January 2024 – Together in 2024

On August 1, 1966, a sniper started shooting from the tower on the UT campus in Austin, Texas. As innocent victims went down, bystanders hid behind trees or statues, too terrified to move. One poor victim remembers thinking that Viet Nam had come to Texas. During the silent terror between shots, a woman noticed a victim on the ground, wounded and bleeding, burning on the blazing hot concrete. She waited until there was a moment of quiet then ran over to the bleeding victim, draping herself over her.

On the streets of Calcutta in 1952, it was common for sick, dying people to be treated like animals on the side of the road. Mother Teresa found an abandoned building and made it into a home for those dying souls she called angels to die with dignity.

She brought her first patient to that abandoned building that was transformed into the first hospice, called Home of the Pure Heart. Here people could die a beautiful death receiving drink, food, care and presence.

This past fall, the final section of my conscious parenting certification required practicing coaching with two classmates. My two coaches were strong and beautiful, one from Dallas, the other from the Dominican Republic. We met regularly sharing our struggles and offering the skills we had learned. I was
amazed and touched by the closeness we found together. Their counsel and care and presence to me has been a life line that I have returned to again and again.

Let’s be together in 2024. Whatever you are going through, whatever you need, however you are doing, I am here for it. When we show up with someone in our truth and our reality, comfort and healing can happen. We are not meant to be alone. It doesn’t mean wounds go away or death doesn’t happen. But being together makes life bearable. My life’s purpose is to be together with you in 2024.