... begins with me." This line from this week's featured song, "Our Song," by Helen Mottee is something that I try to remember daily. "The road to peace begins with me." It seems almost cliche, but the truest things often do. If we cannot have peace in our hearts, then how can we hope to have it in our homes, communities, and nations?
But, at the same time, peace is not ONLY in our hearts, and it can be inspired by any number of things. By a song, for example. In "Our Song," the finish line is clear: "We will be strong... until all people are set free." Mottee recognizes that peace is dependent on action -- peaceful action -- not just introspection. She also recognizes the importance of working together to achieve this goal. It's OUR song, afterall -- not MY song. There is power in our collective voices.
Check out Helen's bio and youtube videos on the New Artists page. The second video features her song "Don't Tell Me," a poignant song about how easy it is not to take action (or even to notice). We all can fall prey to the "out of sight, out of mind"-mentality. It can be overwhelming to focus on all of the problems in the world, but we must not become paralyzed. We are far more powerful than we realize. The road to peace doesn't just begin with us... it IS us.
