In This Moment

The Allness of Life is present in this now moment. There is nothing to seek; nothing to find. There is nowhere to go; All is now here.

This moment is all there is.

This moment is our point of choice. This moment is our point of power.

This moment is our point of Joy. This moment is our point of Love. This moment is our point of Peace.

The imagined past is an illusion. The future is only a dream. All is now. You are All now.

Be present in the eternal now and the ever-present here.

This is your freedom.

The following is from my book, In This Moment, Prayers from the Well of Awareness.

If time has any relevance, it is relevant solely as the present, the moment in time we call now.

Only now can life express.

Only now can you be aware.

Only now can you feel.

Only now can you think.

Only now can you know.

Only now can you choose.

Only now can you breathe.

Only now can you have any sensory experience.

All else is just memory or a dream, and neither is reality in the present.

What is real now is what is present in all its wonder and glory now.

The mind either longs for a past that does not exist or dreams of a future that will never be.

The mind can prevent us from being fully alive in the moment.

Awakening happens when the mind focuses on what is in the moment and allows what is to the perfection that it is.

In that Holy Instant, Presence arises.

In that moment, Peace is remembered, and Love flows in freedom expressed.

 

Be present in this now moment for the wonder of Life in all its mystery.

Claim your power now.

Be still and know that you are Life living itself as you now.

If you would like a free digital copy of my book, In This Moment, Prayers from the Well of Awareness, please email me at revdavidhhoward@gmail.com. If you would like a paperback copy of my book, please go to my website DavidHoward.com and order there. 

Living Gratitude

As Thanksgiving approaches, I think of how much I have to be grateful for. I live a truly privileged life of health, abundance, safety, freedom, love, and connection that I often take for granted. Thanksgiving is a reminder to stop, feel gratitude and give thanks for all the good that I enjoy.

I am also mindful that there are many people who may feel that they have little or nothing to be thankful for this year. I know that the pandemic has hit some of us harder than others. Many have lost loved ones. Some who have survived are still suffering from the lasting effects of the virus. Others are dealing with the uncertainty of whether they have been exposed or when they will exhibit symptoms.

I learned last week that my brother, Tommy, has the virus. He is not hospitalized but is experiencing some profound symptoms. I also learned that one of our members, Jim Luallen, is now hospitalized and on a ventilator due to the virus. Karen, his wife, has reported that he is stable and is improving. He will most likely be in the hospital for weeks. Please keep them in your prayers.

On Tuesday, Colorado Governor Polis and Denver Mayor Hancock announced new restrictions on businesses in an effort to curtail the spread of the virus. One of which is no in-person dining in restaurants. Capacity in gyms and other businesses is now limited to 10%. I have concern for the restaurant and other small business owners and all who are dependent upon them for their financial wellbeing. Perhaps they are some who find it challenging to be thankful this year.

I think of health care workers and first responders who are putting their lives on the line every day to care for those who are ill and hospitalized. My heart goes out to the teachers and childcare workers who are caring for and doing their best to provide quality education for our children in-person, virtually, or a hybrid of both. They are all weary and worn. They, too, may be facing a difficult Thanksgiving.

I am grateful for each of them. I also have empathy and compassion for them. I hold them in the prayerful consciousness of hope and wholeness. And I ask myself what more I can do.

I encourage you to heed the advice of the scientific experts and take the actions recommended, including wearing a mask, maintaining social distancing, and refraining from socializing with others outside your immediate family. Stay at home as much as possible!

My heart goes out to those who have lost loved ones or who have been persecuted, injured, or jailed due to the violence of racism, not only in America but around the world. I feel for those who worry for their safety when simply driving to the store or work, jogging in their neighborhood, or bird watching in the park.

I am saddened to think of those who have been denied opportunities for education, jobs, and financial gain due to their skin color, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other natural expression of themselves.

I am grateful for my newfound awareness of many of these issues. I am grateful for courageous voices who speak out. I am grateful for the uncommon resilience of so many. I am grateful for the love ethic embodied by the civil and human rights leaders, such as Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, John Lewis, Rosa Parks, and Mahatma Gandhi, to name a few.

I give thanks for the contributions that each of them has made. I express my gratitude by learning more about their lives and their work, as well as about their struggles. I also express my gratitude by doing what I can to get involved and help to continue their efforts in the work still to be done. Still, I ask what more I can do. 

