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Greetings, Warmest Wishes in this
Glad Season of Joy and Wonder
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December
The starry winter sky foretells another year as the December days begin to grow longer once more. What promise lies before us - dreams to live, hearts to mend, folks to meet, stories to write, lives to live vibrantly. Traveling leads us into the unknown to weave the tapestry of our lives with illuminating colors and intricate patterns. As the year ends I want to especially thank the women who have traveled with us this year. I celebrate each of you and am grateful for your individuality, stories and spirit. We are not a lesbian company and do enjoy wonderful camaraderie on our trips with all women who join us. We laughed, talked, walked, shopped, wined, dined, made wonderful memories and lasting connections. Whether you are traveling single, married, divorced or widowed, traveling with others enriches your experience and enhances your trip. We hope you will join us on one of our 2008 trips. Please review the itinerary pages on our website and call me with any questions at 1-978-879-7464.
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Inspiration
 Last year in December, I heard Maya Angelou speak in Boston at The Women's Business Conference. Approaching 80, she appeared physically frail to me but her voice was full and strong. Her message was far from frail. Maya Angelou always tells her tale through story and song with vibrancy. She shared her stories of the human spirit. She spoke of obstacles that get in the way and hummed gently to move us along. She spoke of pain, loss and suffering but mostly, Maya Angelou talked of hope, goodness, peace, believing in yourself and your dreams. I share her poem Amazing Peace and wish you Peace and Joy in this Glad Season.
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Amazing Peace: A Christmas Poem
By Dr. Maya Angelou
And lightning rattles the eaves of our houses.
Flood waters await us in our avenues.
Snow falls upon snow, falls upon snow to avalanche
Over unprotected villages.
The sky slips low and grey and threatening.
We question ourselves.
What have we done to so affront nature?
We worry God.
Are you there? Are you there really?
Does the covenant you made with us still hold?
Into this climate of fear and apprehension, Christmas enters,
Streaming lights of joy, ringing bells of hope
And singing carols of forgiveness high up in the bright air.
The world is encouraged to come away from rancor,
Come the way of friendship.
It is the Glad Season.
Thunder ebbs to silence and lightning sleeps quietly in the corner.
Flood waters recede into memory.
Snow becomes a yielding cushion to aid us
As we make our way to higher ground.
Hope is born again in the faces of children
It rides on the shoulders of our aged as they walk into their sunsets.
Hope spreads around the earth. Brightening all things,
Even hate which crouches breeding in dark corridors.
In our joy, we think we hear a whisper.
At first it is too soft. Then only half heard.
We listen carefully as it gathers strength.
We hear a sweetness.
The word is Peace.
It is loud now. It is louder.
Louder than the explosion of bombs.
We tremble at the sound. We are thrilled by its presence.
It is what we have hungered for.
Not just the absence of war. But, true Peace.
A harmony of spirit, a comfort of courtesies.
Security for our beloveds and their beloveds.
We clap hands and welcome the Peace of Christmas.
We beckon this good season to wait a while with us.
We, Baptist and Buddhist, Methodist and Muslim, say come.
Peace.
Come and fill us and our world with your majesty.
We, the Jew and the Jainist, the Catholic and the Confucian,
Implore you, to stay a while with us.
So we may learn by your shimmering light
How to look beyond complexion and see community.
It is Christmas time, a halting of hate time.
On this platform of peace, we can create a language
To translate ourselves to ourselves and to each other.
At this Holy Instant, we celebrate the Birth of Jesus Christ
Into the great religions of the world.
We jubilate the precious advent of trust.
We shout with glorious tongues at the coming of hope.
All the earth's tribes loosen their voices
To celebrate the promise of Peace.
We, Angels and Mortal's, Believers and Non-Believers,
Look heavenward and speak the word aloud.
Peace. We look at our world and speak the word aloud.
Peace. We look at each other, then into ourselves
And we say without shyness or apology or hesitation.
Peace, My Brother
Peace, My Sister
Peace, My Soul
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Joy to All;
Peggy
Serendipity Traveler |
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