There is no way of knowing what this next year and the next decade will bring. There will be amazing medical advances. We will be able to communicate in ways we have never dreamed. Literacy and clean water are being brought to places never imagined not that long ago. So many amazing advances in the world. And, we also hold in tension the very real threat to our republic, our planet and those traditionally on the margins.
So, in the earliest days of this new year, as we face progress, extraordinary threat and considerable uncertainty, I pledge to:
- Not stand idly by while my Jewish or other traditionally marginalized siblings are threatened.
- Continue to support the awareness and dismantling of the systems of white supremacy in which we swim and that threaten us all.
- Look for and hopefully find the divinity in those with whom I agree and disagree.
- Seek beauty.
- Find joy.
- Practice gratitude.
- Express love.
- Reflect more.
- Reach out.
- Walk toward trouble.
- Examine my certainties.
- Practice opening both my mind and heart.
- Ask myself more often: “What would Mr. Rogers do or say?”
- Work feverishly to help make this a better world knowing that I can only do what I can do, and that I must do it deeply connected to others and that I will also need to step out and step aside regularly to stay healthy and functional.
And finally, in the words of Rev. Mary Harrington – as the spiritual practice it has become – I will continue to ask “What is the most loving thing I can do right now?”
Happy New Year to you all and blessings of love and meaning in your lives as we travel this path together.
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