Connection

It's that time of year again.  The time of year that has me thinking about my New Year's Affirmation. A long time ago someone introduced me to this idea of giving up resolutions and creating an affirmation for what I want to focus on in the next 12 months.

Before the bubbly of ringing in a new year, I give myself a few weeks prior to January 1st to contemplate over what I want to bring into my life.  I meditate, I listen, and I let lots of ideas come into my mind.  Sometimes it's easy - the year I packed into boxes nearly a decade of my life in Australia and returned to the US feeling like a foreigner in my own country, my affirmation was Transformation.  But sometimes it just comes from sitting in the stillness of my thoughts.  Over the years I've had affirmations like:  Love, Abundance, Courage, and Faith, each one a message that, once chosen, seems to pop up everywhere in my daily life.

Christmas Eve I attended a Taize* service at Bodhi.  With my family out of state and my Love overseas, this was the first Christmas Eve that I could remember being alone.  It seemed only natural that before joining my crew for Friendsmas, I would go to Bodhi.   

We sang, we listened to music and message, we meditated, and we awakened our awareness together.  We were guided to write a message to ourselves on a piece of paper, and, without hesitation, there it was, my affirmation!  Like it was written in Vegas lights, "Connection" poured onto my paper.  

But,  this Taize had a twist.... we were to place our message on a table and pick up another message written by someone else.  This was, after all, an exercise in Oneness, so my message is your message, is your message, is my message.  And this is what it said:

"Be light in each moment, not only for others but most importantly be light for yourself.  Look to the stars, reach for them, and dance among them every moment." 

As I thought about my message to myself and the message I received, Connection resonated perfectly.  I spent precious time with family this year that had me questioning why I don't reach out to them and spend time with them more often:  Connection.  I'm changing my perception on food, my body, and my health through a Whole30 Challenge:  Connection.  I'll celebrate milestone birthday's and memorable weddings with loved ones this year:  Connection.  I'm finding my way back towards my spiritual community:  Connection.  I'm learning who I am in my career, in my relationships, and with my self:  Connection.

Yes, your message really was my message, because without Connection to myself and others how can I be light?  How can I reach for the stars?  How can I dance?  Yes, Connection will hold pride of place on my bathroom mirror and I will carry Connection with me into 2014 as an affirmation for my best year yet!

What thoughts do you have about your own New Year's Affirmation?

*A Taize is a participatory prayer service designed to achieve a contemplative state through music, song, and silence.