My vision for the year 2011

                                " If there is righteousness in the heart,

                                  there will be beauty in the character.

                                  If there is beauty in the character,

                                  there will be harmony in the home.

                                  If there is harmony in the home,

                                  there will be order in the nation.

                                  When there is order in the nation,

                                  there will be peace in the world."

                                                                         -Sri Sathya Sai Baba

I read these words first as a young woman just sixteen years old. Even then, the power of this message resonated deep within me. I recognized the profound truth of these words. Pure, simple, fearless truth.

With one righteous heart, the whole world begins to transform. There is no greater "righteousness in the heart" than the heart of a mother who loves her family. Yours, is the work that will bring peace to the world. Yours, is the work that will inspire change. I know that sometimes, it feels as though all you change are dirty diapers. I know the feeling that nags at the back of your mind whispering, "Is this really all there is? Is my life nothing more than picking up blocks and appeasing a screaming child?" It can feel as though you are stuck in an eternal loop of eating, cleaning, and sleeping. But I promise you, amidst the folded laundry and sliced apples with peanut butter, lingers something eternal. With each kiss you shower upon your little one, each sock you match, each dinner prepared for your beloved husband you are singing out the beauty of your character. The dedication you have to your family. The love you can not help but express. Through this work, you are creating harmony in your home.

This is the music of life! This is the song that will change the world. Your song, your voice, no one else can bring that music into your home. It is outside of my power, or your mother's power, or your husband's power, or the government's power, or the military's power, or the school's public educational power, or your church's power. The home is YOUR stage, if you don't fill it with your voice, no one else will. And if you do not fill that stage with your song, dissonance will creep in and pound at your family's ears. Sing your love song to your family and let that music fill your home.

I do not have a goal for the year 2011. I have a vision. I hold this vision in my heart, for this year and for every year. A vision of music filling the air. Echoing out of our homes, singing from out of the hearts of every mother. Music with the power to bring order to nations, and peace to our world.

This is no small work my divas. Do not let yourself get distracted, do not think for a moment that your voice does not have this power. Do not let anything take you away from the stage that is YOURS. Sing my divas, sing for your husband, sing for your babies, sing for your friends, sing for yourself. Let your voice uplift and inspire others so that they too may find their song.

This is the greatest work on earth. This is the most powerful music on earth. Not even the Metropolitan opera can compare to the sound of your lullaby as you rock your little one to sleep.

I applaud you my dear divas, I applaud you.
DD