Welcome to a month of celebrations - love, presidential prestige, and a concentrated focus on Black history - interesting and important topics, all!

What if we loved everyone, honored everyone willing to serve, and regularly remembered the important contributions of our fellow-citizens of all colors, creeds, and orientations? What if …?

What if we …were truly WE? Less division, fewer insults. Love. Your. Neighbor. Period.

This seems to me like a worthy and lofty goal. We will fall short – again and again, but we can surely do better than we often do now. (You need look no farther than an average batch of comments in connection with any FB news item to see that this is so). This is far from a new idea; cultures throughout recorded time have had different ways of stating the "golden rule."

ReligiousTolerance.org has some interesting information on "Shared Belief in the Golden Rule (also known as Ethics of Reciprocity)." A parenting book entitled Parenting Today with Respect and Responsibility: How to Teach Your Children to Live by The Golden Rule is promoted on this site. It's by Nancy Eastman; I haven't yet read it, but am surely intrigued. This site also provides a link to another one - for Scarboro Missions. They offer Golden Rule Workshop materials, including an informative poster.

It is important to note, I think, that the idea of treating others as we'd like to be treated has also historically been promoted outside of religious contexts – and these might make better topics of study for public school classrooms, unless your curriculum goals involve comparative religion.

Next month, Spring will make an entrance – and what on Earth could be sweeter? For now, let's all demonstrate that we have sweet hearts – whenever and however we are able.

Bless your hearts!

To My Various Valentines

If you are

a Valentine

of mine,

I hope

you're feeling

especially fine.

I hope

you know

that you're loved

and treasured;

I hope

you know

that your worth

can't be measured.

Stella Castella