The Magic of Believing.

"The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease for ever to be able to do it.” ― J.M. Barrie

When I was a little girl, I believed in Santa Claus.

In fairness, I also believed in the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny...and that pixie dust could make you fly. But, the big guy and I...we had a very special bond.

It started one year, when I had been unfairly implicated in the breaking of my Dad's new staple gun. Tools were always 'off limits' in our house - and my brother, having been unceremoniously stripped of his 'youngest child' honors, was continuously on the look out for new ways to throw his baby sister under the proverbial bus.

It was the first time I had ever been in such 'very big' trouble.

I rehearsed my speech to the Big Guy for weeks - carefully reconstructing the true series of events, and in hopes that I might right the wrong of an unjust 'naughty' status.

And, as I hopped up onto his lap inside that crowded Higbees's department store - tears flowed, as I began to pour out my heart,

"My brother..." sniffle, snort, "is stupid."

Yes, after weeks of painstaking preparation - that's all this little heart could muster. I could feel the dark clouds of doom rolling in.

Not only had I botched the representation of my own case, but I had committed further trespass by revealing my true feelings about my brother.

But just as I began to run away, Santa pulled me in closer to say,  "Ah...it's a good thing Santa loves you anyway."

In those next few short minutes, he shared with me the meaning of Christmas - that we must always share of our hearts, and to believe in the greater good.

I've carried that lesson with me, even still to this day. As, it was the first time I recall understanding what it meant to believe.

When we are small, our beliefs are formed without prejudice and without those awful preconceived notions that are learned through our later years.

We believe without the complexity of having to ever know why.

And, when we believed - we believed with all of our heart; and without the expectation of 'something in return.'

But then, something happens...and our ability to believe, sadly changes.

We allow fear to take our willingness away.

My dears, we all feel the sharp pains of sadness. And we are all met, at times, with seemingly insurmountable odds. Challenge and hardship will always find us, and no matter how careful the planning.

But, isn't this where compassion begins? These events which humble us, which bring us to our knees ~ form the thread which connects all of humanity.

And, that is what helps to make our believing even stronger still.

My dears, it is belief that ignites the fire of our purpose. It defines us, carries us forwards...and guides us to the divine essence of that which we truly are.

When we believe in a cause, we fight for it.

When we believe in others, we support and uplift them.

Belief is the basis for all of our being. And, belief will defy any barriers that dare to stand in our way.

History is replete with stories demonstrating the power of belief in the saga for good.

Ghandi believed so very strongly in a free India, that he gave his very life to support the continuance of this most simple dream.

Martin Luther King, Jr. stood, unwavering, against the hostility of an entire nation - and for the single purpose that all men be treated as equals.

They did so because they believed in humanity...they believed in compassion.

They believed that with hope, all things are possible.

In 1948, author Claude Bristol wrote a most wonderful book entitled, The Magic of Believing. In it, he describes the common thread that connects all cultures and religions - that is, what you believe becomes your reality. It is the power of belief that shapes the form and patterns in our lives.

 My dears, what do you believe? If you could make one wish this year, what might it be?

And why, are you standing in possibility's way?


p.s. - I still believe in Santa Claus...and I think this year, I've made the nice list, once again.


Video: Charter for Compassion: Karen Armstrong

People want to be religious, says scholar Karen Armstrong; we should help make religion a force for harmony. She asks the TED community to help build a Charter for Compassion ~ to restore the Golden Rule as the central global religious doctrine.

Watch this most wonderful video, as author Karen Armstrong provides her wish for a much better world.