karin dancy

All January long, my hubby and I reflected in agreement: “This month has felt way longer than 31 days.”

Indeed, this new year has arrived with a lot of chaos, distraction, and mass grief. Each day seems to bring something that feels like a whole lot of lot. Finding the balance of being informed about the world around us while protecting our peace is essential.

Whether cooking a favorite family recipe, journaling to release all kinds of emotions, or painting on canvas, find your paths to peace. One of mine is music. From playing the upright piano of my youth to blasting old school R&B on the car ride to work, music is a balm that soothes my soul.

It’s been a vital part of my January days. The first month of this year has been uber-naughty for so many of us. It sure deserves a special kind of send-off as February tees up. A benediction, if you will – a simple prayer signaling an end, while instilling peace and hope in the listener.

My favorite benediction is one my parents and aunties sang in the church choir for decades. At the end of most Sunday services, the choir would lead the benediction with Peter Lutkin’s The Lord Bless You and Keep You.

Based on Numbers 6:24-26, the lyrics soothe and encourage the weary, the discouraged, the anxious. The ones, like many of us, pushing through very strange days right now.

I don’t know about you, but a benediction – a touch of peace and hope – sure feels needed. And these young people cover my favorite benediction beautifully. * May you feel peace and hope in every word and note.

Buh Bye, January:
How are you cultivating your own peace and hope right now?

* I don’t own the rights to this song. I simply love it.