I'm back in town and slowly getting caught up on my journal.  Thought I would start off simple with well-wishes for those who celebrate Kwanzaa.  It started yesterday, so I'm already late.

Here is Beliefnet's Comprehensive Kwanzaa Guide.

Day 1 (December 26): Umoja, Swahili for "unity," is the principle celebrated on the first day.  We focus on ways to strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation and race.

Day 2 (December 27): Kujichagulia, Swahili for "self-determination," is the principle celebrated on the second day.  We focus on ways to define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves and speak for ourselves.

Day 3 (December 28): Ujima, Swahili for "collective work and responsibility," is the principle celebrated on the third day.  We focus on ways to build and maintain our community together and make our brother's and sister's problems our problems and to solve them together.

Day 4 (December 29): Ujamaa, Swahili for "cooperative economics," is the principle celebrated on the fourth day.  We focus on ways to build and maintain our own stores, shops and other businesses and to profit from them together.

Day 5 (December 30): Nia, Swahili for "purpose," is the principle celebrated on the fifth day.  We focus on ways to make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.

Day 6 (December 31): Kuumba, Swahili for "creativity," is the principle celebrated on the sixth day.  We focus on ways to do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.

Day 7 (January 1): Imani, Swahili for "faith," is the principle celebrated on the seventh day.  We focus on ways to believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.

We've toyed with commemorating Kwanzaa for Dan's benefit, but have not yet done so.  It's possible that this will be something that we try out as he gets a little older.  Regardless, the principles of Kwanzaa are all principles that I support and agree with.  I wish everyone a blessed Kwanzaa!