Fourth Day of Christmas.
Fourth Day of Kwanzaa.
Kwanzaa is Such a Beautiful Holiday.
To be honest, I am not sure I am technically allowed to celebrate it,
As my ancestry is not of the African Diaspora.
But I also know that “Happy Holidays” often sounds more like an Apology
than the Proclamation it deserves to be,
and I would rather err on the side of Celebrating and Enjoying Life Too Much
than too Little.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS to me means MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HANNUKAH AND HAPPY KWANZAA AND HAPPY SOLSTICE AND HAPPY ST. LUCIA DAY AND HAPPY THREE KINGS DAY AND GOD JUL and though I Know we may be Months from EID or DIWALI, A BLESSED EID AND HAPPY DIWALI TOO!
It means “CELEBRATE!” and “ENJOY!” and “I WISH YOU THE BEST FOR ANY AND ALL HOLIDAYS YOU CELEBRATE WITH NO APOLOGIES!!!!”
And I say “MERRY CHRISTMAS!” and “HAPPY FOURTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS!” and “HAPPY ALL TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS!” as a proclamation of JOY and a Sincere Invitation that You will Come and ENJOY COOKIES and HOT CHOCOLATE and UPLIFTING MUSIC and SPIRITUAL REFLECTION and JOYFULNESS and BRIGHT LIGHTS in this Season of Shortest Days of the Year and SHARE KINDNESS and CELEBRATE WITH ME!
It is my Further Hope that You will invite Me to CELEBRATE with You
Any and All FESTIVITIES that are Yours to Share.
Yesterday at my Church, MCC, the most Awesome and Welcoming Church to which I have ever belonged and the place I call my Spiritual Home www.mccny.org we had a Kwanzaa Celebration.
It is at MCC over these past years that I have learned about Kwanzaa.
Founded by Dr. MAULANA KARENGA
as a response and objection to the commercialization of Christmas,
Kwanzaa represents a return to Community Values.
The Seven Candles
The Seven Days
Represent…
Umoja, Unity
Kujuichagulia, Self-Determination
Ujima, Collective Works and Responsibility
Ujamaa, Cooperative Economics
Nia, Purpose
Kuumba, Creativity
Imani, Faith
Yesterday, at service, we celebrated Ujima, Collective Works and Responsibility.
Today, we celebrate Ujamaa, Cooperative Economics.
In this Age of Awareness about the tyranny of much of the 1%,
and most of us living in the 99%,
it is a thought worthy of reflection —
All of us maintaining our own Business
And Profiting from them Together.
What a Beautiful Idea to Celebrate the Holiday Time
by returning the Focus to Real Values!
Happy Fourth Day of KWANZAA!
Christmas…
Day Four.
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Cathryn Wellner
/ December 30, 2014Such beautiful values to celebrate. Thank you, Arnold.