Hello! to all my friends on the World Wide Web. Connecticut, USA, is a lot cooler today than the last time I posted. Halloween has come and gone. On the trail by the brook yellow and red maple leaves lie on the ground while burnished oak leaves gleam in the afternoon sun, their turn to shine. To everything its season.
From our different cultures we approach the holiday season, preparing for Thanksgiving in the US. Most of us know now that the first Thanksgiving was created in the 1870s. (If you doubt this, see Lies My Teacher Told Me by James Loewen.) Yet, for many, the tradition of sitting down to a special meal among family and friends has gathered a meaning and warmth all its own. We don’t need it to have been factual in origin. A few of us are even willing to admit that our ancestors weren’t nearly as nice about moving to these shores as the writers of grade school text books wanted us to think.
One of the hardest lessons I have had to learn is that my own forebears committed crimes against humanity when they settled New England. It was not a peaceful migration. Perhaps that is why peace is still so hard to achieve. And why I’m dedicated to promoting world peace.
After Thanksgiving, families begin to prepare for Hanukah, for Kwanza, for Christmas, and sometimes Ramadan, depending on the year. We become more prayerful than ever for peace across the planet. And now, with internet communication, peace is possible. That is why I’m offering you a chance not only to enjoy the holidays and pray for peace, but to do activities that create peace and safety in your own families and neighborhoods.
We seem to have brought forward into present day life many of the less than satisfying behaviors of past generations. If you are part of a family where a holiday gathering can become tense, argumentative, or rowdy, if you worry about how you and others will behave during visiting, consider how you will speak and listen to others. Because I know busy people don’t have time to look for the resources they need, I’ve been trolling the internet for you. Here are some treasures:
1) An inexpensive course in simple communication to get you started on a peaceful holiday season.
2) For parents dedicated to raising happy free children, here is the Happy Free Children, Teachers and Parents Resource Kit, helps the children you nurture honor their innate wisdom and respect those they live amongst as well as their planet home.
3) One way to promote peace in the family is to keep children busy with projects they enjoy. Here are some suggestions I found for you on Little Kid Crafts.
4) And an exciting resource on arts and crafts for grownups,
5) Beyond the holidays, and by beyond, I mean transcendent in its appeal, Michael Harvey has put together some information we can really use. This is for anyone who wants to go easy on planetary resources and save mega-money on electric bills. His mission: To educate communities and individuals on how to live a more comfortable, cost effective, and pro-planet lifestyle. Learn how to build your own inexpensive solar panels and wind mills. See in these pages how to build a more efficient life, one that is kind to the planet and to your pocketbook.
It’s clear to see why this last one would promote peace by helping us consume less and give back more. Happy Holidays to All. Trish, also know as Swamp Walking Woman
Ps. Send me your email and I'll send you a fr_ee gift. triciajean1@yahoo.com
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