I feel disheartened when I witness our treatment of people experiencing homelessness in our city. The few possessions they have taken from them. Tents, sometimes their only refuge from the weather, taken down. Forced to leave areas that are visible to the public as to avoid disturbing the city’s image. Gross lack of funding to provide adequate housing, physical and mental healthcare, and other essential services. They are often a forgotten people relegated to the fringes of our society.

I am grateful for organizations, such as Family Promise of Greater Denver, Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, Denver Rescue Mission and others, who do their best to provide services to our brothers and sisters who are experiencing homelessness. I am grateful to the dedicated people who give their time, energy, and love to meet their needs. I am grateful to the Unity Spiritual Center Denver community who continues to show up and step up when asked to contribute to support our partnership with Family Promise.

I can also embody my gratitude by learning more about the work of these organizations and do what I can to get involved. I can give from my financial good to support their work as I am able. I can learn more about legislation that impacts the lives of those experiencing homelessness and work toward influencing a politics of love that cares for them and all people.

I realize that there are many people, not included in those I have mentioned, who are living with concern about the quality of their daily lives. More and more people are experiencing depression, substance addiction is on the rise, suicides have increased, and 50 million people in America live in poverty. They, too, may find it challenging to feel gratitude.

Please know that it was not my intention to write a depressing Thanksgiving post. It was also not my intention to generate gratitude by suggesting that anyone compare his or her life to another’s. Instead, my intention was to verbalize how important it is for us to remember those who might not be in the joyous spirit of Thanksgiving this year and to hold them with empathy, care, and compassion.

This is no way intended to suggest that we should diminish our own gratitude and thanksgiving. Depriving ourselves of those feelings and expressions does not serve anyone, most of all ourselves. I encourage us all to feel gratitude for all the good that we enjoy. Feel gratitude in conscious connection with the Allness that we are as expressions of the Divine. Feel gratitude from the awareness that we are the living enterprise of God, as Unity minister Eric Butterworth says.

And to express that gratitude through our thoughts, words, and actions. In one of his lessons from years ago, Butterworth shared that the Hebrew word for ‘Thanksgiving’ is ‘Todah’ which means “stretching forward of the open hands.” I encourage us to allow this Thanksgiving to remind us our opportunity is to open not only our hands to share what we can, but also to open our hearts to give of our love, especially to those who may be struggling right now.

My hope and prayer for you is that you live in gratitude and thanksgiving every moment of every day. Gratitude is an elevated emotion that has the power to transform our lives and affect the lives of others.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Don't Go Back to Sleep 2.0

The breezes at dawn have secrets to tell you.
Don't go back to sleep!
You must ask for what you really want.
Don't go back to sleep!
People are going back and forth 
across the doorsill where the two worlds touch,
The door is round and open
Don't go back to sleep!

― Rumi

I trust that I speak for many of us when I say that the events of this year, indeed the past several years, have awakened us to many things to which we were previously asleep. I know there are many things I am more conscious of now than before.

Much that was hidden in the darkness has been brought to light. Now, we can see it. Mourn it. Feel angry about it. Even rage about it. Yes! It is vitally important for us to experience our human emotions in response to the words and actions that disenfranchise others, hurt people, and do harm to our land, water and air.

We have witnessed and some of us have participated in demonstrations, riots, and protests in response to the years, decades and centuries of injustice, inequality, greed, avarice, self-centeredness and gluttony that have plagued our society and contributed to the divisiveness we witness today.

The outcome of the Presidential election has provided us with more evidence of how divided we are as a nation in our approach to public policy and strategies for living the values that we all claim to share. I knew that we were not all in agreement about many things, but the tightness of race was yet another wake-up call for me.

Now that we have been awakened, it is vitally important that we do not allow ourselves to go back to sleep. It is especially tempting for those of who benefit from the current policies and practices to slip back into our comfortable beds, pull up the covers and snooze. We cannot do that. Humanity, indeed all of creation, depends upon each of us staying awake and doing our part to heal the wounds and mend the divide.

It will take each of us doing our own personal work of honest self-reflection to see and own the ways in which we have contributed and continue to contribute to the wounding of our fellow humans, our planet, environment, and the creatures of the Earth. I encourage us to embrace the willingness and courage to sit in our own pain and discomfort, as well as sit with the pain of others in empathy and compassion. Seek solutions that will bring healing. Take the personal actions needed to support healing. Do all that we can to influence those who enact and enforce guidelines, rules, laws and regulations to place the love of humanity at the core of all public policies.

