As you know, I occasionally pull things from the headlines to write about in my newsletters. Of course, I try very hard to tread the middle path when addressing these subjects so as not to offend anyone. Now before I go any further, I must proclaim that I am NOT being politically correct here when I say this. I do have DEFINITE opinions on most matters. It's just that I always try to look at the subjects I'm commenting on through a spiritual lens devoid of ego before I shout my opinions out for unsuspecting ears to hear. Which, by the way, leads me to the topic of this months newsletter, Losing Your History.

Over the past year or so, I have paid strict notice to the news in all its facets. One overwhelming trend that I have noticed has to do with the fact that every time I turn on the TV, I find that some relevant thing from the history of our country is being eradicated - Flags, statues, monuments, celebrations, our rights.....you name it. Professional ball teams are even being sued and forced to change names that they have had since their inceptions. I had to ask myself, "Why?"

Through the spiritual lens, I view history as roots, and roots, as we all should know, act as anchors. Just ask a tree. If you sever the roots from a tree, it no longer has anything to hold it firmly and steadfastly to the ground. Without its roots, it simply falls over and dies. On the same note, the same could be said about a boat with no anchor. Without the anchor to hold it in place, the boat would aimlessly drift until the ocean finally decided to swallow it up.

From my perspective, history stands as a testament to our successes as well as our failures. History is a stark reminder of where we've been, and how far we've come. History acts as a moral compass that helps us to set our lives on a course for the better or the worse. To simply eradicate our history would mean wiping away all those hard learned lessons that propelled us forward and made us who we are today.

When I think of this dilemma, I often refer back to the Bible. The authors of the Bible spend countless chapters and pages traversing the history and the roots of our ancestors. The reason for this is simple: It is there as a reminder.....a reminder of what was, is, and could be again if we don't learn the moral lessons from our past.

Yes....some of our history is very, very ugly. But for every ugly thing in it there is something beautiful and worth preserving. When I think about it, if we have to erase every ugly thing then we might as well erase every good thing as well, because every good thing......came about as a result of the ugly one. Think about it!!

Love and Light
Debra Bramblett