It is hard to believe that yet another year is winding down. We are bundling up, putting on our rain boots, and carrying our bumbershoots. We draw inwards, we are more still, we gather the warmth around us and we wait for the rebirth of the sun. It is not coincidence that this is the time we, as a nation, communally reflect on all we can and should be thankful for. It is also a time to remember those who need our assistance to find comfort.
Maybe it is the cold, or the shorter days and darker nights. Maybe it is the end of harvest and brightness of summer. Whatever causes this moment of collective awareness of gratitude and the unanswered needs of others, it has the potential of releasing grief, uplifting spirits, and shared grace; if only for a moment.
We don’t need to change a life forever… sometimes offering a moment of ease and understanding will provide peace and comfort; a delicious warm meal, a mug of hot cider, camaraderie that lets us know that we are not on this planet alone and not expected to do it all ourselves. We, after all, each of us, only have this moment to make a difference. Each of our moments adds up to a lifetime. Some of our lifetimes are long and some are rather short, but the potential of greatness in humanitarian behaviors do not rely on the amount of time each of us is given on this earth plane. It relies on the depth of our love and compassion. Life insists that we break our hearts wide open, so that we, each of us, can be givers of grace. It is why we are here, yet so often, what we forget. Not because we are non compos mentis, but because we are so utterly human. Sometimes the little messages simply pass us by.
Let us pay attention in this season of repose, to the potential of our own greatness of generosity, ability to forgive, and capacity for being love in action. Let us recognize our sameness’s and honor our differences without judgment, prejudice, or lofty apathy. As the song goes, “let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me”.