Our teacher and wayshower was very clear when he said, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Knowing that Jesus taught from a consciousness of non-duality, I believe he was instructing us to love each other not just as we would love ourselves, but as though the “other” is our self.

What we do to one, we do to all. What we do for one, we do for all. Let us come together to work for the healing of the wounds of humanity and all creation. We will all benefit. We are creating our future by the choices we make today. The choice is yours. The choice is mine. I pray we choose wisely. Don’t go back to sleep!

The Choice is Ours

As I write this, the outcome of the 2020 Presidential election is still undetermined. Like many, if not most of us, I was hoping for a clear decision on Election Day if only to relieve some of the tension of uncertainty.

I fully realize that it matters who we elect as our governmental leaders. They determine the laws and policies that affect our lives and the future of our society and our planet. It matters greatly.

Still, the outcome of the election does not determine how we will choose to live our daily lives. We are at choice. We decide how we will treat each other. We determine how we will care for the most vulnerable and underserved among us. We choose the actions we will take to respect and care for our environment and our Mother Earth. We decide who we will be and how we will live in alignment with love.

As Viktor Frankl said in his book, Man’s Search for Meaning,

“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”

Each day, indeed each moment of every day, we must choose our own attitude and our own way of being in the world.

In alignment with that, I recently read a few posts on social media. I know, I would probably be better served to refrain from that. However, I read some comments that said something similar to, “It does not matter who wins the Presidential election. God is still in control.” I question that sentiment because it seems to be an abdication of responsibility.

In I John 4: 7-8, we read,

“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

In my understanding, God is the unconditioned infinite energy of love – the life energy that connects us to each other and with all creation. Love is the energy that heals, harmonizes, and unifies. God, as Love, exists in the realm of perfect potential and possibility and must be brought into demonstration through us.

However, we continue to war against each other and still proclaim, “God is in control.” We continue to ignore the hungry, hurting, and homeless among us and still declare, “God is in control.” We continue to pollute our environment and rape the Earth and still say, “God is in control.” We continue to disenfranchise those who are not of our tribe, whether that be our race, nationality, or religion, and still decry, “God is in control.”

As Unity cofounder Charles Fillmore stated,

 “God is the love in everybody and everything. God is love; [humans] become loving by permitting that which God is to find expression in word and act…The point to be clearly established is that God exercises [God’s] attributes through the inner consciousness of the universe and [humankind].”

God is not in control unless and until we make conscious choices every day to surrender to the love that is God and allow that love to guide our every thought, word, and action.

My prayer for each of us and for our world is that we will make choices in the ways we think, speak and act that embody love. Yes, the outcome of this election will determine who leads our government, but no election has the power to determine who we are, what we stand for, or how we choose to be in the world. The choice is ours!

 

A Politics of Love

Earlier this week, my friend and videographer Ken Rinehart sent me a link to a recent episode of Colorado Matters, a daily interview program on Colorado Public Radio (CPR) hosted by Ryan Warner. This episode, entitled Holy Chaos! A House Divided! Religious Leaders Take on the Political Divide, is an interview with Pastor Mark Feldmeir, Senior Pastor of Saint Andrew United Methodist Church in Highlands Ranch, Reverend Amanda Henderson former Executive Director of Interfaith Alliance of Colorado who is joining The Iliff School of Theology, and Pastor Tracey Perry who does ministry and social justice work across the state.

Each of the ministers spoke authentically and courageously about the need for faith communities to engage in discourse about social justice issues, especially at this time in our country. They asserted quite boldly that it is the role of the church and people of faith to address these issues and stand for love and compassion in the arena of public policy. I highly recommend that you listen to this interview.

Trish Morris, our Associate Minister, spoke openly about this in her lesson on Sunday, October 25, entitled Finding the Balance. If you have not had the opportunity to listen to or watch this service, I encourage you do to so. You may watch or listen on the Unity Spiritual Center Denver YouTube channel.

After listening to the CPR episode, I ordered Rev. Feldmeir’s book, A House Divided – Engaging the Issues through the Politics of Compassion. The book is based on a series of sermons that Rev. Feldmeir gave at his church. Yes, a United Methodist minister in largely conservative Douglas County, Colorado dared to speak to his congregation of over one thousand about social justice issues on a Sunday morning! I have only begun perusing it, but from what I have read thus far, I believe that many of us could gain a new perspective from reading the book and engaging in the exercises he offers.

