Wait for it…….wait for it……well you’re going to have to keep waiting!
I am told you need a “catchy” intro to get people to read your blog. However, I am simply happy that we are up and running as an organization and can even write a blog. So, welcome to the first official Peaceful Hugs blog post!
I chose May for the first blog because it is a special month to me from a personal and faith-based perspective. Personally, I love May as it is the last month of spring when flowers typically bloom, and nature comes back to life. May symbolizes success and love and the deep green emerald birthstone of May, which is thought to bring foresight and good fortune. May is also a symbol of rebirth and to me represents a new beginning and a fresh start that mirrors what Peaceful Hugs is all about; “Creating a Legacy of New Beginnings”! Therefore, what a better month than May for our first blog!
Let me get right to the point as it relates to faith! While I will refrain from boring everyone on my faith journey, it has led me to this simple conclusion; “the second is this: Love”! We are a secular organization but born out of a Christian, non-denominational foundation, which we interpret as loving God first, and in doing so we must love everyone else, as that is His second command. That means loving everyone, anyone, of any faith or no faith, agnostic, atheist, republican, democrat, independent, gay, straight, black, brown, you get the point! We are not here to convert anyone and we are not here to pour judgment over anyone. In contrast, we are here to reflect, serve, and learn how to love better than we currently do.
I personally found myself way too critical in my past and I literally get sick thinking about it. Today I thank God for His lessons and showing me the way (more about those lessons in a future post).
And that leads me to where the grace of Peaceful Hugs and its volunteers comes in! We need to show love and forgiveness and understand that grace cannot be earned; it is freely given. Therefore, we as an organization exist to give without expectation, meaning once again, that all, everyone, anyone, is welcome to volunteer or receive some form of assistance at Peaceful Hugs.
While years in the making, Peaceful Hugs officially kicked off in January 2020 with many plans for our inaugural year! However, as we all know, oftentimes those plans don’t go your way so you can complain, worry, and maybe even give up or you can do what we did and make adjustments and be happy that we are given another day to do good in someone’s life. Obviously COVID has changed our plans and therefore we are making adjustments by helping folks with personal / grocery goods and are in the process of partnering with folks within the Detroit area community to determine what we can do to help others during this unprecedented time. While finding jobs, homes, and providing daycare/schooling to single mothers and at-risk youth is temporarily on hold, supporting them through other means is now the main focus until we can all get through this pandemic.
Thank you for reading our blog. We appreciate your time, talent, treasures, donations, prayers, and well wishes. We love you, no matter who you are and no matter where you are in life! Every day is a blessing!
“The Second is this: LOVE”
Mark Steven
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