The Power of the New -

Whenever I discover something that has existed for hundreds perhaps thousands
of years and witness or experience it for the first time, I categorize that moment
as“new.” New in the sense that it becomes part of me finding its place in my
memory that was not there before. The idea that comes to me while sitting quietly
in a room or as I walk along the street perhaps has always existed inside my head
but at that moment of realization, the newness of that idea brings with it a sort
of power. A power that I can use to change or make a correction for the good of
myself, even others.

With the arrival of new life into our family this year, the meaning of the
word“new” and the power of that newness has taken on a completely different
meaning. It’s probably true that all of the motherly instincts have existed inside
me for a long time, but to actually realize the existence of another life that is
so incredible and miraculously connected to my own, produces another kind
of“newness.” That first sound a child makes, heard by mothers and fathers since the
beginning of time, is a unique, tonal quality all its own that I know I will recognize
for a lifetime. Then when it becomes the tone of that first, new cry that seems almost
melodic, I attempt to use the power of understanding to figure out what it is that
this precious new life is attempting to tell me.

There’s an old saying amongst some elder musicians, that there is nothing new to
the music, just variations of what has always been. It’s true that the sound of middle
C with an augmented fifth is a musical chord that has always existed, but until that
moment when it was first created, its mystery was only solved by the power to
create a new and unique sound. A vision of a woman’s face sitting quietly, looking
into the distance lives only inside the mind of the painter until the power to create
what we will see on the canvas as something new, pushes the strokes of the brush.

So now, whenever I wish someone a Happy New Year, there is a power that I hope
will translate with that wish, to not only enjoy the newness of the seasons, the people
and places they may discover, but also to find the newness of life and all it has to
offer us. To use the power of their newness to lift and carry others to a place where
every moment has the wonder and magic of becoming something new.

Happy New Year…
Alicia

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