January is a month filled with resolutions and new beginnings
and what better way to share peace love and joy than to recognize
the great leader, Martin Luther King, Jr.
January is a month filled with resolutions and new beginnings and what better way to share peace love and joy than to recognize the great leader, Martin Luther King, Jr.
Dr. King gave a great formula for success through service.
“Everybody can be great, because anybody can serve. You only need a heart full of grace and a soul generated by love.” Many nonprofits, schools and community organizations have been pinched by the budget crunch, and would love your contributions of time and talents. Sign up to volunteer a minimum of two hours this month and share your commitment with at least one person. If you need some ideas, check out www.yourmorganhill.com or call Karen Lengsfield, our city’s volunteer coordinator at 779-3033.
Young people across America continue to make a difference in their community by participating in the Do Something: Kindness and Justice Challenge. Students in grade K-12 perform Acts of Kindness, by helping others, and Justice, which is standing up for what is right. The Challenge takes place in January to honor Martin Luther King Jr. By taking this challenge young people learn the virtues of tolerance, responsibility and moral courage, and then put these lessons into practice. Visit www.dosomething.org for curricula and instructions.
On March 2 you have the opportunity to vote on several Measures facing our city. One of these is near and dear to my heart because it touches my very being. Reading is a life long passion of mine. I’m a womb-to-tomb learner…and most of my knowledge has been gained through book reading or being taught by someone who read books.
Carl Sagan, shares “The library connects us with insight and knowledge, painfully extracted from Nature, of the greatest minds that ever were, with the best teachers, drawn from the entire planet and from all our history, to instruct us without tiring, and to inspire us to make our own contribution to the collective knowledge of the human species. I think the health of our civilization, the depth of our awareness of the underpinnings of our culture and our concern for the future can all be tested by how well we support our libraries.”
You can show your monetary support for our libraries, its services and books by voting “yes” on Measure B that will extend the library’s operating fund. The $42 per year for a single family home or condo is less than a $1 a week and only $8.34 more than you are paying now. A small price for a huge value.
The Teachers Aid Coalition, which raises funds and receives donations of classroom supplies and other necessities for teachers in our district is grateful to Mama Mia’s Restaurant, at 275 East Dunne Ave. because they are donating a portion of your dinner receipt on Feb. 2 and Feb. 9. We recently ate there after the USMC Birthday celebration and found it to be a wonderful new addition to our town. The generosity of our local business owners never ceases to amaze me. For more information contact Jon Hatakeyama at 779-7391.
January was also, on a personal note, a month of transitions. It brought the passing of my mother-in-law of 26 years as well as time spent with our Marine son who was on recruiting duty before being sent over “there.” So before it’s too late or the chance is taken away, practice acknowledgment. Tell someone today what a difference he or she has made in your life. Acknowledge that person for being there for you, for making you smile, for going to work for you every day, for making you feel safe and secure.
Make this day, and every day after, a day you don’t take people for granted…They leave our lives, much, much too early. I am thankful for you, my readers and may your days be blessed until we meet again.
Mary Ellen Salzano is a Realtor for Century 21 Premier. She lives in Morgan Hill with her husband and two children. She also is a library commissioner. Her columns, Sharing and Caring, are published the third Friday of the month. Contact her at maryellen_salzano @yahoo.com
