New Year’s Day always makes me reflective. I was thinking how blessed I’ve been to have Scottie dogs to take care of for nearly 40 years. As I thought about all the things I’ve done for them a memory jumped into my head.

Not long after my husband and I retired here in Central Oregon, we attended a small event hosted by some partners of the Portland law firm my husband’s company had used.

One of the lawyer’s wives, who didn’t know me, asked what I was doing now that I was retired. So I began telling her about all I did with the Scotties, including walking them in the beautiful wild woods behind the house two or three times a day and doing all their grooming.

This woman looked at me, tipped her nose in the air and curled her lips. Then she said, “Get a life!”

I smiled, not believing my ears, and she proceeded to tell me about her life, including country clubs, personal trainers, and shopping trips with her girlfriends to New York City.

On the walk, during which this memory came into my head, the Scotties and I were trudging through very cold, newly fallen snow. I pondered on the lawyer’s wife, wondering if she still takes her shopping trips to New York City and how much real joy she gets from those trips.

Looking around at the new snow, I felt grateful and content. I stopped to think how blessed I am to still have Scottie dogs who need my help, a great family, and a husband whom I dearly love.

Isn’t it amazing how different we all are? Each one of us is unique in what we want out of life and what we want to give to others in this life. A shopping trip to New York City would mean absolutely nothing to me today. Not that it would have meant much to me 25 years ago either. But caring for rescued dogs that were badly abused has been very rewarding.

I’m not posing for holy pictures; that isn’t what this is about. I’m just fascinated about what brings each of us joy and contentment. The lawyer’s wife would have been miserable walking dogs in the cold snow.

We are each children of God. We are unique, individualized expressions of the universal mind, the Creator of all we see and know. That lady and I are equal in the sight of God. We are both able to find love and peace through the grace of God. And neither of us is like anyone else on earth. Yet love and peace is available to all of us.

Now, when we are entering a new year, wouldn’t it be wonderful if each of us opened our hearts and minds to welcoming all our differences? Make that a heartfelt welcome to every man, woman, and child on earth, regardless of politics, religion, race, color, or nationality.

We are entering a new astrological age, the Age of Aquarius. Humans have been studying constellation procession for many thousands of years. Each age has brought significant shifts to human civilizations that have actually been tracked by archeology. This Aquarius age is thought by some to be a great time for humanity, beginning with much upheaval but ending with remarkable advancement and unity of the human race.

We’ve already seen a lot of upheaval. The uniting change will only happen if each of us chooses to celebrate and respect all our differences, while seeking unity and love.

When we look at the military technology that is in the hands of so many countries now, if we don’t begin to unite, the future could be really ugly.

Yet, as I look around there are many, many organizations and groups of people working to bring us together. One outstanding group is HeartMath, in California. They are a nonprofit who says, “Our Cause: Awakening the Heart of Humanity” and, “We believe that when we align and connect our hearts and minds and connect with others, we awaken the higher mental, emotional, and spiritual capacities that frequently lie dormant.”

This group has actually tracked reduced crime rates in cities where they have coordinated thousands of people in an area to focus their minds on love and peace for a specific period of time.

That is just one organization I’ve explored. We are spirit, each connected to and a part of the benevolent energy we call God. Jesus told us that we could change the world and make things better. We can, but it must start with each of us being truly and deeply committed to love. Not politics, not a specific approach to faith, just total love with forgiveness for all and openness to all ideas.

Lets get past building clubs and groups submerged in ideology and pledges to adhere to specific ways of thinking. Let’s embrace our uniqueness and welcome new ideas.

By being open rather than closed to others we bring in more love and are able to find better solutions to problems and difficulties. We can overcome anything when we are truly committed to real love, not qualified love for our special group.

“Today is the time of salvation,” now is the time to recognize we are one people, able to live in peace and grace. Let’s do it, and may you have a wonderful New Year.

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” (Mark 10:27)