Happy New Year

And to all my family!

So many New Year toasts, wishes, and resolutions seem so commonplace and trite. I tried to think of something I haven't said or heard before. I found a site on the internet called Living Life Fully that contains much wisdom. I found this quote particularly meaningful and a challenge to me:

"Every new year people make resolutions to change aspects of themselves

they believe are negative. A majority of people revert back to how they were before, and feel like failures. This year I challenge you to a new 

resolution. I challenge you to just be yourself."

Sounds easy, doesn't it? However, how many of us know who our "real" self is? We wear so many faces and labels, depending upon different situations or people with which we find ourself or stories we might be telling, that sometimes it's difficult to define who we really are. Maybe that should be our New Year's resolution this year -- to find out who our "real" self is in all its intricacies, and love them all. 

Personally, I plan to get back to journaling on a regular basis. That and meditation. Both reveal aspects of yourself you may not know exist -- or have forgotten. While I'm at it, I think I'll drag out the box in my closet that's labeled "Journals" that go back to the 80s and 90s. They should contain some insight into the person I have become. I remember reading a book during the 1980s called "I Love The Person You Were Meant To Be". I don't remember the content, but the title alone is intriguing. I wonder if my old journals might show me how far I've come. Or how far I have to go to discover who I was meant to be. 

Or maybe I will discover that the "real" me wears those many faces and labels -- and it's okay.

Love and peace to you all in the coming New Year 2016,

Marilyn

For The Sake of Peace

Those of you who are, like I am, a fan of the TV series "Homeland", are also familiar with the actor Mandy Patinkin. A while back he was on my favorite morning "news" show, CBS This Morning with Charlie Rose. His views on the condition of what he calls the "world on fire" today were mesmerizing. One of his suggestions for a solution to the violence and many problems humanity faces was "what if we bomb these people with hope and opportunity" captured my attention... I believe you will be as moved as I was. His comments at about 5 minutes to the end will make you cry. I did.

Back in October I wrote on the blog The Impact of the Pope a list of religions represented in both houses of Congress. The majority were Christians, followed by Jews. Only a total of 18 called themselves as "other", "unaffiliated", or refused to answer. All religions of the world contain prayers for peace. Why is it we hear more politicians, and would-be politicians crying out for war..?

Our Christmas prayers nearly always contain prayers for "peace on earth". Here are a couple more beautiful such prayers.

Baha'i Prayer For Peace

Oh God, lead us from the unreal to the Real.

Oh God, lead us from darkness to light.

Oh God, lead us from death to immortality.

Shanti, Shanti, Shanti unto all.

Oh Lord God almighty, may there be peace in celestial regions.

May there be peace on earth.

May the waters be appeasing.

May herbs be wholesome, and may trees and

plants bring peace to all. May all beneficent

beings bring peace to us.

May thy Vedic Law propagate peace all

through the world.

May all things be a source of peace to us.

And may that peace come to me also.

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Zoroastrian Prayer for Peace

We pray to God to eradicate all the

misery in the world:

that understanding triumph

over ignorance,

that generosity triumph over indifference,

that trust triumph over contempt, and

that truth triumph over falsehood.

(FB.com)

Maybe all of us know one or more atheist. Like me, maybe you even pray for them. Many are kind and good-hearted -- more so than a lot of religious people. Even if they don't believe in prayer, many send out "good thoughts" when hearing of pain or sorrow in the world, and for the individuals who are caught up in such suffering. They volunteer and donate out of the goodness of their hearts. I like to believe that their kind, loving thoughts are just another form of prayer, which add to the positive energy of all the prayers we are sending to our Creator. I also like to believe that if enough of us do so, we will someday reach critical mass in the consciousness of all people in the world. Then there will be "peace on earth".

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Mystery Flowers

Last week I had a delightful surprise. The flowers pictured below were delivered to me with a sweet, sentimental note saying this person would be thinking of me and my family during the Christmas holidays. However, there was no sender's name. A call to the florist was of no help to me. They not only did not have the sender's name, but they also could not say if the order came from another city or state.

I just said "thank you" to the Universe, and enjoyed my colorful arrangement. Sadly, two days later one of the two lovely hydrangea blooms was drooping, and soon to die. I sent an email to the florist explaining that I thought it should have lived longer than two days. Shortly thereafter I received a call from their customer service department. The friendly young woman offered her apologies and asked if I would be home the following Monday so that they might bring a replacement. I was delighted, and never expected this result. I assumed they would be bringing me another hydrangea. Lo and behold (I must have been a very, very good girl this past year!), Monday morning I answered a knock on my door, and to my amazement, there was another beautiful little floral arrangement! (Freytag's Florist is the company.)

What a surprise! I now had two containers of gorgeous flowers to grace my dining table! I wish my next-door neighbor were at home. One of these might be perfect to share. As she lost a son a couple of months back, they would be a little bit of cheer.

Amidst all the tinsel, lights, and brightly wrapped packages, I hope you all have a bit of nature in your home this Christmas -- a live tree, poinsettias, or beautiful floral arrangements sent to you with love. And if you happen to be the generous person who sent these flowers to me, please let me know so I may thank you personally.

May your Christmas be merry, and full of

Love and Peace,

Marilyn

When Will We Ever Learn?

(Kevork Djansezian/Reuters)

Once again, we watch the TV images in horror at the lives at risk -- not in some foreign country, but in our own United States. This time in California, which has some of the strictest gun laws in America. More lives lost or injured forever. While our Congress squabbles over how many troops to send into Iraq and Syria, in order to assist in obtaining peace, the citizens of our country are suffering acts of terror with guns obtained legally in their home states. When will Congress do something about the existing gun laws throughout the land? The NRA must share the responsibility for these mass shootings with assault weapons that they pressure our Congressional leaders to continue to allow to be sold to the general public. Many without background checks at all, such as at Gun Shows. I say ban the assault weapons, period. Ban the high capacity magazines as well.

I hear gun rights' advocates and Congressmen -- especially the GOP -- keep saying stricter gun laws won't help, that most mass killings are carried out by mentally incompetent citizens. That we should be screening purchasers of weapons for such illnesses and refuse to sell to them. There is no way to tell if someone buying a gun is a "sociopath", which is how an analyst described the gunman in California. Many more types of "mental illness" that might cause someone to conduct such a raid are not easily detectable either. What are we to do? Will there be a list of anyone who sees a mental health provider available to anyone selling weapons? Will a seller be required to discriminate when it comes to a purchaser's race or religion? After all, if he appears mid-eastern, could he be a terrorist? 

All of this needs to be addressed. America leads the world in mass killings. We only hear of the public ones that hit the national news. "Data compiled by the crowd-sourced website ShootingTracker.com reveals a shocking human toll: there is a mass shooting – defined as four or more people shot in one incident – nearly every day (in the United States). (Updated on 3 Dec 2015)" "1,052 mass shootings in 1,066 days.." (The Guardian.com)

Not only have we not strengthened gun laws in the United States, but many states have passed Open Carry laws. The backlash from the recent act of terror in California may result in even more such laws. What will we eventually see? Wild West shoot-outs on our streets? When will our country do what so many countries have done, and strengthen our gun laws to reduce the amount of homicides we suffer every year? Doing away with assault weapons and high-capacity magazines would be a good start.

Peace,

Marilyn