The World News Reads like a Scary Novel. Hope for the world is in Unity in Diversity.

Dear Friends,

The other day I was reminded of how important it is that each one of us give our all.

I don’t know about you but sometimes listening to the news can make a person feel like the world is circling the drain. At those times it can feel like the mundane tasks of daily life, much less pursuing hopes and dreams, are pointless.

But I think that it is in exactly those times that we must try even harder, because I firmly believe that each one of our efforts adds up to something big. Something that will turn this world around and back onto a firm footing. It’s like the best, scariest novel you’ve ever read where the heroes almost die but they make it through in the end because they never gave up.

So, in amidst listening to yet more horrific headlines of the day and hearing the big slosh as the earth careened faster around the drain, a friend sent me a photo. It was of her young daughter reading my picture book, The Nightingale’s Song. The book is about the oneness of humanity, and its refrain, “Brothers and sisters we shall be, stars of one sky and leaves of one tree,” is a message of hope. Of course, the message of Unity in Diversity didn’t originate with me, but I felt so pleased that my book was helping a child become resilient in this age of extremes and scary drain-circling.

My young friend drew a beautiful picture that I have permission to share with you. When asked what Unity in Diversity means to her, she replied, “We should accept everyone no matter how they look. Our souls are beautiful.”

The Nightingale's Song is about Unity in Diversity

I hope that this truth spoken from a child’s innocent heart inspires you today like it did me and that whatever work you do, whether paid or unpaid, noticed or unrecognized, reaches far out into the world like beams of sunlight over the horizon.

Together, we can make a difference.

Andrea