To Invite Peacefulness

TO SIMPLIFY IS TO INVITE PEACEFULNESS.

~Day 6, 64 Daily Practices

Of Note: The Season for Nonviolence is upon us. Literally. There is no better time than in the dead of winter to join the Greater Dallas Task Force on Nonviolence in their 64 Daily Practices available at www.64-days.org. In just over six pages, the group lists 64 ideas for change, beginning with the suggestion that "nonviolence begins with learning how to be less violent and more compassionate with ourselves. We learn by building the courage to speak and act with respect, honor and reverence for our own being." It goes on from there quoting such luminaries as Eleanor Roosevelt who urges the reader to do the impossible, Thich Nhat Hanh who suggest smiling everyday and Wayne Dyer who mentions how our beliefs have an effect on our daily lives. And this is just week one! Weeks Two through Ten get better and better and end with Margaret Meads unforgettable words: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." Indeed.

Today's Weather Report: Subzero temperatures Fahrenheit greeted the puppies and I when we got up this morning. I took the early morning shift and let Jim sleep in. The sun warmed the air later in the day, but at first even the dogs wanted none of it. My brother, Mark, took the photo above at his new investment house in the Dakotas. This was the park across the street. The scene looked awfully familiar to me, but coming from Houston, he probably thought it looked surreal. My photographer sister, Marie, first believed that he had taken this and several other pictures in black and white but noticed in one shot an American flag. The monochromatic landscape this time of year leads many of us to hole-up in the house where color and warmth abound.