Last night when I got home a storm rolled in. I listened to Mother Nature's voice as the winds howled and the thunder boomed. Looking outside this morning, even with the hail, there was no damage visible from the storm. And yet earlier in the day yesterday with just some strong wind and sunny skies, two of our trees had fallen.
It isn't the boom of thunder that hurts. It is the elements that cause the boom. And this is true with hate as well. While the boom can definitely be painful, it is the underlying root cause of hate that is the most damaging.
Today is National Be Heard Day. It is my sincere wish that everyone feels their voice is heard today and every day. But with all the political heat from Trumps election still in the air and all over our media, perhaps being heard is not the end all. Rather I would like to propose using our voices for love.
We cannot fight hate with hate. It does not solve anything. And the battle is not won by the person yelling the loudest. Instead, perhaps, we could use our voices to spread joy. We have the option to focus and speak about the world we want to create and the dreams we want to see come true. We have the option to be heard giving praise, saying thank you, and living the life of peace.
I'm grateful for National Be Heard Day. I'm grateful for a lifetime of working to find my voice. And I'm grateful to do my best to let my voice reflect positive messages. I'm grateful for the reminder that storms can be weathered. I'm grateful for the Maya Angelou quote that I saw yesterday that gave me pause. I'm grateful to know there is so much love in this world. And I'm grateful to embrace it, focus on it, and spread this love as far as I can reach.
How will you respond today? What words will you choose to speak and what message will you allow to be heard?
May today remind us that we have the power to give love. May we see each other through the eyes of love and speak words of encouragement. Have a beautiful day!