Today, I'd like to post a recap from a previous post. It's a story that I think bears repeating. The best stories, after all, are told again and again. I get goose bumps each time I read this and think about my experience of actually being able to hear Dr. King preach.
I know this post will date me... a lot... but I need to share it. In
honor of MLK today, I want to share a real experience I had as a very
young girl... very, very, very young, of course.
My father was in a horrible car accident when I was about 5 years old.
He was a very successful salesman for an electrical equipment company
and was on the road a lot. (He always brought home presents for my
sister and me.) On one road trip, a truck driver was not driving well
and my dad ended up being forced off the road and into a ditch... with a
huge culvert in it. His head went through the windshield, he was
crushed into the steering wheel and no one thought he would live until
help could come. He was pinned against the steering wheel because of
all the equipment in the back of his station wagon that had lurched
forward in the crash. A stranger stopped and stayed with him, talking
calmly to comfort him until help could get there. A part of the
conversation was about being saved and truly knowing God. My dad was a
Christian and we went to church every Sunday, but this was a
life-changing moment for him and he ended up being called by God to
leave his successful job behind and go into the ministry. He'd had to
drop out of college (studying to be a doctor) because of lack of funds
with only 1 1/2 years to go. His father had died when he was 12 and his
mother had 4 young children to support. How amazing that he could get
that far on his own.
So, back to the story, he enrolled at Millikin University to complete
the rest of his undergrad work and our family started off on a new
journey. We lived in many small towns in Central Illinois while he
completed his studies and worked at student appointments. When it came
time for him to enroll in Seminary, he applied to 4 or 5 Seminaries
around the country. He thought that he would take his family to a new
part of the country for many new experiences we wouldn't otherwise have,
based on where he was accepted. He was accepted at
ALL of them,
so no help there with his decision. After many prayers and discussions
with my mother, they decided to pack up and move to the East Coast
while he attended Drew Theological Seminary.
We lived in New York state for a year, northern New Jersey for 3 years
and southern New Jersey for a year. We loved it all! In New York
state, we explored as much of the area as we could and loved the
beautiful mountains. In the winter, our St. Bernard just walked over
the fence because the snow was so deep. In northern New Jersey, we
lived in dairy farm country. It was gorgeous and the people were
beautiful. I was able to pursue my music lessons (organ) with many
talented teachers, most of whom donated their services (and all the
music books I wanted) for free, in honor of my father's service to our
church. I still feel like a huge part of my heart is there. We were
just an hour away from New York City and a retired Metropolitan Opera
singer gave my mother free voice lessons because she recognized what a
beautiful voice she had when she sang in our church choir. In southern
New Jersey, we lived in Pleasantville (not at all like the movie) and
were just 6 miles from Atlantic City. I took organ lessons in Ocean
City. We went to the beach every day that we could. I had never seen
the ocean until we moved to New Jersey.
The year I graduated from high school, my sister graduated from junior
high and my dad graduated from Drew Theological Seminary. What a year!
After that, we packed up and came back to Illinois because he was
technically still a member of the Central Illinois Conference (United
Methodist Church) and because I was going to attend Millikin University.
So, what does all this have to do with MLK, you ask? Well, it gives the
background and setting for the story. One day, my father decided to
take us on a trip to New York City. He wanted us to have the experience
of attending Christ Methodist Church, a huge and beautiful church
there. I don't think he even knew ahead of time who would be speaking
that day and he certainly did not know the pastor there. He just
thought it would be a fun trip. As it turns out, their pastor was not
speaking that day. They had a guest preacher for the day, Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. Can you believe it? I actually got to hear him
preach. I was young, but I listened and I was captivated by his
wonderful message. He spoke of hope, faith, kindness, and living a life
with God. It was amazing. I didn't realize then how famous he was to
become or how his life would end way too soon. I knew I was in the
presence of greatness and goodness. It left quite an impression on me.
I thank God that I had this opportunity and hope that we can continue
to keep his words alive. They are good ones.
Thanks for letting me share and I hope my story may have inspired you in some way. God bless.
