A Bedtime Prayer on MLK Day

Sitting on my boys' bed tonight before prayers.

"You know guys, you might be the only kids at your school who actually sat at Martin Luther King Jr.'s kitchen table."

"Yeah."

"That's a pretty cool thing to remember on MLK Day, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

"Do you remember what we saw outside the house when we visited?"

"Wasn't it the place where they bombed his house?"

"Yes. It was the place where they bombed his house. That's one of the reasons why we celebrate saints like Martin Luther King, Jr. It takes courage to do the right thing. Like David and Goliath. Like Stephen before the Sanhedrin. Like Daniel in the Lion's Den. It takes courage and bravery to do the right thing."

We say our prayers, I turn out the lights and leave the room. At the door I stop and turn back. I whisper a final prayer.

"Be brave my boys. Be brave."