Here are some quotes I think we all can live by.
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only Light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only Love can do that.” Martin Luther King
“Love is all we need.” The Beatles
“Only Love can conquer hate.” Marvin Gaye
“When the Power of Love overcomes the love of power we will have peace.” Jimi Hendrix
So ANY WAY that all of us can add our bit of love to the world is to me a radical and powerful act. Let’s all be kind and do what we can to help each other. Keep the faith, stay strong and don’t let the haters win by giving up or reacting to them with hate.
Some specific ideas:
Regularly check on a neighbor who lives alone.
Help a struggling parent in line at the grocery store.
Give someone an authentic complement.
Hold your judgmental thoughts about someone.
Call a friend you haven’t talked with lately.
Reach out an olive branch to someone you have had conflict with.
Walk a friend or neighbor’s dog.
Host an informal get together with your neighbors to get to know each other better.
If you encounter hate speech from someone on line comment that you are sending them love.
Pay it forward.
Make someone laugh.
Take a walk in nature and send thanks for the beauty around us.
Pray in whatever forms calls to you. I pray that Love and Democracy will prevail and I imagine a hedge of angels surrounding Donald Trump preventing him from doing harm and giving him a “love transfusion”.
From Lane deMoll: Back in November after the election Brene Brown said somewhere that we all need to be taking micro-doses of hope. I realized that I could make an Essence of Hope. So I went out (as Pluto moved into Aquarius) and collected all the flowers that were blooming in my garden at the time, let them blend in spring water in the sun, and then added it to the last of my pear brandy. Now here it is – available in small bottles free or by donation. Or maybe it will help you keep moving forward that you just know it exists. Hang in there! lane@lanedemoll.com
All of us carry burdens—of daily life, of old hurts and pains. Do whatever you can do to lighten someone’s load. And accept help to lighten yours.
There are lots of organizations out there fighting for justice. Here is a link to an Indivisible.org article I received today.
indivisibleteam.medium.com/courage-is-contagious-its-time-to-fight-back-2610a18f94fc
Here are some ways to help locally.
Last November, everyone in Tillamook County received a copy of the 2024-25 Tillamook County Giving Guide. It’s not too late to use that as a resource for how to help local organizations doing good in our community.
Check out the link at the Tillamook County Pioneer
www.tillamookcountypioneer.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Giving-Guide-2024-25-Final-for-Web.pdf
It’s also on the bbq website Local Resources page. Also on that page are links to Tillamook County Organizations Directories—both alphabetized and categorized that give descriptions of most of the organizations listed.
www.northcoastbbq.com/local-resources/
Little Coasties is a daycare program for 2 and 3 year olds in North County. They have an opportunity to open a second location but need financial help getting into the property. Check out their story in the Pioneer.
www.tillamookcountypioneer.net/little-coasties-school-fills-need-for-child-care-in-nehalem-opportunity-to-open-second-location-with-community-support/
Another Pioneer article noted the opening of a Tillamook office for Consejo Hispano
www.tillamookcountypioneer.net/consejo-hispano-dear-community-tillamook-office-now-open/
Rainy Day Village helps people who are aging stay in their homes.
www.rainydayvillage.org/
These are just a few of the many resources we have in our community. Give where you can and what makes sense to you! Small acts of love and kindness add up. What if the hundredth monkey tale is true that a new behavior or idea can spread rapidly through a population once a critical number of people adopt it? Maybe your act of kindness or love is the critical one!
