I am not a radical thinker. Hell, I’m not even an original thinker. I like to think of myself as a collective thinker. I gather notions and stories and ponder them. I sift through opinions and sort values and arrange them into a pattern that suits me. I keep the good stuff and discard judgment. I am always evolving. I believe in honesty, forgiveness and love. I also believe I’m human and can only try my best to be all the good things I aspire to be.
I’m not a church-ie person, I don’t profess to share the ideals of a particular religion, but I do have faith. I believe in a higher power, something greater than myself. I believe this higher power is a force around me and within me. I call this force the universe.
I put my faith in the universe but I do not think everything happens for a reason – there is too much devastation and grief in the world to try to find reasons for it all. I don’t put my fate into the hands of the universe, I lean into it for strength. I look for wisdom and believe in angels, spirits that walk among us, and I feel a quiet guidance if I listen closely enough.
I think people are basically good and mostly try to do their best, myself included, but none of us are perfect. I believe religions are based on good intentions but they’re not the final word, its actually us who have the last word. What we do with our beliefs is the final word and becomes our lasting impression.
I love the spirit of Christmas. I love the generosity of the season. I love that people gather to share a meal and celebrate the connection of family in whatever form it takes. I love that all of this is based on the notion of a gift. A gift in the form of a baby – a baby sent to earth with the potential to change the world with honesty, forgiveness and love. Because I believe that’s what the universe gives to each and every one of us, potential. Potential to change the world with honesty, forgiveness and love.