All I want for Christmas …

It’s Christmas Eve.  I’ve had a really big day.  I’m now alone in the home and it should be quiet but it’s not.  The neighbours are having a pool party.  I usually enjoy their playlist that drifts over the fence, but not tonight.  They are singing loudly.  Off key.

It’s that time of year when the birth of Christ is celebrated.  The concept of ‘organised religion’ is something I’ve drifted away from but will return to one day.  In the meantime I cannot resist walking into a church where ever I am as a visitor.  One such visit was deliberate and well planned in advance.  On the way to Koojaman (Cape Leveque), some 200 km north of Broome, is the small community of Beagle Bay.  The church is the attraction (some may also say distraction).  The history is troubling.  Built in 1890 the Trappist monks tried to convert the indigenous population in the region to Christianity.  The tragic aftermath of this thinking reverberates to date.The church itself is austere from the outside.  The architecture is Bavarian, stark white in the fierce sun.Inside it is resplendent in mother of pearl that is evident everywhere.

It is impossible to ignore news headlines these days.  The train wreck is visible no matter where one looks.  The reach of chaos is long.  What happens elsewhere in the world, impacts us here as well.  So I pray like a beauty queen.  I pray for world peace.  I’m convinced the commission of change does not lie with politicians, fanatical ideology, TV hosts or social media.  My belief is underscored by what I know professionally.  Like a ripple in a pond that is generated in the centre, change starts from within.  The most important and effective dialogue is the one we have in our head.  If we think differently, we behave differently and it transforms us, and our world.

This past year I have been energized by a fulfilled life of conscious living.  I have experienced joy, as it was intended.  It has been an interesting journey and I thank you for being part of it.

My wish is for you and your loved ones at this time of celebration and new beginnings, is to stay safe, care for each other, and care for the environment.  Above all, may you always be surrounded by the love and laughter of family and friends.

As for me, … I’ll be somewhere on a beach, waiting for sunset.

Merry Christmas and may you dream big in the coming year.

Until next time

As always

a dawn bird