December 2017

Greetings NNOA Family,

“Youth is happy because it has the ability to see beauty. Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old.” – Franz Kafka

Happy Christmas to each and every one of you! I can hardly believe that we are already in the month of December, for some the Sacred Season of Advent begins. A season filled with expectation and preparation. The excitement and joy radiates from a child’s face as they realize that the season of giving is here! We have so much to be thankful for as we look forward to the coming year. I am excited and filled with anticipation for 2018. In 2017 there seemed to be a theme of “Grief and Grace.” Grief over perception or real loss of identity due to unforeseen changes and Grace as universal energy shifts to restore balance. We experience the affect of grief as a result of loss of our deeply ingrained belief systems and cultural values. December is a time filled with customs, ceremonies, celebrations, consecrations which all come wrapped up in dazzling ribbons disguised as “gifts.” At season’s end many are filled with a sense of loss and are afraid to express the malingering grief heightened by a season exacerbated by beauty. The Holidays, while not always pleasant, should be a time that we acknowledge our joy and sorrow. They say that a person dies twice, once when the body dies and then secondly when their name is no longer spoken. It is a gift to keep the name of a person in the family. Many of the children are named for the elders that lived before them, these are the authentic gifts and keepers of a tribe’s history. May your Holy Holiday Season be filled with the names of the Elders! May joy radiate your home and good grief transform your soul!

“ A gift is pure when it is given from the heart to the right person at the right time and at the place, and when we expect nothing in return.” – Anonymous, The Bhagavad Gita

Rev. Kimberly Cain, NNOA Chaplain