In the introduction to the book, Rev. Feldmeir references a 2015 online essay by Max Harris and Philip McKibbin entitled The Politics of Love in which the authors explore a values-based politics that encourages love, rather than fear and division, as a foundation for public policy. He quotes them,

“If love involves a concern for people, then a politics of love will move this world to a better place for everyone…In such a politics, love would be woven through all our policy. Embracing a politics of love would change how we justify policy, as well as how we talk about it.”

I wish I had been aware of this essay and Rev. Feldmeir’s book prior to presenting my lesson, Living Love, this past Sunday. While my message was very much aligned with everything presented here, I would have enjoyed having these as references.

In Unity, we say that Jesus is our way shower, our example of one who realized his oneness with God and lived it. However, Unity as a movement and many Unity churches and spiritual centers have traditionally avoided discussing or getting directly involved in issues of social justice. In my way of thinking, there is a serious disconnect here.

If we truly look to Jesus as our example, it seems to me that we would not only be involved in these issues, but that we would be on the front lines taking the lead in speaking about, speaking to, and speaking up about the issues that affect our daily lives and the lives of our brothers and sisters, not only in America, but around the world.

As Rev. Feldmeir points out, Jesus was deeply committed to compassion and to the common good. He excluded no one, openly embracing the disenfranchised, discounted and disinherited. He included all people in the family of God.

Jesus also exampled and called his disciples directly and each of us indirectly through his teaching, which we in Unity profess to believe in and follow, to empty ourselves of our own attachments to privilege, power, position and prestige in all its many forms and to love and serve God through loving and serving others.

In addition, Jesus’s life is an example of one who saw God in everyone and everything. This, my friends, is one of Unity’s primary principles. If we truly believe this and strive to practice it, I do not see how we can choose not to actively address and participate in issues that directly affect the lives of so many.

Are we ready to stop saying that Jesus is our way shower and do what it takes to follow him?

As I have said, I know it is not my position to tell anyone how to vote. I would not be so presumptuous. However, I believe it is within my purview as a fellow human being to encourage us all to consider the idea of a politics of love and compassion as we cast our votes that will determine our governmental leaders and affect public policy.

It is popular opinion that the next few weeks will be challenging in the political arena as votes are tabulated and winners determined and we deal with the reactions and responses from the elected officials and the public. I encourage us all to stay grounded in love and compassion for ourselves and for each other. To refrain from critical or judgmental words. To avoid being an “echo chamber” for fear. To keep our minds stayed on Love. To speak Love. To speak up for Love. To stand up for Love.

Love is the only power that can transform and heal the world. This is the time! We are the ones!

 

 

The Song of Love

The following is a paraphrase of a story included in one of my favorite books, How Then Shall We Live, by Wayne Muller. I have not confirmed that it is factual; regardless, as with many great stories, it speaks of deep truths.

 

There is a tribe in Africa in which the birthdate of a child is not observed by the day he or she is born, but from the date the child is thought of in its mother’s heart and mind. When the mother knows that a child is to come through her, she sits under a tree in solitude in order to hear the song of the child that is to be born. She then returns to the village and teaches the song to her husband. As they come together physically to conceive the child, they sing the song as a way of inviting it. During her pregnancy, the mother teaches the song to the midwives who sing it during delivery. Throughout the child’s life, the villagers sing the child’s song to remind him/her of it. If the child falls and hurts himself, the villagers gather to comfort him by singing his song. If she does something that may be contrary to the truth of her song, they do not condemn or punish her. Rather, they surround her with love and sing her song to remind her of her truth. Finally, at the time of death, the song is sung one last time.

 

I resonate with the image of God as a great matrix of energy vibrating as the frequency of Love. I love music and enjoy singing, so I especially appreciate the imagery of each of us being God resonating as beautiful music that we can perceive and express. I enjoy thinking that, metaphorically of course, each of us is the song of Love that God sings.

God’s song is a vibrational frequency, the Source of all, which has no end and no beginning. It is before and beyond our opinions, political or religious beliefs or affiliations, nationalities, races, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, gender identities, or any other of the many and various ways we identify ourselves. God’s song is the song of creation, the song of Oneness, the song of Love.

