Dear friends,

I greatly enjoyed my annual New Year’s Peace Meditation two days ago. It always brings together NVC enthusiasts from across the world and is one of my favorite traditions for welcoming the New Year! 

How was 2024 for you? For me, it was a bumpy ride. There were moments of joy spending time with our 3-year-old grandson, mine and Kim’s first international trip together (a bonafide vacation that was void of work), and precious time with family and friends. There was also heartbreak as we supported family through challenging health issues and grieved over devastating world affairs and the unimaginable pain people are enduring. The year ended with a presidential election here in the US that half the country is mourning and half the country is celebrating.

I’m proud of the progress we’ve made at the NVC Academy, including a new partnership with the Center for Nonviolent Communication (CNVC), as well as further development of ongoing partnerships with the Nonviolent Global Liberation (NGL), many other peacemaking organizations, and trainers. We have also launched Phase B of our complete website overhaul and redesign, streamlined our operations to work more efficiently and effectively, and strengthened our outreach to make our programs available to even more people across the world. I cherish our work, each member of the NVC Academy Team, and the combination of care, effectiveness, and productivity we bring to our work together.

Mary and Kim enjoying a little whimsy down at the Long Beach, California Pier.I ended 2023 with an overwhelming feeling of “whoosh,” which is kind of like the unsteady feeling one might have when experiencing a small earthquake or tumbling in an ocean wave that’s too big to hold one’s ground.

I end 2024 with trepidation about world affairs and a relieving steadiness in my own self and life. I cherish every single moment I witness or hear about when people demonstrate sincere care and tenderness for each other, and I venture to bring my own demonstrations as often as I can. 

Now what? For those of you who have read my New Year messages in the past, you may recall that I pray for a mantra that I use throughout the coming year to help focus and ground myself. 

My 2025 mantra is still developing. So far, it is, “I am in Divine flow.” I hope it will become a constant reminder to me that even when things appear to be unsteady, I can trust there is Divine meaning to it.

What would you like to call into your life in 2025? Consider if you’d like to write a mantra to help guide you throughout the year.

I wish you joy, fulfillment, and inner peace in abundance in 2025, and I hope our paths will cross. Until then, blessings to you and those you love… 

Mary,
CEO, NVC Academy
CNVC Certified Trainer