The time is always right.....

"The time is always right to do what is right"....Dr.Martin Luther King, Jr.

On this day we honor Dr. King. When he was born, a bright light came into the world. That bright light continues on despite his leaving, because he has inspired us all to do better, to love more, to see past differences, and to be more unified.

This is one of my favorite MLK quotes because it is so very simple and basic. There is no time like NOW and NOW is ALWAYS the right time to do what is right.

-Last week a patient was telling me about how, despite all her financial struggles, she and her son bought dinner for a homeless man they encountered in a restaurant. This man was counting out his last coins to be able to purchase a cup of soup and a sandwich - a very basic meal, something we all probably take for granted. As my patient and her son went to the register to pay their bill she asked the cashier to also pay the homeless man's bill, the light was shining....
-I have a friend who recently sat with her friend as she passed away. This was a process of months and the end came recently. My friend held her hand and her heart in her final hours. What greater privilege than to be able to support someone in such a way. As the months wore on and the minutes ticked down and the friendship continued, up until the very final breath, the light was shining.....
-How many individual and collective lights shine on in Tucson, after the recent shootings??? There are more stories of heroism and light than I can mention. I just heard on the news this morning that the organs of nine year old, Christina Taylor Green, were donated to a little girl in Boston. I know this is likely just a small comfort to her family but they said "It's what she would have wanted". The legacy the shooter left behind seems to be one of increased tolerance and unity and recognition that we can agree to disagree and it doesn't have to be an all out war. And the light is shining through ALL OF THIS.....
-There's a young man, a high school student, in my area who saw a need and responded. I read about this in the newspaper. He comes from an upper middle class neighborhood and had a part time job in a restaurant. He was upset one night when, as the restaurant was closing, he saw all of the good food that was being thrown in the dumpster. He talked to the restaurant owner about this and asked if he could take the food to a soup kitchen and the owner agreed. The young man then canvassed several other restaurants in his area and did the same. Today, a network operates to pick up the food each evening at the group of restaurants and take it to a homeless mission. One young man, with a good heart, who responded to his heart. and the light is shining....

The light that shone in Martin Luther King Jr is the same light that shines in all of us. We can all judge less, love better, reach out to others, look past differences....if we choose. The time is now, there is no other time. NOW is all there is.