Holiday Lights!

Greetings! ThresholdWorld Fam,

I love how Hanukkah (which means dedication in Hebrew) is celebrated with eight nights of reciting blessings and lighting the menorah. Then about two weeks later the action of giving is celebrated with multicolored lights, decor, the birth the Jesus Christ and the message of love as a light to the world. The very day after is Kwanzaa. An African American and Pan African holiday celebrating family, community and culture. The Seven Principals, Nguzo Saba are celebrated by lighting a candle each day which has a specific meaning.

Hanukkah Pic: Modern_Ritual

Below is an excerpt from Dr. Maulanga Karenga, Founder of Kwanzaa. The message this year is Reimagining and Remaking the World: A Kwanzaa Commitment to an Inclusive Good.

"And Kwanzaa is a celebration of freedom, of the free space we have created to honor ourselves, to remember, reflect and recommit ourselves. It is a celebration of hearts and minds free from self-doubt, self-denial, self-condemnation and self-mutilation, and open to experiencing and embracing a liberated and uplifted spirit of specialness, rooted in and raised up by the shared and sacred good of being African in and for the world. In the liberation struggle of the 60s, we dared to imagine with Frantz Fanon the face of the future, the possibilities and promise of a new history of humankind, a new world and new men and women to conceive and construct that world. And these new women and men who would reimagine and remake the world, we maintained, would be rooted in values that represent the best of what it means to be both African and human in the fullest sense." Read the entire message here.

Christmas Pic: Star of Bethlehem

Tonight the first principle of Kwanzaa is Umoja. "The principle of Umoja (Unity) calls for a cultivated sense of relatedness and mutual respect, of togetherness in the work and struggle for a shared and inclusive good in our families, communities, society and the world, and for a sense of

oneness and responsibility for each other’s good and the well-being of the world.

Kwanzaa Pic: www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org

Each holiday expressed has a uniting symbol of light to guide our principles; To affirm who we are and rededicate ourselves to our histories, beliefs, and traditions. In unity we can free our hearts and minds to embrace the fact that we light the flames. We make each holiday and the days of life special with our positive actions and participation in our diverse communities of the world. The 'inclusive good' is not just for ourselves but for everyone. I was blessed by this personally but what do you think? Together Everyone Achieves More!

Today I end with the beautiful affirming lyrics and song of India Arie. I AM Light.
Be Blessed. Click Here!