A Word About Ferguson ~

Early on in my ministry in Marblehead, I received a phone call from a young woman who wanted to talk to me about race. She was considering a cross cultural adoption and, as a white woman, had some questions about the complexities and challenges of adopting a child who was African American. At the time, I was President of UU Allies for Racial Equity and had some answers. Together we journeyed through the difficult questions of the disconnect between Marblehead's view as a place that embraced diversity and the reality of its lack of diversity. I shared my own perceptions of that divide. I shared knowledge I had from young people of color who felt targeted in the schools whenever there was a problem, stories of 'extra' attention in shops and by police and of racist comments being hurled from a passing car at a young woman of color and in a different instance, a young boy. Although the instances were far fewer than I knew of in some other communities, so too, was the number of people of color.

     Our conversation continued and we talked about the complexity of race in our larger culture. What does it mean for a white person to be adopting a child of color? How will this child learn about their story in that larger culture? I will never know if I was helpful in that conversation but I hoped to simply witness that in addition to the very real questions present in all cross-cultural adoptions, there are different realities her child would face. Further, these realities would include some things that might be unfathomable, and perhaps even unbelievable, to her when they arose. I cannot tell you whether this woman decided to adopt or not, or whether the child was or was not African American. I can tell you that since that time, any couple in similar situations have found themselves in an identity group they perhaps did not expect to join. They, like every parent of a child of color in this country, have questions I never asked. Questions like "At what age should I tell my child that if they are stopped by the police, they should put their empty hands out the window first to show clearly that they are unarmed? Should I tell my child to run toward a police officer if they are in trouble or run away or just freeze with their hands in the air? What do I tell them when they get into a tussle in school with mostly-white friends who don't believe they are treated differently? Do I let them see the coverage of deaths like Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown and Tamir Rice? Do I let them see my tears? 
     And what of us, who are not parents of children of color. One might first say, we are all parents of all children. But, as much as we wish to live in a world in which that plays out in real ways, every moment of every day, most of us will not be tucking in a child tonight and wondering 'is this the moment? Is this the moment that I should tell this beautiful child that his life is in danger? That the world is less safe and less just for him? Last night I told him he was special because of his artwork and creative soul. The night before I told him I loved how his eyelashes felt when he gave me a butterfly kiss on the cheek. And the night before that I called him my special angel for how kind he was to a friend. Is tonight the night I tell him he is special in this other way? Or is age 8 too soon? Age 12 was too late for Tamir Rice, murdered this past week by police who then did not offer any care for four minutes.
     We, who are not parents of children of color have difficult questions to wrestle with too. The difference is that while our souls are certainly at stake, our lives are not. My prayer today is that we take the health of our souls seriously but the sake of the lives of all children of color more seriously. My prayer today is that we believe that life and justice are different for people of color in our country. My prayer today is that we resist the voices who cry out 'oh, no, ALL lives matter' and miss the point that our collective reality does not agree. And that we are not distracted by the specifics of any single incident but look at the collective and understand that a policeman shooting a 12-year old playing in a park alone, despite the fact that he was waving a fake gun, is a 12-year old playing in a park alone and he should not have been murdered before they even got out of the car to ask a question!  And that we hear the voices that cry out in despair over and over and over and over again that this is not new. My prayer today is that we are not lost in our own assessment of the rioting in Ferguson that violence should not beget violence and recall instead the words of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. three years after his I Have A Dream speech and two years before he was murdered "I contend that the cry of "black power" is, at bottom, a reaction to the reluctance of white power to make the kind of changes necessary to make justice a reality for the Negro. I think that we've got to see that a riot is the language of the unheard."
     My prayer is that each of us will find a way to step deeper into our own understandings of the systems of racism at play in our country, in our communities and within our own heads and hearts. That we pledge ourselves anew to the goal of justice for all people and that we begin right now with the recognition that we are far from there for any child for whom tonight might be the night they gaze up from their bed expecting a word of affirmation and a kiss goodnight and instead hear the words "I've decided there is something I need to share ...."

