I have been a Baha'i for an entire year, now. I formally declared in a friend's living room three days before Naw Ruz in 2019, and here we are, in a brand new year. This year looks a whole lot different than the last one, but not all for the negative. So...I figured, in light of all the hard things in the world right now, I'd talk about some of the awesome good that has come out of life in the last year.
Being part of the Baha'i community here has...exploded my life in a lot of really neat ways. I know a lot more people locally than I ever did, and they have showed me such amazing love. A friend recently said something about all the Baha'is they knew being amazingly kind humans, and...oh, they are not wrong. The ways these people have accepted me, in my altogether true, and have helped me find ways to serve and grow alongside them has been astonishing. These are the people of my heart, and I am so glad Baha'u'llah has helped me find them.
My husband is here now! We did the immigration dance, and he came here in June last year, on our second wedding anniversary. I am so incredibly grateful he's here - especially now. Having someone to talk to, to snuggle up to, to play video games with, to cook with...it's still magical in a million ways. I know a lot of people prayed for us and hoped for us and helped us along the way, and I still am sometimes startled and delighted that we got here.
I've found a lot of strengths inside myself I didn't know I had. I'm willingly going out and being social and attending lots of devotionals and other community events now - because my community has made me feel safe and welcome. And sure, it helps that right now they're video chats so I can do it from the comfort of my computer chair at home, but still - I love that there is a place for me to be a part of such an awesome community who is trying really hard to be a force for such good in the world.
I've been making our Baha'i community newsletter every nineteen days for a while now - I've learned so much about design and accessibility and how to make sure that people get the news and information they need in a way that's easy, aesthetically pleasing, and not too intimidating. I've really enjoyed learning the programs I'm using, and seeing how happy this connection to each other has made others in my community. It doesn't feel like I am doing something all that big, but here we are.
I've started recording myself reading various books from my childhood, as a way to spread some joy in the world. I'm posting them on Facebook and Twitter, and it's just been fun to share these happy things in the world, to give people a moment to breathe, to forget the world outside, and just enjoy a fun thing.
This year has been a lot of change. A lot of new things, a lot of hard things, and the world feels like it's a whole lot of struggle right now. So I thought focusing on some bright moments might help. We're going to get through this together, friends. As the Universal House of Justice reminded the Baha'is of the world in a Naw Ruz letter they sent us a short time ago, "However difficult matters are at present...humanity will ultimately pass through this ordeal, and it will emerge on the other side with greater insight and with a deeper appreciation of its inherent oneness and interdependence." We're in this together, my lovelies. We've got each other, and we're gonna make it through. The world will not be quite the same, but there are still flowers that are gonna bloom and birds that are gonna sing and somehow, we'll find a way. Take care of each other, love each other..
I hope to hear about the things that made your heart bubble up with joy over this past year, and maybe even what you're looking forward to in the months to come. We've got this. Today might be hard, but tomorrow will come. It might be hard too, but that's okay. We'll face it together.
