A River Between

I was sitting in Amazing Grace Coffeehouse in Duluth last week, when my friend Áine emailed a link to me of a British singer.  Susan Boyle was an auditioner on the television show, Britain’s Got Talent.  She’s 47, unemployed, never married, and lives with her cat, Pebbles.

Everyone was cynical, and seemingly against her when she claimed that she wanted to be as successful as Elaine Page.  But then she began to sing - and as she wowed the audience to their feet, it was all I could do to hold back my own tears just watching her.  This beautiful woman, who against all odds, showed the world that you must never judge a book by it’s cover, and that we should all be so bold as to go after our dreams - no matter how young or old we are.

Her Youtube video(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY) has reached near 40,000,000 views as of my writing this, and I’m sure these numbers will continue to rise.  So many people had the same reaction I did.  This very common woman shook our foundations and shattered the walls of loss, loneliness, and isolation that are felt by all of us at some point in our lives - and some of us, even nearly all our lives.

What a gift to hear her sing this song, and to share her presence - her very authentic presence.

I think of people I know who have dreams - oh heck, even me and my dreams!  What is it in our world, in our society, that tells us that we cannot acheive these dreams?  What is that force that tells us that we aren’t good enough, young enough, attractive enough, etc?

And then we see someone who can put a mirror up to our own self-doubt - our own memories of bullying, criticism, and those who cut us down over the years - and she hits the home run for all of us.

What a moment!

Thank you, Susan Boyle!

Recently, two other friends and I have started a venture we call “Hats for Honduras” - http://www.hatsforhonduras.org/ I want to give special props to Tiger Technologies for donating the hosting for our website. They are the best hosting company, hands down, that I’ve ever worked with, and I’m so thrilled that they were touched by this project as well.

Hats for Honduras is a venture in keeping a friendship alive, and for hopefully sparking new ones. Over the past year-and-a-half, the Loaves and Fishes Community, which I volunteer with, hosted a man named Henry, from Honduras. After a long recovery from a near-death auto accident, he finally returned home last month.

Henry became part of our family, and we’ve been invited to visit any time. Hats for Honduras is our fundraising project to fly 3-4 of us to Tegucigalpa, Honduras by 2010 to visit Henry in his native land. We’re looking for donations, of yarn, looms, knitted hats, and money. We’ll send a hand-made knitted hat to anyone who donates. Henry adored the knitted hat made for him by our friend Kristina, and took it with him everywhere - even to West Palm Beach, before boarding a flight from Miami to Honduras.

Our loftiest goals are also to start a friendship exchange program between Duluth, MN and Henry’s community between Tegucigalpa and Juticalpa.

Knitting has been easier on the circular looms for this newbie, but I’m learning a lot, and having fun. I have now made 8 hats!

Read all about our adventures in knitting at the Hats for Honduras Web Site.

I don’t normally put links to movies on my blog, but this one needs a special mention. Throughout this whole movie, I was moved to tears. Prayers for Bobby is a very honest portrayal of a family and a mother dealing with the news of their son being gay.

Coming out is a journey for a family. Sometimes it’s a real struggle, and nobody’s perfect, and there are never easy answers. Acceptance doesn’t always come quickly. In my own wonderfully loving and beautifully imperfect family, our journey has never been easy, but we’ve always loved each other - that I have never doubted. It took some time, but now they ask me about Michael, my partner, and I was touched to see them put his picture right next to mine in their home.

This movie shows so vividly, the worst fears of any gay son to feel deeply that they are not loved, and the deepest fears of any parent who would have to suffer a death of their son to suicide. It also shows how religion can be used as a tool to divide us, to sever families, and to make people to feel deep deep shame.

How can God shame one of his own? How can God not love one of his own?

I forgave my mother years ago for saying some of the same things Sigourney Weaver says to her son in this movie. I forgave myself for feeling like I put my parents through this tough journey years ago. And though in many ways we’re all still on this journey, I love them with all my heart, and I grew to accepting myself, and feeling the gifts that come with loving another person, and finding true joy.

So, I encourage everyone to watch. Have kleenex ready.

This weekend I am in Madison, WI, where I attended the 2nd annual Unschooling Conference, sponsored by H.O.M.E. All I can say is “What a conference!” Coming to meet so many wonderful people has been a great re-charge of my spirit. Unschooling has many forms, but can generally be characterized as the development of complete autodidactic, or self-directed learning. Unschoolers reject “schools” and imposed curriculum and structures, to allow students and people to learn from their own interests, goals, and passions.

The Village School of Northfield was an “unschool” where children were free to study what they wanted, when they wanted, and how they wanted. Here’s a link to a previous posting about The Village School.

At the Unschooling Conference I was able to meet some very wonderfully creative and passionate people - many of whom were parents who unschool their own children.

Here is a general summary of my experience:
Continue Reading »

On Saturday, August 11, I was part of a “Chorus of Pollenators” to help celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden and Bird Sanctuary in Minneapolis. The festivities for the day were organized and performed by members and volunteers of In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre.

You may view pictures on Flickr of the event!

Videos are listed below for viewing and downloading! Songs performed were written by Laurie Witzkowski. Enjoy!

