I'm sharing a piece I wrote a while ago and have published before. It speaks to the magic and opportunity of the season, regardless of tradition or belief.
Wishing you and yours a new year filled with peace, love, and joy!
Debbie Jenae
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Isn't It Amazing
Well, we did it! Somehow, in the midst of our already busy days, we managed to squeeze in an entire season of celebration.
It’s amazing, really. In the span of a few weeks we made time to decorate our homes, send notes to friends and family, buy and create gifts, prepare tremendous feasts, donate time, money and materials, and basically share an abundance of goodness all around. We greeted those we know and even those we don’t with best wishes for the holidays and the months ahead. Collectively and individually we allowed conflicts to fade and embraced a variety of traditions and beliefs in the name of peace, love and gratitude.
Now with some sadness, mixed with relief, we pack away the decorations for another year and wonder how to keep this spirit of good will from trailing off with the last wisp of evergreen.
Perhaps the way to begin is with a simple gesture. Light a candle for peace. World peace, community peace, individual peace—you decide.
It may seem simple, but just look at what we accomplished in the last month, together; yet individually, and all with a similar intention of celebrating the holiday season. In countless ways we reached out and changed a life—for a season, perhaps for a lifetime. Regardless of religious belief or political affiliation, this spirit of compassion filled bare cabinets with food, clothed the needy, brought necessary medical care, talked someone into living another day, saved a child from a beating, and brought smiles to faces you’ll never meet. And it happens every year!
So perhaps it begins with a wish—a heartfelt thought.
There’s something almost magical about a candle flame. We use them in remembrance, to celebrate anniversaries, and to bring us hope.
Imagine knowing that as you light a candle, others are doing the same thing—giving peace a chance. And with each wish we increase the potential for more love, more respect, and more harmony in our world, our neighborhoods and our families—accepting and appreciating our differences, celebrating our existence.
Many have fallen on hard times and don’t have a loving and supportive environment. Light a candle for them. Light a candle for those who need courage or patience or a run of good luck.
Too many children don’t feel safe in their own homes and grow up feeling unlovable and unworthy. Light a candle for them. Light a candle for their families. Light a candle for our lawmakers that they remember the trust we put in them to do the right thing. Light a candle for the last time someone made you smile. Light a candle for peace.
After all, there is peace all around us, in every moment, waiting to be nurtured and encouraged, waiting to be chosen. We simply need to be reminded.
It’s possible, you know. By the simple act of lighting a candle, you allow your world to gently slow to a pause. For just a moment in the soft silent glow, a wish is made, a prayer is offered, a sincere thank you is lifted, and the energy around you changes and moves out. Imagine the possibility of this moment connecting with the energy of other heartfelt thoughts intended to make a difference. And who knows what inspiration, idea, or action might occur to you in the quiet moment you create. If nothing else, from a distance and in our hearts, our community will be aglow with a light that nurtures, that embraces, that grows. And just perhaps, by our shining example, new ways of creating a more peaceful place will be born.
It is amazing, really, and it all begins with a thought.
Like the light from a candle, it only takes one to light a room, one to light so many others, and one to guide someone home.
Images by:
Pixabay: candles, ornaments
Debbie Jenae: peace, love, joy rocks