Rev. Michelle's Message January 5, 2023
First off, I want to wish everyone a very Happy New Year! The beginning of a New Year is a wonderful time for us to release what no longer serves us and embrace who and what we are being called to become. There is nothing particularly special about a New Year except for the meaning that we give it. But I find that I am especially motivated around this time to make a fresh start and implement some healthy changes/improvements in my life. Maybe you are feeling some of that same energy around the New Year. This can be a very powerful time for us to evaluate our lives, taking stock and assessing what is working and what is not working, what we’d like to add and what we’d like to let go of. We may find that we are motivated to craft some goals or aspirations for the New Year, or we may feel compelled to get organized or tackle projects we’ve been meaning to get to. We may want to start some new, healthier habits such as eating more veggies, getting more rest, or exercising more, or perhaps we are yearning to deepen our prayer life and our commitment to our spiritual path. Rather than “resolutions,” which somehow seem to be really easy to break, I invite you to think of these things as intentions. Setting intentions for making positive change in our lives can be a very powerful process. It’s important, however, that we not set ourselves up for failure. This is not about doing things perfectly. Therefore, if we “mess up,” we don’t have to throw in the towel….we can simply embrace our humanness, reaffirm our intention, and begin again. In fact, we can begin again as many times as we need/want to. I recently purchased a special journal/planner that I believe is going to help me go through a process of self-evaluation, looking at my dreams and plans and goals for the next year as well as the coming years, and then looking at how I can break down those goals into manageable parts. This is a way of setting myself up for success rather than failure by dreaming big but also keeping goals realistic and doable. I’m really looking forward to the process….I’ll let you know how it goes! I encourage you to embrace this time at the beginning of the New Year when everything feels fresh and we naturally feel inspired to make positive, life-affirming changes. This Sunday, we will be doing the White Stone Ceremony. If you missed the Burning Bowl ritual, you might want to go back and watch it in order to prepare for the white stone process. I look forward to embracing the hope and energy of this beautiful New Year together with all of you! Many Blessings, Rev. Michelle
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