Happy Kwanzaa

Kwanzaa begins today. And for the next seven days, each of the following values will be addressed, honored, and celebrated.

NGUZO SABA Swahili for~ The Seven Principles

Umoja (Unity)To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation and race.

Kujichagulia (Self-Determination)To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for
ourselves and speak for ourselves.

Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility)To build and maintain our community together and make our brother's and sister's problems our problems and to solve them together.

Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics)To build and maintain our own stores, shops and other businesses and to profit from them together.

Nia (Purpose)To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.

Kuumba (Creativity)To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.

Imani (Faith)To believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.

This is the time of year when many of us focus on setting goals for the coming year. But before we can chart the proper long and short of it all, one needs to focus first on their core values; those principles and qualities that are of the highest priority.

First comes [and in no particular order]: honesty, integrity, family, service to others, health, frugality, generousity, community, financial security, justice, attitude, spirituality, and these are but a few. And second, the setting of one's goals is a matter of renewal; Sprititually, Physically, Intellectually, and Emotionally. Hence the tradition of New Year's resolutions. I'll speak more about this in the days to come.

In the meantime, Happy Kwanzaa!

Blessings