by TheaHalo
During these days when multiple religions are celebrating their holy days, and giving gifts to commemorate the occasion, its good to remember the greatest gift we all share… the gift of being inhabitants of this unique planet.
In all the vastness of the universe, no other planet has yet been found that supports life. And the life earth supports is so extraordinary and varied, that it’s a wonder that we humans don’t get down on our knees each day to give thanks for our good fortune. Whatever else is troubling in our lives—and certainly there are many troubles for so many people around the world—there is at least this one constant… the beauty and diversity of our blue planet… today turned white in some parts of the world with the wonder of snow.
The wonder of finding a spider living on my window sill that is so tiny and transparent that it’s barely visible, yet it’s still able to spin a web, hunt, eat, and reproduce is only matched by the wonder of the giants inhabiting our diverse planet… the elephant, the giraffe, the whale… and us humans.
This gift we’ve been given is something to think about during these days of gift giving and, for some, prayer. A commitment to foster peace on earth, for everyone on earth, and a commitment to protect our extraordinary planet, is the most meaningful way to say thank you to the universe for its great gift to us.
Happy holidays!! And a New Year full of love, hope, inspiration, and gratitude!
____________________________________________
Thea Halo is the author of the critically acclaimed memoir, Not Even My Name, a former news correspondent for WBAI in NYC, and a former producer for public radio in upstate NY. Not Even My Name was instrumental in garnering the first state-level resolutions in the U.S. that recognized the genocide of the Pontian and other Asia Minor Greeks and Assyrians. She was a co-sponsor and driving force, along with Prof. Adam Jones, of the International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) resolution that affirmed the Ottoman Genocides of Pontian and other Asia Minor Greeks and Assyrians as comparable to the genocide of the Armenians. She has also published a collection of poetry, and a number of Thea’s historical papers on the Genocides of Greeks and Assyrians have been published in books on the Ottoman Genocides. In 2009, Thea, along with her mother, Sano Halo, who passed away in 2014 at the age of 105, were awarded honorary Greek citizenship by the Greek government. In 2002, Thea was awarded the AHEPA Homer Award and, in 2012, the Association of Greek American Professional Women honored Thea and Sano for their “Profound contribution to Literature and to Hellenic Cultural Heritage and History.” Thea has also won numerous awards for her poetry and literary essays.