Let there be peace on earth | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's note: Please join me in welcoming our newest contributor to BCN, Kathy Manos Penn, a native of the "Big Apple", by way of the "Peach City" - Atlanta. Kathy is a former English teacher, author of The Ink Penn blog, and a communications professional in corporate America. Now with Kathy on board, I advise all other contributors to mind your punctuation and syntax.

    Tis the time of year when we think of "Peace on earth, good will toward men," so it was fitting that my yoga teacher opened one of our December classes by reading this text from ancient India:

Together may we be protected
Together may we be nourished
Together may we work with great energy
May our journey together be brilliant and effective
May there be no bad feelings between us
May there be peace
Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti Om
    Isn't Shanti, which means Peace, uppermost in our minds as we celebrate the season and enter the New Year? This mantra dates back to 800 BC or earlier; the "Peace on earth" verse from the Christmas carol "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" dates back to an 1863 poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. This tells me the hope for peace has always been with us.

    As I listen to the nightly news and NPR and read the paper and the several daily news emails I get, it can be difficult to remain hopeful, to feel upbeat and positive in the face of so much distressing news. I'm not yet ready to stick my head in the sand and ignore the news, though that's sometimes tempting.

    What to do? How do we "Keep calm and carry on," as we read everywhere today on mugs, tee shirts and posters? The original 1939 poster produced by the British government during Britain's darkest hours was actually not widely used during WWII. Copies were only recently discovered in 2000 at Barter Books, a bookshop in England, and the sentiment caught on. Perhaps it's time to take that advice more seriously: live our lives, not in fear, but calmly with the hope of peace, and yes, safety, ever present.

    Are there things we can individually do to keep calm rather than nervous, fretful and quick to anger? Things beyond drinking a soothing cup of tea or something stronger? The lyrics to "Let there be peace on earth," written in 1955 and still recorded today by vocalists like Vince Gill and Harry Connick, Jr., come to mind:

Let peace begin with me
Let this be the moment now,
With every step I take
Let this be my solemn vow.
To take each moment
And live each moment
In peace eternally
Let there be peace on earth
And let it begin with me.
    It seems a worthy goal to "Let peace begin with me"-a goal I can be wholly in control of. My resolution for 2016, then, is to take joy in the little things: the deer grazing in the yard, the birds at the feeder, the cat purring in my lap, the dog at my feet, the conversations and laughter with friends and family. The list is endless, and simply contemplating these moments in life brings a feeling of contentment.

    In this time of turmoil both abroad and at home, the one thought that unites us all may well be the hope for peace. As we enter an uncertain new year, may Desmond Tutu's words be one final source of solace and inspiration:

    Each of us can create a more peaceful world from wherever in the world we each stand.
Kathy's Cat: Above.
    Kathy Manos Penn is a Sandy Springs resident now happily retired from a corporate career in communications and leadership development. Find more of her musings at TheInkPenn.blogspot.com or contact her at kathymanospenn@gmail.com