December's MONTHLY MANTRA: "Peace is Possible."
The inspiration for this month's article comes from my friend Robin Volker, who is the minister of the local Unity church here in town. In her September, 2008, Unity newsletter, Robin wrote
the following which is worth repeating during this time of year. In June of 2004, Mattie Stepanek died one week short of his 14th birthday. He left behind a legacy of poetry, prose, and
essays that will nourish our world for years to come. In the last book of his writings, Just Peace: A Message of Hope, Mattie wrote these words:
"Our world is in a crisis. There is so much anger, so much hatred, so much fighting. People worry about
differences, but our differences are our unique beauties, our strengths, our gifts. We compare ourselves to
others, measuring might and wealth and success and esteem in units that don't really count or add up in
the standards of future and eternity. I fear the rages, and the wages, of war. And sometimes, I think the
world might need fictional characters like Yoda from Star Wars and Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings and Professor Dumbledore from Harry Potter who battle defensively, gently overcoming oppressions and
injustice, to come to life and inspire people to think and act and be differently. Then, rather than letting our
fears lead to anger and then hate and then suffering, people would be more inclined to have courage and
wisdom and seek peace in nonviolent methods like the heroes in books and movies. But in reality, we
have people and organizations with all the admirable qualities of these fictional role models. People of all
nations, of all ages, of all races and religions and abilities and aspirations can choose to just look around
in our very real world and see that we are a mosaic of unique gifts. But we must heed that the mosaic is
breaking. The treasured pieces are scattered. We need to gather, we need to rebuild the mosaic of life. We need to be motivated to choose peace."  This incredible being lived a short, but powerfully inspiring life.
Facing the real possibility of death every day, Mattie lived on purpose and empowered. His message was always that peace is possible. Can we learn from his example and do the same?
Let's try it, beginning this holiday season. Blessings to you and your families from all of us at Mantras.
-article written monthly by staff employees
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