January 2021

"Let us turn our thoughts today to Martin Luther King 
and recognize that there are ties between us, all men and women living on the Earth. 
Ties of hope and love, sister and brotherhood, that we are bound together 
in our desire to see the world become a place in which our children can grow free and strong. 
We are bound together by the task that stands before us and the road that lies ahead. 
We are bound and we are bound.”   
James Taylor    Shed a Little Light 

And so it goes that this year, Martin Luther King Jr’s honoring day is proximate to the inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. 
Our prayers reach into the air so they can spread far and wide and somehow take in all humanity, all living beings. 
There is an urgency to call these prayers wide and deep, to bring our hearts to their highest nature. 
We must believe. Those of us living in the US. We must believe it is a blessing to start again with goals of equality and justice in all things. 
And this goal goes out beyond borders. 
This prayer reaches to the children and refugees seeking new life. 
To all the countries of all the continents on earth. 
To the land herself who needs our care. 
To the original people of all lands who need recognition, support and honoring. 
I wonder how we will manage this? 
Can we possibly change direction and look to one another, the animals, the stars for wisdom? 

Let the clouds lift so we see just where we are. 
Face it. Change it for the better.  
Protect the children and the earth. 
Extend kindness without being asked, by surprise, generously. 
Talk to the elements. 
And the animals. 
I can hear the Trade winds outside.  
I am listening. 
Feeling small, private, gratefully a part of everything alive. 
Breathing.