and hurts. We can think about our actions! Before we speak we can think about what we are saying!

            If we want to continue his perfect dream we must drive away hate. We must be like Martin, peaceful and full of love. I’m grateful for this strong man because he changed the world for the better.

 

Maria-

 

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was loving, kind, and faithful. He went to church a lot, every Sunday. He also protested WHITE ONLY signs. He had the right to protest because he, his family, and all black people deserved freedom. There was too much hate and his dream was peace.

            I know how to make his dream come true by being like him- loving, kind, and faithful. We should teach EVERYONE about love, hope, and peace. We can help others when they are hurt.  At school we can help others with their work. When someone doesn’t have a friend to play with, you can play with them. We can help a person read a book.

            I think Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is excellent. I’m grateful for his life because he taught good things and even died for it.