Get Ready for International Peace Day!
Peace. What a lovely concept. What an elusive dream. The
idea of peace seems so unrealistic, so out of our reach, especially when we
think about it in world-wide dimensions.
What if peace could be attainable, right here, right now,
in real and tangible ways? What if small, individual contributions could make a
significant difference in the world?
These are the kinds of questions running through the minds
of the people who initiated International Peace Day, which is celebrated on
September 21
Most of my readers are not aware that the creation of
www.blended-families.com and the StepHeroesTM newsletter came out
of heartfelt prayer about what I could personally do to encourage peace on the
planet after the atrocities of September 11, 2001.
As one person, I did not at first believe that there was
much, if anything, that I could do to make a difference in the world. As I
continued to meditate on this question, I began to notice the peaceful
interactions in my family, and remembered that this was not always so. I also
noticed how when conflicts did arise, as they so often do in blended families,
that we seemed to effortlessly move through the anger and get to the heart of
the matter - the pain and fear underneath. Where there had once been "looks
that could kill" and slamming doors, and storming teenagers, we found that we
had a home that was loving, respectful, understanding, and unified in our
collective goal of harmony in our relationships. I realized that we, as a
family, had achieved peace in what had been a war-zone in our own home. And
when the inevitable "emotional landmines" were triggered, we had the tools to
quickly and easily defuse them and get back to a place of connection and
harmony.
I also saw the same results in the families that
participated in our monthly couples' group, and in the lives of the foster and
adoptive families that I was working with at the time.
I began to write about my observations and the tools we
used as a family to get to where we were, while relating stories of where we had
been. I called my newsletter "StepHeroesTM" because, in my thinking,
anyone who chooses to be a stepparent is a true hero. Heroes are people who
take action with courage and determination, even against the odds. So, at the
end of each article was an action step that could be put into practice that day,
and that would bring more peace and connection into the home.
I found that other step and blended families enjoyed these
articles and wanted to learn more. In my own way, I began to touch the lives of
hundreds, and then thousands of people who also sought to have more peace and
harmony in their families, in their homes. It only takes a pebble to start an
abundance of ripples that don't stop until they reach the shore. It doesn't
take a massive boulder, or a truck load of pebbles - just one. The power of
one.
With all the overwhelming world issues that confront us
every day on the news and in our lives, it can be hard to believe that we can
make a difference and that what we say or do really matters. I can - continued below ...
