A Johnson I will always remember
Arpita poked her head out of a room as I was perusing the bobbles you find at many gift shops and this one at the Martin Luther King Jr gift shop next to his parental home felt no different. Arjun come quickly she said very excitedly.
I walked into that room hoping it would be something different I have not seen before only to be greeted by a large burly affable park ranger.
He was holding a placard that had a picture of room similar to the one we were sitting in only it was of the next house where Martin King Jr lived.
I was expecting simple descriptions of what each room was but never expected to be propelled into a humbling story of a kid and his siblings who waited for their father after work on the streets, of Martin who had a messy room with toys strewn all over the floor or that of a sly child who placed the blame on his brother Adam for bringing the garage roof down on top of their father’s car when it was all Martin’s brainchild to take the car out for a spin.
It was inspiring not only because of who the child eventually became—one of the finest men in the country— but also how the storyteller weaved his words lending them the magic that captivated me, a perpetual laugh etched on my face as I sat and listened to all the stories Christine, his sister, had shared with the rangers on how joyfully naughty Martin was.
It reminded me of the Martin Luther King Jr quote that I had read in the museum that Arpita and I had visited just shortly before.
“If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way”
And that is what Johnson did that day. A simple story told greatly.
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Satyajeet Jadhav
22 days ago
Wonderful post, Arjun! Loved the quote “If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way”.
arjun
21 days ago
Thank you Satyajeet!
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