Although we are God’s song, unlike in this African tribe, most of us are not supported and encouraged to learn and sing it. We are taught to sing the songs of our families, cultures and religions. We learn the songs that they sing for themselves and sing to us, expecting us to learn them as our own, hoping to be accepted and belong. We superimpose them upon God’s song which gets drowned out by the cacophony of the world around us. We forget the song of God that is singing us.

We often grow so accustomed to singing another’s song that we begin to believe it is ours. We identify with the roles we play, the categories society assigns us, and the beliefs we are taught. When we sing the songs of our assumed identities, we experience discord, because we are not singing God’s song. God’s song is a song of unity, love, joy and peace.

God’s song often gets transposed into a song of fear, control, power and greed. That is not our song. We are not singing God’s song if we are singing a song of separation. When so many of us have been taught to sing songs other than God’s song, we often experience dissonance when we come together. God’s song is always harmonious, never dissonant.

Unfortunately, we live in a world where most hold the mistaken belief that violence is a solution to disharmony. We engage in violence against ourselves and each other in an attempt to resolve our dissonance. While some would argue that they are not violent, I believe that we all engage in violence, albeit sometimes unconsciously.

Violence is any thought we think, belief we hold, word we speak or action we take that denies the vibrant life of God – as ourselves or another. Violence, whether mental, verbal, physical, economic, or emotional only serves to further silence God’s song that is each of us in our highest form. It is never the resolution to dissonance within ourselves or in relationship to another.

All of our “isms” are violence, including racism, sexism, nationalism, ageism, to name a few. When we engage in any of those, we are singing learned songs of our history and presumed heritage, and discord results. We have forgotten our song. In the pain of dissonance, we lash out at each other.

Because we are not taught God’s song and encouraged to sing it, we lose touch with the love, compassion and oneness it embodies. When we are not singing God’s song to each other and for each other, we get lost in the discordant energy of fear. We continue to bear witness to the results.

I was dismayed to read that in a recent YouGov survey 55% of registered voters in America expect there to be violence after the upcoming election. Another 33% were unsure.

We must intervene. Just as dissonant sounds in music create tension that must be resolved by bringing the chords into harmony, we must find resolution within ourselves. We must commit ourselves to remembering God’s song as our song. We must take time to sit and listen so that we can sense the frequency; become conscious of when we are singing out of key; and make the necessary tunings so that we are in resonance with it. We must help each other remember the song. And we must help each other learn to sing it.

Resolving the dissonance between God’s song singing as us and the song we have been singing, brings resolution to the internal conflict and helps us to connect with solutions beyond our learned and commonly adopted violent responses, both within ourselves and in our relationships with others.

In order for us to co-create our vision of a world in which God’s song is freely and openly sung by all, we must remember it, learn it and sing it. And, we must encourage each other to do the same. This requires our willingness to engage in conscious self-connection. It also requires our willingness to have meaningful, conscious and loving connection with others.

Listening for, remembering and singing God’s song begins with our decision to do it. I suggest we begin with the affirmations: 

I hear God’s song of Love.

I learn God’s song of Love.

I sing God’s song of Love. 

These affirmations state a clear intention to align our vibrational frequency with the frequency of Love and Oneness.

Devoting time in the silence is necessary for us to hear God’s song. I recommend at least 15 minutes a day in meditation with the specific intention to listen. Begin with deep breathing, and focus your awareness at the center of your torso, the solar plexus area. Breathe into that area and consciously invite the awareness of God’s song. Release any attachment to “hearing” a melody, we are speaking metaphorically, and simply be open to the experience.

Honest self-connection is essential. It is important for us to be aware of the dissonance between the song we were taught to sing and God’s song that is singing as us. We must be willing to question every belief and release those that are not in harmony.

While it requires commitment and conscious attention, it is not difficult. Just as dissonant musical chords create tension, so do conflicting thoughts and beliefs. At the first sign of tension, which can manifest as mild anxiety or agitation, stop and become aware of the song you are singing. Invite God’s song to sing through you instead, and notice the tension ease. Moment by moment, we can consciously choose to align ourselves in the frequency of God’s song of Love.

As we begin to sing God’s song out loud, we encourage others to do the same. We remind them of their song, and invite them to sign along with us. It is my hope that we can learn from the story of the African tribe. Let us gather together to sing the song of Love.

