So, it’s the end of 2020, and I hear many people’s joyous exclamations for the ending to what we consider a more than challenging year. I am not denying that it has been that. I, as a minister, was never trained in the kind of skills I would need to maneuver myself and our Center through this year. I remember when our Centers and all churches were in lockdown last March how we would say things like “We didn’t sign up for this…etc.” However, we did sign up for this, because we signed up for ministry, and ministry takes us down many roads, and most of those roads cannot be predetermined. We must be in the flow and open to inspiration and guidance from within at all times. We must be open at the top.

But, ministry is not just for ministers. It is a dedication and care for “something,” whether it is our families, our job, our earth, or any place we feel called to serve. We all have callings, whether it is to the creation of amazing meals or making sure people’s taxes are prepared or leading a congregation.

Ministry is a verb. I believe we are all in ministry right now more than ever before. We are being called to guide ourselves and those in our care to a higher level of being. We are all making choices in every moment, and it is integral that we make those choices from the highest state of consciousness. Every choice seems more important than ever right now.

As I begin the new year, I most definitely feel different. I can no longer be satisfied with the way things are, nor can I sit with the gloomy projections for our future. I desire a greater living experience for all of us. As I hear many of us talking about things getting worse, I pull my attention back to remembering that what we believe with enough feeling is bound to come back to us. Our mind is like a boom-a-rang, throwing out into Universal Law our intentions. Those with enough feeling, whether those feelings are anger, fear or deep love and faith are the manifestations present in our world.

It’s most definitely a time to choose how we want to live and what is ours to be in this world. Although we’ve proclaimed that we are kicking 2020 to the curb, and backed our claim with the loud and continuous fireworks last night, 2021 will not be any different if we do not make it so.

I am claiming to live this new year with ease and grace. What does this look like to me? No matter what experiences I encounter, I will do my best to meet them with ease and grace. It might mean that I have to turn in another direction when needed. It might mean I need to walk through the experience. I cannot predict what 2021 holds for any of us, but I can decide how I want to live. That is always our individual choice.

I feel positive about this new year because I feel positive about life. I know we did our very best in 2020, that we learned a lot about ourselves, and that we now have the choice to take it all – the good, the bad and the ugly – and turn it into wisdom. We can choose to live from a higher consciousness of love no matter what 2021 brings us. We can choose to decide that it is going to be the greatest year ever, because today is already powerful and because we are ready to make it the best year ever. It’s all up to us.

We’ve already proved we have the tools to walk through the storms. We are still here. Now let us live within the rainbows after those storms. We are unlimited in what we can create individually and collectively. Let us truly make our mark on 2021 by being our best selves.

Love and Aloha,

Rev. Rita Andriello-Feren, Spiritual Director – CSL Kaua`i