As another Memorial Day unfolds, it is right and fitting that we pause in prayer and gratitude for the many who gave and died serving our country in uniform.
That much I get, and appreciate fully.
As a Quaker, however, as one committed to our testimony of peace and watching the parade roll by on Main Street I wonder and worry if the Brownies and Scouts and High School Marching Band in this town and beyond, will one day be next for the glory of hearth and country.
And who doesn’t love a parade, we ask? These cute, beautiful children leading the route, then twirlers and colorguards followed by Vets who remember. Me, I think about young life and bodies perfect who hear only one message…go.
Who will tell them how it is, that men who rule send boys to war? Who will ask them why it is that old men come to march and keep all they know inside their uniforms?
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The video below features the late Liam Clancy singing “And The Band Played Marching Matilda.” At it’s core it is a song protesting war, but the way Clancy sings it, and its message for all time and all countries, makes it so much more. ....
It's a rare thing to hear when Quakers are playfully, and effectively, made fun of on prime-time TV. But recently, The Colbert Report had on Stephen Prothero, author of God Is Not One. Dr. Prothero is an expert on world religions and Stephen Colbert was having a little fun with choosing a "winning" religion.
Generally it's not my style to feature mushy or sentimental videos on my site. (Note the absence of kitties romping about!) But there's something about this superbly created video by Katrina Kenison, including narration in the first-person, that makes it stand out from the pack. Enjoy. (Thanks N.H. for sending it to me)
Well here we are, friends, another year (almost) behind us! My glorious family has grown by one more with Morgan Vieira's arrival in September (nice work Amy and Jay!) and the other five grandchildren are cruising full speed ahead into life, dirt and bruises, too.
I remain very greatful for challenging, fruitful work with our town's young people that still produces a paycheck! The retreat ministry, and it's wider community, with amazing young Quakers and loving, talented staff continues as well. I am grateful for decent genes, modern medicine, the Holy Spirit and a little luck to be able to say that good health has stayed with me thus far! And as for the woman I live with, Betty Ann, a man can do no better! In February, we will celebrate our 39th wedding anniversary. Just knowing that our day begins together with coffee, watching the birds at the feeder, newspapers and small talk is the greatest daily gift one could ever receive.
Many good folks continue to read, share and comment on my blog here at News From An Acorn, and for that I am very grateful indeed. I try to keep it real and relevent, without getting in the way of your day. Toward that end I would also greatly appreciate any constructive criticism or advice you might have for me as we move into the New Year. My "Juice and Joy" daily reflections have received considerable positive feedback, even as I weigh whether or not they are too frequent. So your thoughts there would be useful to hear.
My little Acorns Everywhere e-newsletter continues to flourish as well. (Your comments/advice on this are welcome too.) I hope to get more people contributing pieces to share in this too, so if you're a writer, prove it, and send me your gut, your spirit, your take on the world in words. If you don't receive my little (somewhat) monthly rag, you can signup above on the left, or double click the photo of Kevin holding the acorns!
Nationally, it's been a tough bruising year for the Dems and our economy continues to sputter along, so perhaps the good folks at Jib-Jab have given us a good way chuckle our way out of 2010. Enjoy the clip, and have a glorious Holiday Season.
On November 13, 2010, shoppers eating their lunch at Market East, located at Center City in Philadelphia were in for a surprise. This is a wonderful, holiday season clip that I'm sure you will enjoy. (Thank you, Friend Linda, for sending this our way.)
Can you spare five minutes? If so, please take a few minutes to view the video below. Then we'll talk. And thank you.
I wanted parents who visit my site to see this little video, because I think that it hits home perfectly. "Home," because our children, some of whom may be teens, and not straight, need to be able to come "home" every day and know that they are loved and accepted regardless of how they experience the world around them.
I wanted my straight friends out there to to view this video too, because it is all to easy to go about our lives, at work, school, around town, in coffee shops, in stores and within our homes and just not pay attention to how challenging it can be for so many young people who just will never fit into our society's cookie cutter image of what our children "should" be like.
I'm also weiry, and a little pissed, whenever I open the newspaper and see in the obits that another beautiful life ended far too soon, and won't be going 'home' again...ever. We can, and must, do more to stop this from happening.
Thank you for reading and viewing this clip today.
I am saddened to report that I have failed, and so it seems for the so-called right reasons.
