Wednesday, June 17, 2009

...


"We must delight in each other, make others' conditions our own, rejoice together, mourn together, labor and suffer together, always having before our eyes our community as members of the same body"
- John Winthrop, 1965

Sunday, June 7, 2009

"a long way gone" - by Ishmael Beah


This biography is a great introduction for anyone who has entertained the desire to better understand or empathize with soldiers and war in Africa.

Prepare to:
cry
laugh
wrestle
question
doubt
hate
&
love...as you read.

This book gave me a beautiful and challenging graphic snapshot into the backbone of what it takes to survive in the darkest and most unimaginable conditions.

We are so fragile as people.
We are guaranteed nothing.
Safety and comfort are illusions.

...read this book.
click here

...video/interview with ishmael
click here

Thursday, June 4, 2009

...


"One final paragraph of advice: Do not burn yourself out. Be as I am-a reluctant enthusiast... a part time crusader, a half-hearted fanatic. Save the other half of yourselves and your lives for pleasure and adventure. It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it is still there. So get out there and mess around with your friends, ramble out yonder and explore the forests, encounter the grizz, climb the mountains. Run the rivers, breathe deep of that yet sweet and lucid air, sit quietly for a while and contemplate the precious stillness, that lovely, mysterious and awesome space. Enjoy yourselves, keep your brain in your head and your head firmly attached to your body, the body active and alive, and I promise you this much: I promise you this one sweet victory over our enemies, over those deskbound people with their hearts in a safe deposit box and their eyes hypnotized by desk calculators. I promise you this: you will outlive them."

-edward abbey

Monday, June 1, 2009

thought spray


things.

weight.

storage.

heavy.

more.

shut.

boxes.

rush.

full.

stuff.

...

light.

open.

release.

free.

less.

time.

air.

taste.

give.

listen.

...

as the thunder rolls outside. as my garden sprouts. as my feet itch. as my eyes get heavy. as my memories of the day roll by. as my hopes for tomorrow begin to form. as my hairs twitch in my nose as i exhale.

i am another day older.
........another day wiser.

im not promised tomorrow.
may God help me to make the most of each day. of each person. of each opportunity.
...

i will not be a coward. i will not conform. i will go for my dreams.
...

i am free.