Letter From the Editors: The World Has Shifted and Changed

 Hello friends, 

We have learned so much about the meaning of our theme this month – the idea of “purpose”.

The world has shifted and changed. Actions, jobs and events that defined us and given us structure were halted… jarring our reality of both ourselves and the world. Anger, grief, trauma occurred this past week; starting with a terrible, unconscionable act, moving into peaceful protests and, sometimes, ending in destruction.

What really is purpose? Is it generated from within? Can we feel confident of our intention with no typical markers? How can we be meaningful and make a difference that uplifts in the world? 

We are at a time of great change…

… and with that comes the opportunity to decide and declare what is truly valuable. It’s a time where we can look at neglected and ignored areas of our life, our community, our nation and refocus our intentions. The significance of family, the responsibility we all share for each other, the strength of the human spirit, can became our purpose.

We have a road ahead that needs to be paved with trust, safety, compassion and respect. The frenzy of “me” can give way to unified kindness – for grieving families, the lonely among us, those experiencing financial loss, the sick, the tired, the hurt. From lending a hand to taking momentous steps, our individual purposes can shift to our mutual purpose.

Spiritual master, Mehar Baba puts it beautifully:

“The scope of service is not limited to heroic acts, great gestures, and huge donations to public institutions. They also serve who express their love in little things. A word that gives courage to a broken heart or a smile that brings hope in the midst of gloom is as much service as heroic sacrifice. A glance that wipes out bitterness from the heart is also service, although there may be no thought of service in it. When taken by themselves all these things seem to be small, but life is made up of many small things. If these small things were ignored, life would not only be unbeautiful, it would be unbearable.” —Meher Baba

Looking ahead, here’s what’s coming up…

Our everyday hero this month features a thank you from Kate Fuglei to her realtives – an EMT and an ER nurse in the thick of it.

Anne Cochran continues her incredibly popular series on getting your student into the right fit college.

We feature Joan Doyle as our artist this month.

The Farrah Fawcett Foundation is our charity this month!

And, of course, more wonderful recipes and personal stories too.

If you have 12 minutes…This TED Talk by 99 year old Holocaust survivor, Eddie Jaku, will help you to realize that your life has a benevolant purpose no matter your circumstances.

We’ll talk again soon!

Much love,
Jean & Alison