Some weeks ago during the first days of school, when everyone was happy to be reunited with friends and acquaintances, I walked into the high school cafeteria chatting with students, former clients and faculty members. There were handshakes, high-fives and fist-bumps all around. Then, from out of the corner of my eye a freshman who had attended one of the groups I facilitate for the past two years, jumped out of her seat, raced towards me and gave me a gigantic, full throttle hug. Fair enough. That was good, and welcomed instantly.
Then immediately after came two of her friends in lock-step, total strangers to me, with the first one saying, “I want a hug too,” and the third friend chirping with, “me too, me too” with nearly as much fanfare and gusto as their friend who knew me well. I instinctively and defensively raised both hands in front of me and said, “Whoa, we’re in school, PDA alert…how ‘bout a handshake, instead?” One girl giggled and said, “Sure,” and stuck out her hand to reach mine. But the third student was noticeably taken aback and seemed rebuffed, though she still offered her hand in greeting. Rather than get into a whole explanation of the why’s and why not's in the middle of the caf I just thanked them for their understanding, made small talk and moved on.
And the experience has been niggling at me ever sense.
Over the years I’ve written volumes on the challenges of being a male working with children and teens. And for the record (again) I will state that it’s a very good thing that we have policies and practices in place to help maintain boundaries so that both youth and the adults who work with them feel as safe as possible, especially within institutions like schools. But still, there are times as a human family, when we could have more and could do better in terms of being real and present in the moment, one to another. And the moment I described above was one of those instances. However, rather than critique how well I carried myself professionally or how poorly I missed the mark, I’ll leave it here with a terrific video clip sent to me many months ago by a long-time friend of mine. Enjoy it. It’s good. And if you watch it closely, you will see, and perhaps feel, everything I’ve spoken of above.
I welcome your comments, and suggest that you consider commenting below, on my blog, rather than through Facebook, so that more people can follow the conversation. Thanks!
First and foremost, here's hoping everyone will just view the fantastic video by Ronnie Bruce that features the words and poem by Taylor Mali. Then come back and read on.
It's interesting to note that Ronnie Bruce created and posted this video over a year ago without the express permission of Taylor Mali, the author of the poem. Once the video went viral and was brought to the attention of Mr. Mali, he quite graciously acknowledged the popularity of the work and featured it also on his own site, which you can visit here.
Mr. Bruce is a student at Temple University and has created an impressive body of work at a young age. "Typography," his video above, is in my view, among the best.
Mr. Mali, who left full-time teaching in 2000, is now a full-time performing poet and motivational speaker. His resume is impressive and he performs throughout the country and beyond. Taylor Mali has combined his unique background of teaching, drama and theater and brings his professional talents for drama and poetry together in productions he calls "Page Meets Stage." Anyone who is contemplating a career in teaching should view all of Taylor Mali's videos...they're terrific, unique, fresh and at times disturbingly honest.
For me, in addition to enjoying Mali's words as presented in Bruce's video, there's another subtext here involving how the written word gets transformed and blossoms within new media, who receives value from it, and where responsibility lies with securing permissions, etc, regardless of how popular that work might be. (As an aside, it's interesting to note that Mr. Bruce's video also violated the terms of the hosting site that still carries the video, because he didn't secure permission to use the poem before posting to Vimeo!) In today's "grab-copy-paste" frenzy within social networking circles, and especially among young people everywhere, there needs to be more discussion and education around these topics. (For the record, I received My. Mali's express permission to quote and reference his material for this post. Mr. Bruce's video, as hosted by Vimeo, is Open Source, intended to be freely copied and embedded elsewhere.)
A special thanks to my junior high-aged Quaker friend, Jlynn, who posted this video on her Facebook account for everyone to see...and enjoy. And while there's blame to spread around in different directions for using material without permission... you did, I trust, enjoy the well created video featuring a fantastic poem by Taylor Mali, I'm sure. And there's the rub.
Surely we all have moments, days, and for some, even weeks or more, when getting through the day and making sense of the world we live in seems daunting and even impossible. And given the condition of our national and global economy, with so many folks struggling to make ends meet, who are out of work, lack adequate housing or are coping with health issues, it makes it impossible to see beyond our own and immediate situation.
I invite my friends, all of you, family members, colleagues, parents, teens and children, to take a few moments and meet Nick Vujcic, a 27 year old Australian who has a message of hope, purpose and faith for us all. Trust me on this one. You'll be glad that you did.
Our life is love, and peace, and tenderness; and bearing one with another, and forgiving one another, and not lay accusations one against another; but praying one for another, and helping one another up with a tender hand.
- Isaac Penington, 1667
