Celebrate the Circle: Martin Luther King Jr. Day

January 19, 2026

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day - Today I am reminded again to honor the ongoing struggle for freedom, equality, and dignity for all people, and share in the efforts.

Agenda for today:

1. Love cycle

2. Intentions

3. Read "The Spirited Walker"

4. March
5. Index to MLK Day projects

1. Love cycle:

Years ago I wrote this month-long meditation on love, with a daily reading and work. Day 2 is Have Patience.

Patience is one expression of love: It’s the calmness I exhibit in the face of waiting, and also the kindness I show to those “difficult people” who don’t listen to reason, who interrupt, who are overly sensitive, or who are so annoying. Patience allows me to let go of my frustration and irritation, and treat these people with skill and gentleness.

Patience is not easy for me. It requires love and self-control; it requires that I cut people slack and allow them to be imperfect; and it requires that I relax and let go of time anxiety. I need to remember that human needs are not well-organized, but they are always more important than my schedule. And when I put love first my efficiency will increase in the long run.

Patience is powerful; it opens hearts. People feel liberated and calm when I let them know that I am unruffled and in no hurry. My patience is a gift to them, and will allow them to heal and grow.

“I am convinced that if we practice patience, we come to understand profound aspects of other people’s lives. We understand their rhythms and their weaknesses, thereby knowing their nature intimately. Also, patience is the virtue of all good teachers, who know how to wait for the pupil slowly to mature…” --Piero Ferrucci

Inner Work: Keep a daily Talk Journal of my conversations and interactions, focusing this week on patience, and the times when I am able to put love first and allow people to be imperfect.

Love in Action: Review the “Four Methods for Holding Your Seat” from "Comfortable with Uncertainty" by Pema Chodrin (p. 191).

1. Hold my seat- don’t react.
2. Breathe in the intensity of feeling.
3. Look for the lesson.
4. See that it is all passing.

2. Intentions:

What have I done lately to teach or support freedom, equality, and dignity for all people?
How can I better define myself as part of the human (rather than white) race?

What are my essential intentions for equality and service?

Today I reaffirm these core values and testimonies that capture the possibility of daily right action and are useful in any situation that arises in daily life:

-I intend to testify for equality, treat every being with respect and love, and work to correct my shortfalls, because the spirit connection of all beings, and common humanity of all people, transcends our differences.

-I intend to serve my community and the world tirelessly, in all the ways I am led by Spirit, because I have the ability to make my community a better place for my family, my neighbors, and all of nature, and at the same time grow in skills and compassion.

3. Read "The Spirited Walker":

I'm reading this little book by Carolyn Scott Kortge (1998), with the subtitle, Fitness walking for clarity, balance, and spiritual connection. She equates walking to a regular meditation or mindfulness practice. " ... walking has many parallels to life. Walkers move forward, take steps, go toward something. ...the action changes your perspective. It offers a fresh point of view."

I started this book before Christmas, and have been using Waltz Walking with the mantra "Guid-ing-Light" as a good way to ground, because the 3-beat walk requires a little more attention to maintain.

Chapter 2 is On Your Mark: How Far? How Fast? How Often? She begins by discussing all the benefits of a fast-paced walk at least 3 times a week. She also talks about starting small, with a commitment that will be easy to keep, and a schedule that doesn't require decisions.