I asked myself – what can you do in the face of this enormous and monumental time in history? How can you be an instrument of peace, of unity and hope?

The answer came back simply and with little to no fanfare – Honor thy Father and Mother

Again, this can mean many things to many people, but to me it meant honor their sacrifice, their struggles to overcome, their faith in God, in their fellow man and in humankind’s ability to adapt, educate and evolve. Honor the belief that the pen is mightier than the sword, that empathy is a powerful force and love really is all we need, because with love is the treasure chest, the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow and it’s filled with empathy, understanding, grace, forgiveness and acceptance. What more could a soul need to survive?  

A mission. A reason to get out of bed, a reason to endure the hardships and grit and bear it through the pain. A belief that there is a role, a part to play in this epic saga unfolding here on Earth. The gods may be laughing or crying, but one thing is true; we all have a part to play and we can run from it, deny it and try to numb ourselves to the inevitable truth or embrace it, rise to the challenge and bring our very best.

I’m not speaking of political parties, or religious groups or activists or radicals or extremists; I’m speaking of human beings, one and all. 

I will honor my Father and Mother and those who have been like parents to me, provided me with a safe place when I needed sanctuary, gave me (and still do) unconditional love, belief that I am worthy of that love and that I have already made a difference in my own way to those I have known, loved and even those I found difficult to love and found me equally difficult to love, but we found a peaceful place to meet and learned much from each other.