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'Tis the Season | The Words
Behind the Words
'Tis
the Season
December 2003
 he holiday season is upon
us. A friend of mine told me last week a woman
was trampled trying to get to the DVD sales table
at Walmart. Over the years I've had many opinions
about the holiday season. I've gone from looking
forward to it all year as a child, ignoring it
and hating it as a young adult, to looking at
it as a time to reflect, share love, and see
how far I've come in creating peace.
Whenever I think of the holidays I always
think of the phrase, "Peace on earth, goodwill
to all, and to all a good night." I like to think
of the holidays as holy days. This is the time
of year that the sun changes courses in the heavens.
What if we set our intent to change the course
of our thinking as well?
I have had many discussions with people
lately about peace and war. Of one thing I am sure,
peace on earth is impossible if peace doesn't live
within each of us. Peace of mind and judgment can't
really coexist. The voice of the judge is generally
the prelude to an inner war. If we can't love and
accept ourselves how can we accept others? What is
war other than the lack of acceptance? Countries
refuse to accept each other's views and the leaders
are willing to go to war in order to be right.
One of the question people have asked me
is about how to engage with the world. What do we
do in a world full of suffering? The truth is we
engage with the world one thought at a time. So my
question is: do your thoughts bring peace or suffering
to you? What are you adding energetically to the
universe with your thoughts?
Peace begins with acceptance of life just
as it is. We can't create peace by hating war or
by fighting it or by judging it. Peace is a choice
that can begin in this very moment within each of
us. What if you used this holyday season as a time
to love and accept yourself just as you are? You
could view each light, each decoration, each moment
as an invitation to celebrate the divine you just
as you are.
I recently ran across this quote:
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