Bees
A song about worker bees, dancing and singing bees, and those who simply flap their tiny wings to move pollen in the hive.
Watch in Pop-Up | Download Movie (8.4 MB - Requires Quicktime)

Pollenator Makes it Three
What’s a flower to do when it has a longing to cuddle with the cutest flower it sees, but can’t just get up and walk? Cross-polination is where it’s at!
Watch in Pop-Up | Download Movie (11.6 MB - Requires Quicktime)

Hummingbird
Hummm…Humm Hummm….Ming…MINGMING… Bird..Bird..BIIIIIRRD! A fun and lively song about the hummingbird.
Watch in Pop-Up | Download Movie (6.8 MB - Requires Quicktime)

Over the weekend, Michael and I went to his family’s cabin area near Sandstone, MN. This has been a great retreat for us this year, and every time we go there, the scenery changes. This time, when we arrived, Michael’s mother was busy creating a labyrinth.

This was a great culmination, since back in May, I went on a labyrinth tour as part of a conference. As well, just a few weeks ago, Michael and his mom went on their own labyrinth tour around the twin cities. This was enough to spark interest in building one at “the farm”. With everyone pitching in, we were able to complete this small, four-circuit labyrinth in one day.

I’ve posted photos and a little tutorial on “How to build a labyrinth” on my Flickr photo space. Enjoy!

Standing in line. Hall passes. Study hall. Detention. Small desks. Running to your locker so you aren’t late for your next class.These are just some of the memories I have of school growing up. After graduating from high school nineteen years ago, it’s difficult to come up with a list of ways that school prepared me for the real world. Maybe the one Home Economics class I took my freshman year, or perhaps one of my Psychology courses were the ones that I took with me into the “real world”.

On Thursday, February 2, I joined many others for an open discussion about democracy in education and the mission of The Village School of Northfield. While I had been to the school before, this time showed more of the deep need for true democratic education in our school systems today. The Village School is about self-directed education. Students from grades K – 12 learn what they want, when they want, and how they want. Teachers act as partners and guides for students in their education. As the evening unfolded, I felt I had learned more in two hours than I had in years.
Continue Reading »

The holiday season can be both stressful and joyous for anyone - sometimes at the same time. One of the big stresses can be holiday shopping for everyone in your life. Every year I feel a small twinge of cynicism when I become attached to the rampant commercialism of the season when I shop for gifts. How were they made? Who benefits from my purchase of this item? Am I buying into the crazy cycle of consumerism when I do my holiday shopping?

This year I plan to buy at least half of my gifts from sources that are “fair trade” in their philosophy.

So what is meant by Fair Trade?

According to the International Fair Trade Association, Fair Trade means:

• Creating opportunities for economically disadvantaged workers to alleviate poverty and promote sustainable development.
• Accountability and transparency in the trading of goods.
• Gender Equity - Women are empowered and paid for their work.
• A fair price is charged to pass on a liveable profit to the workers, artisans, or producers of goods.
• Healthy Working Conditions that also respect human rights and do not exploit children in the manufacture of goods.
• Responsible environmental practices.

Have you ever stopped to think about those holiday purchases you make, and where your money goes when you buy a gift? One would hope that money could go to workers who make the goods we consume and that they are supported and provided a living wage and adequate working conditions. Unfortunately this just isn’t always so.

Here are a few good places to do your holiday shopping this season that I’ve collected.

Ten Thousand Villages - They have an all volunteer retail staff at a location in St. Paul, at Grand Ave and Victoria!

Global Exchange

Rawganique - Organic hemp cloting!

Real Goods - Environmentally Sustainable gifts here!

Conference of Catholic Bishops - Shopping links galore!

Happy shopping!!

It’s been some time since my last posting here, but hopefully I can summarize. I’ve been traveling and doing quite a lot over the month of October.

I was able to have a voice lesson with my teacher, Wendy Rowe, in Madison, WI over the weekend of October 16. It’s always a healing session as well, as I feel that a lot of my identity is tied up in my voice. My singing has always been an authentic portrayal of “who I am” as a person. I’ve enjoyed how Wendy has brought that out of me, and how I realize that even at 36, I’m still learning and growing as an artist, vocalist, and person.

Some other big things too. Michael and I have been together now for over three months, and are still going strong. He’s helped me to unlock so much of myself, and has been the catalyst of so much “authentic change” in me. Switching my emphasis from Arts Administration to Human Develpment, as well as becoming a non-meat-eater, have been through his modeling of a more authentic life. I’ve also begun cutting back on some other commitments so that I can concentrate on my studies and more creative projects.

Most recently, Michael and I went to a science fiction convention in Iowa, where we met a wonderful artist named Jael. At 68, she is at the top of her creativity, and shows no sign of stopping. She didn’t pick up painting or fantasy art until she was 48 years old, but all of her life has been an authentic voyage into her own creativity.

There are definately people in this world that show us that living authentically is the path to true RICHNESS. I’m not talking about making money or wealth, but the richness of the legacy you leave behind. Those things stick around long after a person parts this world. So, today I’m spending some time giving thanks to those who have modeled for me, the path to finding my True Voice.

Peace.
-Scott