In With the New

2011: What inexplicable joys it brought, hidden like gems encased in worry and doubt.

2011: A year that kept our humanity in check, helped us aide and abet those we love, and filled it with beautiful music. A year of quiet gifting and blessings, and an opportunity to practice what we preach.

2011: We ran from it fruitlessly, and then listened hard to the message. Game changing issues arose which will surely take us to new ground. We wonder if we will adapt.  But I know we will.

We sat on New Years Eve in a theatre watching a musical revue of The Beatles by a group called RAIN. We swayed in time to the music, peace signs high in the air, and collectively sang Give Peace a Chance and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band word for word.  In a sold-out house, we owned those tumultuous decades of drugs and war, bigotry and hate, when civilized protests ended in bloody violence. Those arms linked around each other on the TV used to be ours, being pepper sprayed ... and worse.

We had a startlingly loud voice during those sit ins and occupation days of the 60s and 70s. We believed in a gentler way in a world of chaos and forced our vision into the world. Most of the country did not understand or agree.

And so 2011 is most remarkable for its young people worldwide who found a voice and a willingness to stand up for it. It is the process of taking the helm that's important. The winds of change are palpatable. Sharing their perspective is secondary to how significant it is to see their passion and investment in the future emerge.

God Speed.