My baptism in 1981. My Uncle Willie and Grandma were my godparents. My mom is in the middle.

My mother raised me in the Catholic faith. I was baptized Catholic, attended 8 years of Catholic school, and served as an altar girl, lector, and organist. I received all the sacraments at the “appropriate times” and married in the same Catholic church building as 3 previous generations of my family.

My mom also taught me to think for myself. She didn’t want me to believe something because I was told to believe it. She wanted me to think about and examine what I was taught and decide if it was true for me. This eventually led me to leave the church, not just the Catholic church but any organized religion, and establish my own spiritual path. I realized that I did not believe in the Catholic church’s doctrine and did not want to belong to a church that did not see me as equal to men, that did not allow me to hold any leadership role I desired in the church. I did not want to belong to a church, any church, that marginalized a large portion of its believers based on sex or sexual orientation. Even though I left all organized religion about 14 years ago, there are many things I learned from my experiences there that have helped me develop the spiritual practice I hold dear today.

Sunday School graduation, spring 1986.

The day I was confirmed in the Catholic church, May 1999. My mom is on the left.

Music is a strong force in my life. I identify deeply with ideas and sentiments expressed in song. One of the hymns I sang and played at the Catholic church in my hometown was Let There Be Peace on Earth. This beautiful song was written by husband and wife team Jill Jackson and Sy Miller in 1955. It was first performed at a workshop in the California mountains shortly after it was written. This song has since spread throughout the world.

Over the past four-ish years, I have found myself coming back to this song, in particular the words “Let it begin with me.” To me, this song is about more than a wish for peace. It is a call to let whatever you want to see manifested in the world “begin with me.”

If I want to see more courage in the world, then let it begin with me.

If I want to see more love in the world, then let it begin with me.

If I want to see more kindness in the world, then let it begin with me.

If I want to see more critical thinking in the world, then let it begin with me.

If I want to see more giving in the world, then let it begin with me.

Whatever I want to see, let me set an intention and demonstrate that behavior to the world. Let others learn from me and my behavior. Let me be the light and let my light spread to others. Let this intention I set become infectious and spread to all corners of the planet. Let it make life better for all. Let there be love on earth, one step at a time, one person at a time.

And let it begin with me.

If you are unfamiliar with this song, below is a beautiful performance of this song by Ricky Dillard at the Haven of Rest Missionary Baptist Church.  Enjoy!