Quote of the Day

Imagine all the people living life in peace You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. I hope someday you'll join us, and the world will live as one. — John Lennon

It begins with me

Celebrate

Quote of the Day

"In order to have friendship you must look past the color to the soul, because within the soul lies a rainbow of many colors." anonymous

Peace Talk

God is whatever color He needs to be in order to let people know that they ARE somebody and worth something because they were created in God's own image. Genesis 1:26-27.

It Begins With Me

I am a mentor at the uniiversity I recently graduated from. L, my newest mentee, is a delightful African American woman who is deeply devoted to God and who is pursuing a degree in psychology. We were meeting for the first time, sharing our backgrounds, goals, and setting the tone for our new relationship. L shared that she plans to utilize both her spirituality and her education in order to bring peace into the lives of other people. As our conversation progressed, L stopped and apologized to me for mentioning the color of the people she was sharing. L shared with me that she grew up in a home that was prejudice against everyone, people of her own race as well. She explained that God does not see color, and that she needs to work harder at putting those old ways of thinking behind her. I exclaimed that we need to celebrate all of the colors of people in our world, and our conversation continued. However, her apology stuck with me...and later as I was driving home, I thought...God does see color, for goodness sakes, He created color, and He loves all creation. I kept thinking that we all accept and marvel at the colors of the rainbow, we sit in awe, basking in the colors of the sunset, we are mezmerized by the colors of the ocean, we are energized by colors of the fall leaves, and the colors in a bouquet of flowers. We exclaim, Let’s Get Color; in our homes, our cars, and our clothes. We find meaning in color – cool colors, warm colors, pastel and bright colors. God created powerful colors, vibrant colors, colors for serenity, purity, and peace.
Yes, God indeed does see color, He created color. He created color to soothe us, energize us, entertain us, motivate us, calm us, protect and heal us. God created color and we must celebrate all creation.

Quote of the Day

"I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something I can do." Edward Everett Hale

Peace Talk

I have spent the first half of my life preparing for what I might actually accomplish in the second half of my life. Raising a family, pursuing an education in Family and Human Development and Psychology, leading young girls, junior high youth, and women's groups, mentoring mid life students, training as a professional life coach. I have held roles in both large corporations and small local businesses. I have owned and co-owned manufacturing and service oriented businesses. Even now as I build a successful coaching practice, it is on my heart to do more. I find that many of my clients, while leading seemingly successful lives, are not at peace with themselves. Inner Peace seems to be elusive. Our Western culture is at odds with our human values. The Peace Journal is meant to begin a personal conversation about how we as individuals might begin to operate in a more peaceful state. How many times have you thought about having more peace in your life, about world peace, about inner peace? Peace on a global scale begins at the micro level. It begins with Inner Peace. The big powers that be, go about wreaking havoc in the world because we, as individuals, by and large, do nothing. There is an old saying, "Evil prevails when good men (and women) do nothing." This is my attempt, albeit a small one, to do something. I invite you to join me in this exploration of peace...in all it forms and possibilities. Namaste, Peace, Shalom, Janet

It Begins With Me

Peace...it begins with me, and ripples out as a pebble tossed into a body of water. Some months ago I started praying for peace in our world, for the safety of our soldiers, for wisdom, compassion, and strength for our leaders. I've prayed for an end to the wars around the world, an end to the violence, oppression, and genocide that plagues our planet. I've felt helpless and small as though, I, one person, could not make a difference. My phone calls and letters to congressmen would fall on deaf ears. The machine is too large for me alone. I do not have the clout of celebrities and politicians. And so I've prayed. That is all I've been doing...until today. Today, I asked God what it is that I could do. How might He use me as an instrument of peace in His world? I did not realize that as I began to pray, He began to prepare me for this one seemingly small step...this simple blog...This Peace Journal.

Peace...it begins with you, and ripples out as a pebble tossed into a body of water.