Dear Friends,

On January 5th, Steve and I, as part of the Poway Interfaith Team (POINT),with the Palomar Health Hospitals in Escondido and Poway, collaborated and declared January 5th the “GIFT of LOVE DAY.” (See photos below)

We brought 100’s of Teddy Bears and other cute stuffed animals to the patients at these hospitals. We began by blessing and praying over the bears and then walking the halls with other volunteers and distributing the bears among the patients. Looking into the eyes of the people in beds or wheelchairs and seeing the JOY these cute animals brought, was my heart’s delight. We saw eyes, that went from sadness, and despair, to joy, and love. The emotions they were previously feeling, changed by just HOLDING a teddy bear or other stuffie.  One of the Pastors we know, Pastor John Quintana, from Our Father’s Grace Ministries brought in 400 cute bears! What a wonderful way to begin the NEW YEAR. I felt like we were doing “GOOD” one patient at a time.

I love the quote above, “I cannot do all the good that the world needs. But the world needs all the good that I can do! I feel, as you may, like the world needs a blanket of GOODNESS to reset the Consciousness of all people. Sometimes reading about the wars, the hurt, the prejudice, the criminal actions is overwhelming. As one person, I know I cannot change everyone or the affairs of the world. However as one person, I can choose to DO and to BE GOOD everyday in everyway I can.

The other day I was standing in line at Starbucks and I heard the gentleman before me say to the clerk “I would like to pay for the coffee for these two firemen ahead of me.” After the firemen thanked the man, I was inspired to do the same. This was a reminder and an opportunity to be GOOD and do something nice for someone else without any expectations in return. So I turned to lady behind me in line and said, “I would like to pay for your coffee.” She was both surprised and grateful. Who knows where the energy of that decision went, and how it manifested in someone else’s life. It doesn’t matter. One GOOD intention, one GOOD deed always ripples out to others everywhere. It is not for me to find or figure it out. GOD will and GOD as GOOD does!

In 2024, let us embark on a journey of kindness, compassion, and collective GOODWILL, recognizing that our efforts, no matter how small, contribute to a brighter, more harmonious and peaceful world.