Fears from November 1999---Remember Y2K?

I am not only going through files at home but at church too.  I am having fun going through old church newsletters.  These newsletters are paper which I miss.  I can't tell you how often I want to look up something in old newsletters but can't find it on our church email.  We changed email providers and lost about 3 years of newsletters in the process.

Below is a copy of what I wrote in the November 1999 Unity of Denton newsletter.  (Hint---Y2K was looming)

Can you remember an occasion which was a milestone because you conquered fear?  All of us have events stored in our memory that have caused us anxiety, fear and concern, yet they also proved to be great benefit or blessing in our lives.

I remember the first time that I went to a public speaking class.  All through school, I had a great fear of standing in front of others and speaking in a formal setting.  Even reading a simple report caused me great trepidation.  Facially, I knew that I had to move through this fear in order to be able to express myself in any event that involved groups of people.

On the first day of public speaking class, I faced a class of about 100 people and tears ran down my face as I began to speak.  And this was in front of a positive supportive group at a local Unity church.  I stayed with it, and as I did the fear became less and less and I began to enjoy speaking (which I never thought would happen).

As we begin the final countdown to the new millennium, we may be having mixed feelings.  On one hand, we are hearing from some groups that we need to be prepared for the Y2K problem.  Other groups are certain that the millennium is the beginning of the apocalyptic time when the world will come to an end.  Others fear that natural disasters will begin to accelerate.  Others are fearful of of a terrible world war.

I personally feel that the new millennium is ushering in a time of unprecedented technological and scientific developments.  The changes that will occur will cause people to think about the real meaning of life and living, and I believe that people will be drawn to discover spirituality and prayer.

Our thoughts and prayers make a difference as we go through the many changes ahead.  We have the opportunity to transmute our fears and face a wonderful future.  The challenge lies within each of us to discover who we are, our purpose for being here and to move forward confidently as co-creators with God.

As you will see after looking through this newsletter, we are planning many joyful events as the millennium nears.  Each of you are invited to participate and feel the joy.

I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to be here with you as we go through this time in history together.