Yours on the Journey,

Rev. Wendy von Zirpolo

 

 

Walk Toward Trouble–Stop the Deportations July 31st

Share | Tweet 

Jul 07, 2014

Last week during the UUA General Assembly Ware Lecture, immigration reform advocate Sister Simone Campbell, organizer of “Nuns on the Bus,” made a passionate call for us to “walk toward trouble.” Our General Assembly delegates did that when they passed an Action of Immediate Witness calling on President Obama to stop the deportations of our immigrant siblings and called for Unitarian Universalists to participate in a broad coalition of faith groups and immigrant advocates at the July 31-August 2 Pray for Relief! Not One More Deportation actions in Washington, D.C. Now is the time to walk- or roll, or move- toward trouble and fulfill that call.

Organizers hope 100 faith leaders will engage in civil disobedience to protest the cruelty brought by the over 1,100 daily deportations and that hundreds more will come in support to the Faith Summit and Not One More Deportation Day of Action. Imagine if 25 of those faith leaders arrested were Unitarian Universalists. We have walked toward trouble before to protest the separation of families and we have pledged to do so again at this action.

From July 31 through August 2 we will be in Washington, DC. Will you be there with us? Will you be there for families, for children, for justice? You can sign up to attend the July 31-August 1 summit, engage in witness and/or civil disobedience, and stay for the National Day Laborer Organizing Network’s Not One More Deportation Day of Action on August 2nd atStanding on the Side of Love—Pray for Relief—Take Actions to Stop the Deportations!

And this Thursday, July 10 at 4pm EST/1pm PST, join Standing on the Side of Love and the UU College of Social Justice for a joint call-in and update from the US/Mexico border. Call 605-475-4000 and use code 476389#.

President Obama has said that he will take action in the event of Congressional inaction on immigration reform. The president has the power to bring relief to the millions of families living under the threat or already suffering from mass detention and deportation. The President needs to hear from those who can bring to this moment the moral voice. A voice that values the worth and dignity of all people, over profit and politics. A voice that hears the cries of human suffering and moves in solidarity against injustice. A voice – joined with voices of other faiths – to say Not One More Deportation!

We know many of you have been working to achieve compassionate immigration reform and stop the deportations. UUs and our partners all over the country have been witnessing, fasting, advocating, and marching together calling for action. We have been leaders within the faith community in standing boldly on the side of human dignity, boldly on the side of love with immigrant families. We know what trouble looks like. Children fleeing violence in their own countries, reaching the United States only to be warehoused and face deportation. Families torn apart every day because of detentions and deportations. Immigration laws and US foreign policy, including trade policies, have created an exploitable workforce of undocumented people and unsettled the stability and economies of countries south of the border. Now is the time to move toward trouble, to bring a light to it and witness for a better way. We have acted. We must act again. We must urge President Obama to act.

On July 31- August 2, faith leaders and human rights activists will gather in Washington to say, “Not one more family separated, not one more deportation”- in demonstrations and in an act of civil disobedience. We will also gather to strategize next steps and further build our communities of resistance and hope. We hope to see many Unitarian Universalists and their partners show up in the face of trouble. Will you be there to stand on the side of love? We hope to see you there.

In faith and solidarity,

Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray
Lead Minister, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Phoenix

Rev. Wendy von Zirpolo
Minister, Unitarian Universalist Church of Marblehead MA

PLEASE CONSIDER MAKING A DONATION (See button on right) TO HELP UUs and DREAMERS MOMS USA ATTEND THIS IMPORTANT EVENT! IT'S A CHARITABLE DONATION TO UUCMarblehead and ALL $ WILL GO FOR THIS PURPOSE! IF YOU HAVE MILES INSTEAD OF $ TO DONATE, PLEASE EMAIL ME AT REVWENDYVON@GMAIL,COM

P.S. Standing on the Side of Love will be raising $ to pay the $50-$100 fines for UUs and our partners who are joining the civil disobedience action. We are working to get the donate link up by Wednesday so please check our page here  for updates.

