December 2003
The 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:
Great ideas come into the world quietly as doves. Perhaps then, if we listen attentively, we shall hear among the uproar of empires and nations a faint fluttering of wings, the gentle stirrings of life and hope.
~ Albert Camus
What if the great idea that came into your life this holyday season is to love yourself, see how perfect you are just as you are, and have goodwill toward you? How sweet life would be. Imagine what would happen if everyone woke up one day and simply loved. Love or fear – what if you simply chose love? There would truly be peace on earth and goodwill toward all.
This holiday season I will be reminding myself to love, simply love and I hope you will too.
In peace and love,
Susan