In a time when conversations feel increasingly fragile and divisions run deep, I am learning how difficult, and how necessary it is to choose courage, compassion and kindness.

“You must do the things you think you cannot do.”
—Eleanor Roosevelt

Choosing a Different Way: Recently I learned about the Season for Nonviolence, an annual 64-day observance that spans from January 30, the anniversary of the assassination of Mohandas K. Gandhi, to April 4, the anniversary of the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Co-founded in 1998 by Arun and Sunanda Gandhi and the Association for Global New Thought. This Season reminds us that each of us has the power to move the world toward peace through daily, intentional choices rooted in nonviolence.

When Differences Hurt: In families and friendships, differing political views can easily create rifts. I have experienced this personally. When I express concern about recent events, someone I care about may respond loudly with a differing view, talking over me and making it impossible for either of us to truly listen.

In those moments, I sometimes react by blurting out something unkind and then shut down entirely. These interactions are painful and leave me feeling hurt, disconnected, and discouraged.

And yet, I still hold hope…hope that we can learn to see beyond our differences, recognize our shared humanity, and to never lose sight of the divine spark within each person.

Practicing Nonviolence One Day at a Time: That hope is why learning about the Season for Nonviolence has been so encouraging for me. It offers a gentle reminder that peace is not only a global ideal, but also a daily practice lived out in how we listen, speak, and respond, especially when it feels hardest.

I have signed up for their inspiring daily videos, and I invite you to consider doing the same if you feel drawn to conversations that are healing and life-giving. The Franciscan Peace Center offers a simple and practical way forward: taking one step at a time, one choice at a time, and one day at a time. They have created a series of daily, one-minute video reflections on nonviolence, recorded by the Sisters of St. Francis of Clinton, Iowa.

If you’re curious, this may be one small practice worth trying.
You can sign up for the daily videos here: https://clintonfranciscans.com/season-for-nonviolence

Becoming Weavers of Reconnection: My hope is that we might become weavers of reconnection and community as people who choose unity over isolation and walk together, even when the path feels uncertain. In choosing nonviolence, even in small moments, we participate in the slow, sacred work of healing our relationships and our world.

Where might you be invited to practice nonviolence this season, in your words, your listening, or your silence?

I’d like to close with this poem by John Roedel:

when the world
goes mad
be wildly kind
to everyone
everyone
everyone

 you can’t control
much
but you control how
you treat others

in these breaking news
heartbreaking times
when nothing feels
certain
let your raw kindness
be a certainty

allow your compassion
to become a North Star
stamped up in
the sky for
others to follow
back home

—John Roedel

Shared by Liz Sorensen Wessel

Artwork by ~liz