Tags: Immigration Reform, Pray for Relief, Rev. Susan Frederick Gray, Rev. Wendy von 

Dear Mr. President, let this be the last Mother's Day that a child has to wonder ....

Dear Mr. President,

     Last week I said I'd be writing you each week as part of my weekly 48 hour fast for immigration reform and a stop to the deportations. As I enter the final 6th of this week's fast for immigration reform I offer these reflections. I thought it would get easier each week. It has not. It is taking an increasingly larger amount of mental effort to go without food for two days and keep focused on what is good and right in the world. I cherish that reflection because it invites me to think of what it takes to work day in and out for months and years to have your child returned to your arms after they were sent back to a country they never knew, to stop worrying that an unjust and abusive system of immigration 'control' won't rip away a piece of your family each day and night, to suffer abuses in workplaces, homes and other settings because you cannot risk reporting, to show up with energy and love and engage in justice seeking work because you know it is the only way forward for our species.

     So, yeah it's harder this day but it is this one small piece I can do this day as we continue to press upon our representatives to move the vote forward, continue to raise awareness among our own family and friends and communities of connection, as we continue to write and call our leaders and say 'stop the deportations of people who are important pieces of who we are, together, in this beautiful fabric of humanity and fix our immigration system now.'

     Mr. President, I'm heading off now to lead a sleepover at my Unitarian Universalist Church. There, children and youth will make Mother's Day presents, enjoy playing games and even play hide and seek in the sanctuary. They will have a great time and so will I. In the morning they will greet their mothers with breakfast goodies and then we'll enjoy a Sunday worship service in which we are dedicating children and babies. We'll remind them of how important they are and how wonderful they are, exactly as they are! It will be joyous but on the inside, a slice of me will be weeping. I will weep for the many Mothers who will be in pain.

    Please let this be the last Mother's Day in which children wonder ‘Will my mother be taken today?’ 

Yours on the journey, Rev. Wendy von Zirpolo

Dear Mr. President ~

Dear Mr. President,

I hope this finds you well. You  have brought so much integrity, hope and vision into the White House. Thank you.

I’m writing today with an empty stomach and heavy heart. April 7^th I joined 104 women in the We Belong Together fast and am continuing to fast 48 hours each week. During my fast I am working to raise awareness and act toward the end no child goes to bed worried a knock on door might rip away a parent or send a sibling away. This week I used social media to debunk 24 myths about immigrants and now I am writing to you. I’ll be writing weekly until immigration reform passes and the deportations of non-violent undocumented immigrants stops.

     

Mr. President, I have been to jail twice for this cause because there is a higher law to which we are called. The law of our collective soul, some call God. The law that cherishes all creation's children and insists each of are due respect, safety, justice and love. 

   

 Now, I forgo food because there is a greater sacrifice being paid by children each day. I appreciate your efforts but more must be done. Here in the country we love and share, this is the greatest human rights issue of our time and we are stained.

I recall the autobiography of Anne Moody, an African American woman who grew up in the midst of the battle for civil rights in Mississippi. A story she told mirrors what is happening today in the name of border patrol and protection against immigrants.  She tells of a young man being yanked from a gathering, dragged by police, not resisting arrest but unable to stand because of how he was dragged. He was beaten by officers and taken away, bloodied.  I can tell you first hand that this kind of violence is taking place today and in the name of “immigrant control.’ I have been in its presence in an Arizona jail. And I have born witness to many more stories. This, nearly half a century since the horrific instances of racism were brought to a country finally willing to see, to own and to correct such horrific human rights abuses.

In Anne's accounting, two white men sat watching in a car, unwilling to participate.  Silent. 

