2012 will be a luminous year

Abdu'l-Baha visited the Fourth Unitarian Church (Flatbush, Brooklyn) 

“This is a new cycle of human power. All the horizons of the world are luminous.” ~ 'Abdu'l-Bahá

Today, New Year's Eve, I've been reflecting on how excited I am for 2012....and thankful for the blessings of 2011.

2011 was a great year.....ran my first marathon at 3:40, my husband and I celebrated our 1st anniversary, I revisted Tanzania after 4 years and I also had the opportunity to travel to Chile and Dominican Republic.

2012 will be even better. It's the 100 year anniversary of `Abdu'l-Bahá's (the eldest son of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Baha'i faith) visit to America plus in June we will travel to Haifa, Israel for Baha'i pilgrimage.

'Abdu'l-Bahá traveled across America in 1912 giving talks on the need of unity among the races, equality between women and men, a balance of material and spiritual progress and international peace. While much of the discussion of the day involved the political requisites to peace, 'Abdu'l-Bahá focused on social and spiritual issues, linking universal peace with such topics as women's suffrage, a world tribunal, collective security, the necessity of religious unity and the need for justice.

Check out this article in the Huffington Post, 2012: A Special Year for American Baha'is
also this movie trailer for Luminous Journey: `Abdu'l-Bahá in America, 1912. 

Interesting fact I just learned....American Baha'is had provided money for 'Abdu'l-Bahá to sail on the Titanic. However, He asked instead that the funds be given to the poor and chose to travel on a more modest ship to New York in April 1912. THANK GOODNESS He was not on that tragic ship.

Note on the picture: 'Abdu'l-Bahá traveled to many places in Brooklyn including the Fourth Unitarian Church which was within walking distance from where I live :)