Do you celebrate Martin Luther King Day? Dr. King is the only non-president to have a national holiday dedicated in his honor. It’s well deserved. During the 13 years of his leadership of the modern American Civil Rights Movement, there was more progress toward racial equality in America than in the previous 350 years. Dr. King is regarded as America’s foremost advocate of nonviolence. Emulating his role model, Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. King led a nonviolent movement to achieve legal equality for African-Americans in the United States. It was part of his dream. He went on to lead similar campaigns against poverty and international conflict. He always stayed faithful to his principles that men and women everywhere, regardless of color or creed, are equal members of the human family.

Many of us are humming Taylor Swift's song, "Shake It Off". Yes, the melody is great, but it’s more than that; the message resonates with us. We've all had personal experiences when people say or do hateful things. We get lost in the pain of the experience until something shifts and we’re able to shake it off. But what does that really mean? "Shake it off" is not new wisdom. There’s an ancient parable that delivers the same message. It's about a farmer's old mule.

We’re beginning a new year filled with new challenges. Inevitably there will be a storm of wins and losses. Each will help us grow by building character, new strengths, and relationships. Caring relationships support us. They form a strong bond - a network - a connection of invisible strings.

Does our past become the foundation for our future?  This week is a time of transition from old to new, past to present. As tempting as it is to make fresh resolutions for the New Year, using the brickwork of the past is more comfortable and realistic… evolution not revolution.  Elbert Hubbard, the philosopher, said, "Little minds are interested in the extraordinary; great minds in the commonplace.” So what’s familiar and commonplace? Let’s look at the brick and mortar of yesteryear to build a strong foundation for this coming year.

When we have good health, good times, good relationships, we feel grateful and at peace. But sometimes when we want to bring light to transform the sad, dark corners of our lives, we hit our limits. As mortals, we feel powerless to create the result we want. It’s then that we turn to a higher power. We ask for a miracle, a surprise outcome that can’t be explained by logic. Many times we're disappointed. We forget that miracles are not at our command.