Faith to take that step

New Year's Day: The seventh day of Kwanzaa
We greet this New Year with Kwanzaa's call for Imani--faith. Faith in ourselves. Faith in a higher purpose. In the eternal, immutable intrinsic worth of each human being, and the ultimate triumph of those who persist in pursing their vision. The Kwanzaa journey is a path of renewal, rededication, and forward-looking toward a better tomorrow. May it be so for all of us!

IMAGES: Many thanks to Jeffrey St. Clair via LinkedIn's SlideShare, for the nicely designed symbol image and "seven principles" slide, to Develop Good Habits, via Pinterest, for the Martin Luther King, Jr. quote, and to Oprah, Quote of the Day via Pinterest, for the Maya Angelou quote.

Creative healing

The sixth day of Kwanzaa
This one is especially near to my heart: the principle of Kuumba, creativity! The only way to build a vibrant community is through the creative devotion of the people within it.

Just as the arts can help revive a dying neighborhood, so can the application of creative energy build positive bridges of hope, where before there were only walls of separation. Our whole country desperately needs this kind of creative healing.

What better, more hopeful task can we set ourselves upon than that, this New Year's Eve?

IMAGES: Many thanks to Jeffrey St. Clair via LinkedIn's SlideShare, for the nicely designed symbol image and "seven principles" slide, to the Pinterest board of Students at the Center Hub for the Mae C. Jemison quote, and to SororitySugar's Tumblr (tagged Gamma-Sigma-Sigma) via Pinterest, for the Mitch Albom quote.

Empowerment

The fifth day of Kwanzaa
Here in the United States today, we continue to re-fight battles that should long ago have been won, while a hundred small and large disadvantages assail African-Americans at every encounter, continually.

All Americans stand to gain, if only we can keep working together for the goal of realizing the dream of true equality. It is only when all of us are empowered to reach our full potential that we will truly reach greatness.

IMAGES: Many thanks to Jeffrey St. Clair via LinkedIn's SlideShare, for the nicely designed symbol image and "seven principles" slide, to Kathryn Drumright Sr's Pinterest board for the Harriet Tubman quote, and to Goalcast, for the Martin Luther King, Jr. quote.

Investing wisely

Fourth day of Kwanzaa
Part of working together to support our community is working within the community. Support local institutions, locally-owned small businesses, locally-based arts and community initiatives. If we want a strong, vibrant community, we must invest in it!

IMAGES: Many thanks to Jeffrey St. Clair via LinkedIn's SlideShare, for the nicely designed symbol image and "seven principles" slide, to MyThirtyOne via Pinterest, for the "support a dream" quote, and to ThreeOwlPolyLove on Pinterest, for the Mother Teresa quote.

Working together

Third Day of Kwanzaa
Once we're strong within ourselves, it's time to work together for the good of our community and each other. Oh, how our nation and our world needs more of this value!

IMAGES: Many thanks to Jeffrey St. Clair via LinkedIn's SlideShare, for the nicely designed symbol image and "seven principles" slide, and to BrainyQuote, for both the Sam Walton quote and the one from Bob Dylan.

Self-determination

Second Day of Kwanzaa
"To be responsible for ourselves and create our own destiny." It's a worthy goal for us all.

IMAGE: Many thanks to Jeffrey St. Clair via LinkedIn's SlideShare, for the nicely designed symbol image and "seven principles" slide, to "Quotations I like" for the Carl Jung quote, and to QuoteFancy for the Epicurus quote. 

Recovery, Happy first-day-of-Kwanzaa, and don't forget Boxing Day!

And just like that, it's over. Except for the digging out . . . and except that for some of us, it's NOT over.

Happy Kwanzaa!
If you celebrate Kwanzaa, of course, the holiday has only just begun! Today is the day to especially celebrate Umoja, or Unity--something we all could use a good deal more of, in my home country of the United States.

At the basis of unity is shared respect and--yes--love.