Let us renounce violence as a means of restoring harmony. Let us cease engaging in the strategy of punishment, and instead remind each other of God’s song. Let us, together, manifest the Kingdom of God on the Earth joining together in a chorus of love, kindness, compassion and understanding.

The world is waiting for someone to lead the way. Will it be you?

 

Be The Change

“Be the change you wish to see in the world.”

While there is some debate about whether he said those exact words, the quote above is most often attributed to Mohandas Gandhi, the leader of the nonviolent resistance movement that helped India gain independence from Britain. Regardless of the origin of the quote, it is a powerful axiom for us to take to heart and live.

What is the change you wish to see in the world? I know that most of us have a veritable laundry list of changes we would like to see. While that is true for me, I realize that many of the changes I wish to see in the world are rooted in one foundational change in human consciousness which will affect a positive change in how we relate with each other. This change begins with our commitment to practice empathy and compassion for ourselves and for each other.

Regrettably, our culture has not modeled either. As children, we are not taught empathy. Our parents were not taught empathy. Our teachers were not taught empathy. Our spiritual leaders were not taught empathy. It is no wonder that we did not learn how to practice empathy for others or ourselves. On the contrary, we were told to “suck it up,” “get over it,” “don’t cry or I’ll give you something to cry about,” and we were educated about the impropriety of expressing anger, pain, or even sadness in “polite company.” We learned to not only suppress our feelings, but also to deny them.

As we learned to not have empathy and compassion for ourselves, we learned to not have it for others. We often have sympathy for others, especially when they are hurting or sad. We feel for them; we may even join them in their pain because it can often stimulate our suppressed pain, but that is not empathy. Empathy invites us into a deeper connection with ourselves and others.

Empathy for self begins with an intention to acknowledge, name our feelings, and feel them. Yes, even the ones that we would most like to avoid, such as anger, pain, and shame. Further, empathy asks us to go beneath the feeling to connect with the deeply held value or longing that is related to the feeling.

For example, in this moment I am feeling concerned when I think about the divisiveness surrounding the upcoming election. I can breathe into the feeling, feel where it resides in my body, and inquire about what I am longing for but not witnessing. As I connect with myself, I know that I value harmony, unity, and kindness. From my perspective, the outer does not reflect those deeply held values. I take time to honor those values and make a commitment to myself to embody them more fully in my thoughts, words, and actions.

Empathy for others works in much the same way. I cannot know what another is feeling or what they value unless they are willing and available to share with me; however, I can, when I am centered and connected in empathy and compassion for myself, open my heart and become curious.

For example, when one has a flushed face, is speaking at a volume louder than would normally be spoken, and interrupting another in a conversation, I might guess that he or she is feeling afraid. In the face of fear, fighting is one of the normal human reactions. As I connect with fear, I realize that it often arises when we believe that our need for safety and security are being threatened. I know that I have felt that at times as well. In that connection with our shared humanity, I can give myself empathy and compassion for the feelings that the fearful behavior has stimulated for me and I can extend compassion to the other.

This is in no way meant to imply that we need to agree with another, condone their behavior, or support their agenda. As Oren Jay Sofer, author of Say What You Mean, said during a webinar that Unity Spiritual Center Denver co-sponsored in June,

“I can use all of my life energy to try to prevent you from doing the things I do not agree with, but that does not mean that I have to close my heart to you.”

Empathy and compassion are expressions of an open heart.

When our hearts are open to each other, we connect beyond any labels that we assign to ourselves or to others. In the heart of empathy and compassion there is no race, no gender, no political party, no sexual orientation, no religion, no gender identity, no nationality, no socio-economic status. There is nothing but oneness. When we can recognize the value and worth of each human being and connect with our shared humanity, we will begin to manifest a world in which we do our best to meet basic needs of all people, celebrate our differences, and show respect and care for the Earth and our environment. We will truly know and express the meaning of the word Unity.

I know that it is up to me to “Be the change I wish to see in the world.” If I want to see a world that embodies empathy and compassion, I must embody empathy and compassion - even, and maybe especially when I do not feel like it. I must set a clear intention and make a sincere commitment to practice empathy and compassion for myself and for all others, especially for those with whom I disagree the strongest.

I invite us all to take time to consider what change we wish to see in the world and to make the commitment to ourselves and to the world. BE IT!