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 came across this video only recently, and it saddens me that since 1992, when Severn Suzuki was only 12 years old, things have not gotten better - they have gotten worse. So I submit to you all to watch this video of Severn Suzuki addressing the UN Earth Summit in 1992, calling for change in environmental and social policy to the leaders of the UN.

If a 12-year old girl in 1992 can have the courage and strength to find her way to address the UN, I believe that all of us have the power to do something. Together we could move mountains - perhaps.

Enjoy this video. The message from 1992 sounds clear today even.

On May 6, 2007, Greg Boetje-Obed will be released from Sandstone FIC after serving a year-long sentence for the “Weapons of Mass Destruction Plowshares” action that he, Michael Walli, and Karl Cabat performed last year. Dressed as clowns, the three pounded on nuclear missle silos with hammers (an act of “turning swords into plowshares”), poured blood, and hung signs at the fence to the silo, denouncing nuclear weapons as illegal and “sinful.”

During sentencing, each of the men made a statement attesting to the illegality of nuclear weapons under international law, yet the court would not take any such testimony into evidence.

Here’s a quote from an article at www.jonahhouse.org about the courtroom exchange:

Greg’s wife, Michelle Naar Obed, was in the courtroom during this exchange. After the sentencing was over, Michelle shook her head and said, “If Greg had left us his for a year and risked his life to go to war to kill people, no one would question him – they would call him a hero! But, because he risked time in jail to act out his convictions for peace, people question his commitment to his family. That is a tragic.” What does it say about our society that personal sacrifices to go to war to kill people in war are praised, while personal sacrifices for peace are condemned?

Until those interested in peace are willing to make the same sacrifices as those interested in war, peace will not prevail. These three men have proven they are willing to pay the price for peace.

The courage and sacrifice of Greg, Michael, and Karl should inspire us all. I have eaten dinner with Greg and Michael in Duluth, and know Greg’s wife, Michelle and his daughter Rachel, now 12, quite well. My partner Michael volunteered alongside them at the Loves and Fishes Catholic Worker Community in Duluth, where they served meals, housed the poor and homeless, and provided hospitality to those in need.

Today Greg is my hero. He’s a hero for peace.

Wangari Maathai is the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner

I’ve decided to start a new category and photo set on my Flickr Photospace about people I consider “heroes.” Mind you, I may have different definitions of the word hero. These are people who have risen above major challenges in creative ways, to bring about unexpected and profound change. I hope you enjoy hearing about these wonderful people.

Wangari Maathai started a movement in Kenya called the Grain Belt Movement. Even under an oppressive regime, she motivated women to make changes in the environment which they live. Over a period of 30 years, women in Kenya joined her in planting some 30 million trees. While they were doing this, they were creating community and becoming a support structure for themselves in a place where women held few rights.

From these efforts, Wangari has also been an advocate for women, human rights, and environmental sustainability. She was the first black woman in Eastern and Central Africa to earn a Doctorate Degree. In 2002, she was elected to the Kenya Parliament and was appointed Assistant Minister for Environment, Natural Resources and Wildlife.

All my life, I have been trying to show how the Earth is central to our lives, and I have tried to express this in many ways. Every time I see the soil laid bare, I feel the urge to cover it, to re-clothe the naked Earth in verdant green vegetation. This is the robe of Mother Earth, adorned with beautiful, lush shades of green abundance.

So my dream is for us to return to the Earth her cloak of green vegetation, to give her back what she once had. By doing this we will be working towards what some call sustainable development.

I like the sound of that dream!