Over fifteen years ago my wife and I separated. For the sake of our child we set aside our personal differences and partnered as parents to raise our son. We even spent the holidays together.
I am grateful to my ex-wife. She could have hung on to her anger and disappointment, cast judgment and criticism, and created an insurmountable wall between us. Instead, she chose Unity, allowing us to connect in harmony and peace as a family. Unity allowed us to love each other even if we no longer liked each other. It helped to us to listen to each other, and enjoy our different ways of being. Unity empowered our child to feel warm and safe being around his mother and father, even if they were separated and living apart.
I cherish the memories of our little boy’s innocent belief in a red-nosed reindeer guiding a flying sleigh across the midnight sky, and his wide-eyed wonder and anticipation as he opened his presents from Santa Claus.
All grown up now, my son is home from college for the holidays. This year he will spend tonight with his mother and her new husband. And for the first time in my life I will be alone on Christmas Eve.
Perhaps I’ll put on my Santa hat and go downtown. As I stroll along the festive, brightly lit streets, I’ll hand out candy canes to passersby along with a Unity “V” card. Maybe it will affect someone and encourage him or her to see people of different colors, countries, religions, sexes, and ages as part of one race—the human race—so we can overcome our differences and work together to raise really great kids!
Wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday season and a happy New Year filled with the Virtues from “A” to “Z”.
Scott Feraco
Founder and Creative Director
If you have any thoughts or comments you would like to share, please email me at scott@theVchannel.com.
Special thanks to The Family Virtues Guide by Linda Kavelin Popov, and the Virtues Project, a global grassroots initiative to inspire the practice of virtues in everyday life.
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