Lately my mind has been inexplicably drawn to two very important women in my life. I have seen neither of these women in thirty years, yet their influence remains. Miss Foley and Mrs. Anderson both taught at Linden Avenue Elementary School. I can still see their faces, hear their voices, and if I am really quiet, I can smell Miss Foley's perfume and hear the sounds of Mrs. Anderson's second grade classroom from the perspective of the coatroom.

Miss Foley taught me to read. Mrs. Anderson taught me to learn from what I was reading.

These two women brought about an awakening in my life. They guided me from illiteracy to artistry. It was in the second grade I discovered expression through haiku and creative writing, spinning tales regularly for myself and anyone else who I perceived was interested. Influential partners and teachers in our lives are Transformers. Revolutionaries. Together, they have the power to change humanity.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Scholarship is to be created not by compulsion, but by awakening a pure interest in knowledge. The wise instructor accomplishes this by opening to his pupils precisely the attractions the study has for himself."

Lately I have been awakened through personal study of the Renaissance period in history.

Renaissance. Merriam Webster tell us it can mean a specific period of time in Human history following the Middle Ages or it can point towards a period of revival or renewal. Finally, it can be a personal experience of an expansion in artistic and intellectual activity.

When an old year becomes history and we are given a fresh new calendar, suddenly the possibilities glisten and glean before our eyes. We stand taller, we make new commitments. We sometimes stand courageous where before we would stand in the place of fear.

All because we turn the page of a calendar from one year to the next.

A couple years ago there was quite a period of unsettle as people concerned themselves with the year 2000. All that negative, nervous energy was for naught. Worldwide, humanity collaborated to make a smooth transition from one millenium to the next.

You can make a smooth transition, today, to stand tall and courageous in Your New Renaissance.

My theme for the year 2002 is "My New Renaissance: Honoring All of Me."

Even writing that brings a smile to my face. A Re-birth. A time to love each aspect of myself be it the terrific, the so-so or the things I-am-not-so- proud-to- admit. The word "honor" reflects my willingness to respect myself as I respect others in my life. In honoring myself, my commitment to honoring others is rooted even more deeply and authentically.

In the Renaissance period of history, the People coming out of the Middle Ages began to look back to the Classical Period of Greek and Roman history to glean what they could from thinkers such as Aristotle and Plato. Socrates and Epictetus. They did not want to go BACK to the classical period: they wanted to learn the lessons and apply those lessons to their lives more than twelve centuries later.

In the Renaissance period of your life, may you look back at your history and learn from those significant lessons and apply the knowledge gained to the person you are today 15, 20, 5 or 30 years later.

It is not hiding from the past as many in Medieval times wanted to do, instead it is embracing it. Taking the time to understand it. And then leaving behind what does not fit the current you and transform what remains into something positively glorious.

When each one of us commits to our own renaissance, the world as we know it can change. Committing to your awakening is also committing to the planet. It is committing to your first grade teacher and your little league coach and your drama teacher and your grandparents.

It is saying "YES! I will leave this place better than when I arrived. I dedicate myself to rebirth in my life. I pledge to the ongoing forward movement that comes with personal renaissance. And Yes, I commit to recognizing when hurdles show up in my path I will take the time to learn the lesson of the hurdle and continue the path."

One of my favorite quotes is from American Poet, Robert Frost: "Two roads diverge in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference."

Expanding in Your New Renaissance will create an environment that will bring about amazing an transformation for all of us.

Here is your challenge: Create a pledge, commitment or dedication to your personal renaissance in your own words. Write them down. Speak them aloud. Memorize them.

Live accordingly.

You will make all the difference.