Mosaic

“…Each of us puts in one little stone, and then you get a great mosaic at the end.” -Alice Paul (1885-1977), suffragist and author of the Equal Rights Amendment.

She’s right, you know. We need to be aware of where we put ourselves in that mosaic, and that we like where we are. We must all work together in harmony to create a beautiful and worthwhile piece of art! (Yeah, I know. I just had to say it. But the corny moment’s over now…)

But, even though it sounds like a line from an episode of Captain Planet, (Go Planet!!!), it’s completely true. We all need to decide—or design—the piece of the mosaic we want to be.

What does that mean? Well, how do you become a piece of broken stone—I mean, um, a piece of fine art? You learn to be yourself. If you are to become someone who is worth being part of a mosaic, you need to have the self esteem to become your own person. You can’t worry about what anyone else thinks. You are unique, and that’s what matters when making true art.

Take the Mona Lisa, for example. If she wasn’t herself and decided to be, say, macaroni art, there would be no reason for The DaVinci Code! (And that would really be a shame, wouldn’t it, Mister Hanks?)

It’s a pretty bad idea to not be yourself. If you really were a piece of shattered pottery, (which I’m not saying you are), you wouldn’t want to look like the piece of shattered pottery next to you. An artist would never pick you up to use!

You could stare at any given mosaic for two hours and I guarantee that you won’t be able to find any two matching pieces. (After two hours, you probably won’t be able to find your ride home, either.) But, even though no two pieces are the same, they all work together seamlessly to create a dazzling mosaic for the world to admire! (Okay, maybe I wasn’t completely done with my corny moment. But I’m finished now…I think…)

When in doubt, listen to Alice: it’s a good idea to be yourself, because you are an important part of the grander scheme. (She agrees that it’s also a good idea to sign up for the Shine Through Newsletter. But we’ll get to that later…)

In conclusion, only you can prevent forest fires! Wait, that’s not it.

To sum things up, the power is yours! Oh, wait, no. That’s Captain Planet again.

Oh, right! Always remember to Shine Through! That’s better.

(Okay, now my corny moment is officially over. But it was fun while it lasted.)

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New Year’s Resolutions!

Happy New Year, everyone! Now that 2008 is FINALLY here, I’m sure that everyone is ready for a great new beginning and a fresh start. I know I am, (especially after all those Christmas cookies…)

New Year’s resolutions are fun to make, but can sometimes be hard to follow throughout the year. I know I’ve had trouble. Last year I promised myself that I wouldn’t overdo it on the Christmas cookies….Oh, well. You win some, you lose some. But what’s most important is if you try. And when you get through that first month, the other eleven are easy!

This year, I’m making a New Year’s resolution to Shine Through as much as possible. What do I mean? Each time I’m faced with a situation in which I have the choice to follow the crowd or be myself, I plan to be myself.

Huh?

Well, because I can see into the future (…), on January 20^th, my friends and I go to see Enchanted in theaters. Again. And they all order a small popcorn, a bag of Skittles and a 16 oz. bottle of water. I’m not the biggest fan of popcorn. (Don’t get me wrong: I like eating it when I’m watching movies in the house where there’s dental floss nearby. And I’m definitely not carrying toothpaste in my pocket. Though there’s nothing wrong with that…)

So, in that situation, I would order myself a big bag of chocolate covered raisins. So, why is that such a big deal? Well, if I was wearing a mask in that situation, I would have ordered a small popcorn, a bag of Skittles and a 16 oz. bottle of water. Why? Because that’s what all my friends ordered. Why should I be any different? It’s a very small situation, but it can mean a whole lot. When you Shine Through, you choose to be yourself in whatever the situation may be. Especially when it involves choosing chocolate over corn…

My New Year’s resolution is that simple: I plan to be myself as much as possible! And you should, too. Besides, you’re the only you that you know. Who else is better suited to be YOU than YOU?

So pull out a sheet of paper and jot down your New Years resolutions, including your plan to Shine Through. (And don’t forget to write down that one about not drinking soda so fast. Don’t forget what happened the last couple of times you did that…)

Have a happy, healthy New Year! And don’t forget to Shine Through!