Mr. President, the fact that deportations are occurring in record numbers and that immigration reform is stalled feels like silence. Please use your power. Speak so loudly that every child fearing that this day their family will be torn apart hears your voice.

Respectfully yours ~ Rev. Wendy von Zirpolo

I Woke Up ~

     Friday morning with stunning clarity. Clarity that I would fast for 48 hours each week until Congress moves forward on fair immigration reform. The 48 hour fast will be a repeat of the 48 Fast for Families I just had the privilege of participating in on the Mall in Washington, DC. The fast, organized by the group We Belong Together (http://www.webelongtogether.org) , was a terrifically well-planned, well-executed action to call upon Congress to bring a vote to the floor on an immigration bill that already has widespread support with the American people and bi-partisan support that should see its approval. Between March 8 and April 9, more than 1500 women fasted in 80 events in 35 states, DC and in Mexico City, and 105 of women, including me fasted for 48 hours on the National Mall in DC. Together we went without food to feed the courage of House Republicans to give us a vote on a fair reform bill now, and of the Obama administration to take immediate action to stop deportations for 11 million undocumented immigrants. While we fasted, many congressmen & women visited the tent to address the group, listen to stories from women most impacted by our current, broken and abusive system and answer questions. Among the visitors some of President Obama's top aides. First Lady Michelle Obama's office applauded the group in a tweet and Vice President Biden met with a contingent following the fast.

     The important work of this group and many others continue. We are protesting the Republican Leadership's failure to bring HR 15, a bipartisan immigration reform bill, to the House floor for a vote and President Obama's failure to stop deportations that are tearing up families now. The hope is the vote will be brought to the floor before the break in August. And the hope is that President Obama uses his executive power now to halt deportations.

     My decision to recreate the 48 hour fast each week until Congress acts is one that I did not make lightly. Fasting is not an easy task nor does it come without some risks. But it was an easy decision. I awoke Friday morning with the clarity that this was the thing I could do to keep my commitment present in my weekly life. That with each weekly fast I could write our representatives and others to plead for action. That with each weekly fast I could share more information debunking the many myths and propaganda about our immigrant communities. That with each weekly fast I could remain connected with the deep call for justice that compels me to be part of building a better tomorrow.

     Fasting is not new to people of religion. It has long been a tactic for change, utilized by Gandhi, Jr. Cesar Chavez, Nelson Mandela and other leaders and many more. It has also served as spiritual practice in religious life, providing a focused time of sacrifice that one might become closer aligned with inner spirit and the divine.

     For me, the fasting is a time of sacrifice and connection. Sacrificing food that our bodies, minds & souls can focus on listening to the call for justice/connection with spirit/God/etc. (I'm a religious humanist) and on power.  For me, the physical deprivation connects me to the oppression though it is such a small piece. I know I will eat again. I know food awaits. I know I will not be hunted and harmed or killed because of my skin color or where it looks like I'm from. I do not worry when a knock on the door occurs. I do not worry my children will be parentless or that I will be parentless or lose my partner.  For me it's not just about immigrants as the racism in this structure is rampant and ICE policies creates scapegoating and racial profiling of all people who are black and brown so the deprivation piece helps me connect with a wee piece of not having what our bodies and souls need and deserve.

     For me, fasting in this manner also keeps me connected to the 104 other women who fasted and the many who supported us. Participating with this group stands as one of the most powerful times of living faith I have experienced. It, along with my two arrests for this human rights issue, were not tests of my faith, rather they were expressions of my faith. The experience of participating across cultures and theologies for the greater good was and continues to be powerful and hopeful as we seek to build the world we profess to seek.  
     Finally, for me, this is about my commitment  to my religion and my call to religious leadership. These fasting days allows me space to hone in on soul and action. With food out of the equation I find my connection to my inner moral compass and my call to spirit-led life and the golden thread of humanity that connects us all readily accessible. Even more so than usual.  It's part intentionality and part a complete absence of energy spent on food preparation and consumption gone! Well, almost gone as I learn to quell the voice asking for food. This, in turn allows me to take advantage of whatever I bring into that space. In this case, certainly a focus on my commitment to this specific cause, but also my call to ministry in the context of my service to parish ministry with the Unitarian Universalists of Marblehead, MA.

