December 2009
Dec. 7 Look in the eye and greet people, neighbors, co-workers, clerks, family, friends…
Dec. 8 Breathe and stay as centered and composed as you can when others are agitated.
Dec. 9 Practice being calm and curious in conflict.
Dec. 10 Learn by heart a poem which supports your best self. Recite the poem to yourself to disarm and open your heart.
Dec. 11 Mark Hanukkah with greetings of “Shalom,” offering a peaceful presence to all you meet.
Dec. 12 Can you see a loved one from a larger perspective which brings you some peace?
Dec. 13 Come to Sunday services and greet someone new to you.You may be the one whose presence offers someone peace and comfort.
Dec. 14 Cry when you are hurting and feel the healing power of tears.
Dec. 15 Imagine you are offering everyone you encounter a blessing of peace.
Dec. 16 Write in your journal about something about which you’ve been hard on yourself. Make peace with yourself.
Dec. 17 Refrain from name calling or using ridicule or sarcasm. Make peace by how you choose to speak.
Dec. 18 Make peace by how you choose to listen.
Dec. 19 What objects help you feel peaceful? A smooth stone? A small shell? A bead? Is there an object you can carry in a pocket that will remind you to breathe in peace?
Dec. 20 Rejoice and celebrate the holidays in community, grateful and glad to be with people of all ages.
Dec. 21 Welcome the winter solstice. Stay warm and cozy. Affirm that you are a being becoming at peace with yourself, at peace with the universe.
Dec. 22 How might you give the gift of peace?
Dec. 23 Who have you known who had a strong peaceful presence? What have you learned from that person?
Dec. 24 Come to church at 5:00 p.m. or 10:00 p.m. and light a candle with prayers for peace.
Dec. 25 How can you receive what you are given with peace?
Dec. 26 Slow down. Practice starting out a little earlier. Drive, speak, cook, eat more slowly.
Dec. 27 Reflect on 2009. With what during the year do you feel at peace?
Dec. 28 Take some peaceful quiet moments to begin to know your hopes for 2010.
Dec. 29 Before the year ends, can you reach out to someone with whom you have had disagreement and distance?
Dec. 30 Sit in some peaceful place of quiet beauty. What are some commitments you can make to yourself to become an instrument of peace?
Dec. 31 Fly the United Nations flag. Ring bells of peace, bringing in the New Year.
Joy, love and peace to you,
Journal and Discussion Questions on Peace
Who are some of the people who have been your teachers of peace? What and how have they taught you?
Does the Interdependent Web of All Existence influence your path to peace? If so, how?
Describe a situation in which you struggled with anger and peace.
What are your motivations for peace?
What has your anger cost you?
Bring to mind a difficult situation that usually stirs your aggression. Imagine how you might be in the situation in a more peaceful way.
How can you be a peacemaker in your family? Your community? The world?
Books on Peace (available at www.uuabookstore.org)
Children: The Peace Book, written and illustrated by Todd Parr; Little, Brown, ages 4-8
Meet Jesus: The Life and Lessons of a Beloved Teacher, written by Lynn Tuttle Gunney, illustrated by Jane Conteh-Morgan, Skinner House press,
ages 4-8
Adults: Touching Peace, written by Thich Nhat Hanh, Parallax Press
The Different Drum: Community Making and Peace, written by M. Scott Peck, Simon and Schuster
Earth Prayers From Around The World, 365 prayers and poems, edited by Elizabeth Roberts and Elias Amidon, Harper SanFrancisco
Films on Peace
The Men Who Stare at Goats, directed by Grant Heslov
Gandhi, directed by Richard Attenborough
10 Questions for the Dalai Lama, directed by Rick Ray
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