God, do you mind if I look and I find Your face in all faces; 
A sameness in races, and Your power in the power of man's mind.
Do you mind if today we cancel the prayers and I go find my neighbour and friend,
And tell her I found by watching the ground that ants have no concept of sin.
Do you mind if my church is the life that I live, if it's lived in a loving way
And the hymns that I sing is the joy I bring to my brother as he passes this way.
Do you mind if the wind as it touches my skin becomes Your touch to me,
And the love that we share for the rose in my hair makes us one, You, the rose, and me.
Do you mind if You are the light of the star that I saw from my window just now,
And the frog in yon tree sounds god-like to me, do you mind if I sing and not bow?

God, do You mind? 

by Elizabeth S. Andrews

As we approach this Holiday season and it's traditional warmth and good will it is  particularly welcome this year. This past year has not been an easy one for so many, both here and around the world. So much sadness, misunderstanding, and anger. So little effort to find common ground. The entire Free World is teetering on the brink of  chaos  at a time when we must be united in order to  withstand the dangers which face all of us. 

 We must bridge our differences  for the sake of our children if for no other reason. We are none of us so very different. We all love our countries, we want our children to be safe, and we very much want to live in peace. We may have differing opinions as to how we achieve these goals but unless we determine to respect our differences  we will not succeed.

 The political divisions have never been so stark and destructive. Those who would use those differences to divide us even further do no one any favour. Not even those who support their goals.  Ultimately, not even themselves. A people divided, and filled with rancour toward their fellow man  sow seeds which yield a failed harvest. 

We must  find deep within each of us the wisdom to reach out to one another  with compassion and a willingness to listen to one another.  Until we do this there is no chance we can stem this tide  which is tearing our society apart.

 This modern world with all its advances could learn a valuable lesson from those who struggled to bequeath this life to us. The value of human dignity.  The respect for the rights of your neighbour. The right to privacy  and  the freedom to live your life as you choose while always knowing that  nothing gives you the right to impose your beliefs on another.  The knowledge that it takes so little to offer kindness and understanding to others. Values we would all do well to espouse.

 This holiday season as we gather with our loved ones  we must count our blessings for they are many. The face of a tiny child filled with wonder and anticipation  is a blessing not everyone  can enjoy in this world filled with the violence of man. We are blessed that  our children  still have not lost that trust that we will keep them safe. We simply must not fail them. We must find a way to  reconcile our differences  so that children everywhere may enjoy that blessing  just as we have, and as our children will, if we just take the time to consider the alternatives and take the necessary steps to assure that we pass on to them a world  as beautiful as that which we inherited.

 To do less is to have failed to live up to  the beliefs we  profess and  is a failure we shall all  share, and  for which we will ultimately be harshly judged.

 It's the action, not the result of the action, that's important. We have to do the right thing. It may not be in our  lifetime that  our actions will show real results but that doesn't mean we should  stop trying.  If  each of us makes a sincere effort to reach out  to others,  the repercussions will be felt into the next generation because children never fail to  imitate those they observe most closely. To be a role model for the next generation is perhaps the best gift of all we can give our children.