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The Goddess Speaks
WELL, we did it! Somehow, in the midst of our already busy days, we managed to squeeze in a season of celebration. We made time to decorate our homes, send notes to friends and family, shop till we dropped, prepare tremendous feasts and basically share an abundance of goodness. A simple wish
for the new yearIt's amazing, really. For a few weeks, we allowed our conflicts to fade and our hearts to open with kindness and good wishes. We created a universal time-out for feasting, sharing, singing and praying.
We tolerated and even embraced a variety of holiday traditions and beliefs in the name of peace, love and gratitude.
Now we stand at the dawn of a new year, a new millennium, a new day perhaps filled with dreams and ideas for the future. Yet with mixed feelings, we sigh with relief that the hustle of the holidays is over and wonder how we can keep the spirit of goodwill from trailing off with the last wisp of evergreen.
Of course, people do many wonderful things every day, but here's one more quiet, mindful way to keep this joyous spirit of abundance in motion: Light a candle for peace. World peace, community peace, individual peace -- you decide.
It may seem a simple idea, but if we all share the same thought, couldn't it have some positive influence? Just look at what we accomplished in the last month, together; yet individually, and all with a similar intention!
Imagine knowing that as you light a candle, others throughout the islands are doing the same thing, giving peace a chance. In that peace is love for one another, respect for the beliefs of others, and standing up for peace in our world, our neighborhoods and our families, accepting and appreciating our differences, celebrating our existence.
Just imagine if we all made the same wish!
Many people don't have the love and support of family or friends. Light a candle for them. Light a candle for those who need courage or patience or a run of good luck.
Child abuse is a silent epidemic in this country. 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 to increase loving feelings on the planet. 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 inside of us, waiting to be nurtured and encouraged. We simply need a reminder.
A single yellow flame burning, steadily, yet gently, is not a resolution but a simple promise to give in the coming months, because good intentions mean little without appropriate action.
It's a new year. Make room for new things by passing on those that you no longer need. Share skills and interests so that others might learn and pass on. Choose a cause that means something to you: education, health, research, politics, crime prevention, the environment, the arts, animal advocacy, etc.
Donate, volunteer, get involved. Do something that holds significance for you. You don't have to keep it up everyday, but it doesn't take much to keep the flow in motion. You never know how your act, gift, words, dollars, smiles or skills may help someone at the moment they need it most.
Next time you light a candle, remember that it only takes one to light a room, one to light so many others, one to guide someone home.
Debbie Jenae is a handwriting analyst
and free-lance writer in Honolulu.
The Goddess Speaks runs every Tuesday
and is a column by and about women, our strengths, weaknesses,
quirks and quandaries. If you have something to say, write it and
send it to: The Goddess Speaks, the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, P.O.
Box 3080, Honolulu, 96802, or send e-mail
to features@starbulletin.com.