The flame of love, joy, and wisdom

Wealth, power, time, energy, attention... these all have something in common: the more you give away, the less remains in your possession.

Love is different. The more you give a away, the more you have.

One candle can light a thousand wicks and lose nothing; so, too, we can invest ourselves in other people, in worthy causes, and in the welfare of our community and lose nothing by doing so.

Just the opposite. The more we invest ourselves in people of quality and in our communities, the more we contribute to creating a world that supports and sustains us through good times and bad.

Dolly Parton said, when you see someone without a smile, give them one of yours. If you do, yours will almost certainly be returned to you. Indeed, the more we share our joy with others, the more filled with joy our own lives become.

The same is true of wisdom. The more we learn, the more we can teach. The more we teach, the more the world we live in teaches us.

As we look forward to a new year and hope for a return to normalcy, the dark of winter reminds us that the deeper the darkness, the more difference a little light make.

Let us commit ourselves to spreading light and love to the people who share our lives, and spreading wisdom and joy to the the people who share our world.