Often the sense of belonging to any group, country or ethnicity evades me. Wisdom I learn from each, yet, to embrace in totality any singular one, seems somewhat restricting. How can I relinquish diverse wisdom and close myself to the wonder of it all. At this time of year what seems to pervade through all religions, is the need for light, candle light or star light to guide us out of the darkness. Candles lit on the Menorah or in the Christingle service or in November with Diwali and the festival of lights remember strength in darkness, adversity against anger and hurt caused to one another through difference, or lack of tolerance and acceptance of those differences. Then triumph and celebration for hope against destruction or futility and a peace we all long for. As I take a winter walk through the Yorkshire hills near an old 16th Century Abbey, I delight in finding such diversity of people wondering about enjoying a typical wintery scene, with trees all a bare, except one those evergreens. I find one, covered in paper with written wishes upon it.
I´m suddenly taken back to Japan where I first saw outside a temple and was invited to write upon white paper and tie to the tree my souls greatest wish. In delight I find these intercultural influences pervading and enriching our lives. I had always thought that the wish tree I had first seen in Japan was such a wonderful idea, to find it standing proud in the hills of Yorkshire gave me such delight. 
I feel as humans, we need to learn from each, to not be afraid of the differences, but be curious, inquisitive without judgement and often embrace traditions and rituals with delight, then finding enrichment, universality and diversity simultaneously in the marvelous dynamic of life.
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