And Boxing Day!
Don't forget today is ALSO Boxing Day in much of the English-speaking world! This year, more than ever, it might be a great moment to consider a large, charitable donation.

IMAGES: Many thanks to Brian Gordon and his Fowl Language cartoons, for today's grin, to Jeffrey St. Clair via LinkedIn and SlideShare for the beautiful Umoja Unity design, and to the Tumblr of Adam Hernandez AKA "Slim Baby!" (via Pinterest), with thanks to TinEye Reverse Image Search, for the Cornel West quote and image.

Preparing: are you?

We all have our own way of confronting (or trying to hide from) the Holidays. 

It's not ONLY Christmas, of course--although both secular and sacred Christmas imagery and messaging seem to be everywhere in my Kansas City environment. From Festivus to Kwanzaa, from Hanukkah to  Winter Solstice celebrations to Yule, there seems to be a holiday for everybody at this time of year.

Whatever holidays you celebrate, how's it going? We're at the mid-point of December. Are you ready?

Perhaps you're one of those organized, super-prepared people, who've been buying a building stockpile of presents since last January. You already have you holiday greeting cards in the mail (or your e-cards pre-loaded to send at just the perfect moment).

Perhaps you're in the thick of it now--still working on the gift list, still considering your plans. Partway there--getting there--but not done yet. That's about where I am: working on it. If you're still looking for creative gift-wrapping ideas, you may find some of my last-December Image-of-Interest posts helpful.

Or maybe you prefer to live dangerously, and save your shopping/decorating/cooking for the last possible second. Good luck, and may the Creative Force be with you, all you last-minute thrill-seekers!

No matter how you celebrate--and no matter which, if any, holidays you celebrate--I hope you find some merriment along the way!

IMAGES: Many thanks to the Explore December Holidays Pinterest Board, for the "paper dolls" image, and the talented and creative Debbi Ridpath Ohi, via The Office, and John Atkinson, via Wrong Hands, for their humorous holiday images.

How can we be both generous and wise?

The Artdog Quote of the Week

Today is not only Kwanzaa, but also Boxing Day in much of the English-speaking world. No, contrary to some of the stories I've heard, Boxing Day isn't called that because we bundle all our unwanted gifts back into their boxes and return them to the stores that day.

The name of the holiday comes from the alms boxes or the poor boxes that churches have put out over the centuries, to collect aid for the poor. In other words, the holiday seeks to honor and promote the tradition of charitable giving during the holidays.

Maybe you have some newly-received "Christmas money" fattening your pocketbook and would like to share some of it, or maybe you are seeking a nice tax deduction before the end of the year. Maybe you simply have the altruistic generosity of love for others overflowing in your heart (wouldn't that be lovely?).

Whatever your motivation, today is a traditional day for charitable giving. If that's your aim, then God bless you!

If you are in the habit of giving, you probably have your list of favorites already. Mine include our local animal shelter, the Great Plains SPCA, my church, Harvesters, The Nature Conservancy, the ASPCA, the Southern Poverty Law Center, K9s4Cops, and Wikipedia. I'd give more to the many deserving others in operation, but as I noted last week, all of us mortals are finite beings with finite resources. If I may disagree slightly with Anne Frank above, it is possible to impoverish yourself from giving, although the intrinsic benefits are many.

I hope you have your own list! But wherever you give, may I also suggest that you run it past The Charity Navigator (another excellent candidate for receiving donations, by the way), for a dose of clarity and realism before you invest too deeply? Unfortunately, wherever generous people seek to help others with their gifts, there also are unscrupulous people who seek only to enrich themselves in the name of "charity." The Charity Navigator helps us to be both generous and wise. 

Happy Boxing Day!

IMAGES: Many thanks to Inspired by Familia, by Mari Hernandez-Tuten, for the Anne Frank quote image. Her article includes some perceptive insights you also might find interesting. Many thanks to Period Oak Antiques for the photo of an alms box from about 1450; there are more views of it on the website. We now have more efficient ways to give, though no less need. The Charity Navigator logo is from the organization's website.