purposeful perspectives

During the latter part of each March, the spring equinox occurs. In 2024, March 19th marked the official start of spring. More daylight hours, flowers blooming and bees buzzing around (even amidst all the pollen!), nice weather for outdoor activities like hiking, biking, camping, picnics, watching ball games, and just spending a lazy Saturday afternoon outside in a hammock – all of these come to mind when I think about enjoying the spring season.

It was the summer of 1982; one of the joys of my 7-year-old life was going four blocks down to “The Ice-cream Lady’s” house with a shiny nickel in my hand to buy a cold treat. My only worry was which one, the frozen Kool-Aid pop or the homemade vanilla, would be my treat of the day. (It was homemade vanilla most of the time.)

Growing up as a child, I distinctly remember the excitement when the federal government added a holiday honoring Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., one of the greatest and most significant Americans in history. As a young boy, seeing one of our Black heroes who fought and advocated for the civil rights and equality of Black people recognized and honored was monumental.