Friday morning I woke up, to a new level of religious awareness and commitment. 

And I am glad.

Yours on the journey,

Rev. Wendy

For more information about the ongoing fasts and call for fair and compassionate immigration reform, and/or to support these courageous groups, visit http://www.webelongtogether.org/ andhttp://fast4families.org/. 

 

To join the fast, in whatever manner you choose or to support UUs fasting, join the facebook group UUs Fasting for Immigration Reform.

   

~Fast for Families ~

   When I sit down with my family for our traditional Christmas Day dinner, it will be with an empty plate.  Beginning just after our Solstice Service on December 22 I will be starting a 72 hour Solidarity Fast for Immigration Reform.  This effort is taking place all over the nation. Some are fasting for a single day.  Some for many more. All are adding their effort to a group Fasting in Washington, DC. The DC fast began in November with 17 fasters and continues today with groups and individuals lending their support.  The original group said they do not fast out of hate or anger but have hope that change is within reach.  They noted frustration that there has been little action and the organizers at Fast For  Families say “This fast is our way to highlight the moral crisis that this nation faces with this badly broken immigration system. “ The DC group has drawn attention from many politicians and leaders and included a visit from President and Michelle Obama.

     I thought long and hard about the timing. There was never a question that I would lend my support. For me, this is the civil rights issue of our time. It’s not about border control. It’s not about US citizens losing jobs. It’s not about undocumented people draining our system. Each one of those myths continue to be used to manipulate public opinion. The money issue is the most egregious. It’s sinful how much money, our money by the way, is being pocketed by big business incarcerating people for as long as they can get away with it and disallowing any contact. Families are being broken up. Children put at risk. And they aren’t Canadian. That we are participating in such blatant human rights violations is unconscionable. If more people knew what the facts were, how racism is at work and how the primary victims are women and children, it would stop. Given that this is a time of year that so many of us honor the birth of a child and the hope of a different tomorrow, it seemed fitting to time my fast to include Christmas.

     For those wishing to join in the effort, please consider a donation to MIRA (Massachusetts Immigrant & Refugee Advocacy Coalition) at https://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/50862/p/salsa/donation/common/public/?donate_page_KEY=9403/or Centro Presente(member-driven Massachusetts Latin American org) at http://www.cpresente.org/donate or by  using the donate button on this page.

Sacred Gifts ~

      When I woke this morning, I knew I was going to write a newsletter article about gifts. What I didn’t know is that I would encounter one that brought tears and hope to my eyes.  Tomorrow, Dec 14, marks the anniversary of a death that shook our household. My 24 year-old niece, Sarah, was on her way to work.  She was a respiratory therapist. She was newly engaged to be married. She was a treasured older cousin to our school-aged children.    She was beautiful inside and out.  She was ours.

      Sarah was also grieving the death of her father, who just six weeks earlier had succumbed after a decade-long battle with Lupus. She had been a central player and angel in his care and in his peaceful passing.

On that fateful day, a drunk driver ended her life.  The entire family, still actively mourning the death of her dad, gathered. There at the same funeral home, the same church, the same group gathered, wept and tried to make sense of a world in which this could happen. 

       In the midst of the sadness stood one little blonde girl with a soulful look in her eyes and a broken heart. You see, Sarah was also a central figure in the life of her own niece, Beanie. Within 6 weeks, this little girl had lost two people who were arguably the people who held her closest in all ways. With a complicated family situation, her grandfather played a strong role in her daily life and she lived with Sarah. Of all those shedding tears, hers were perhaps the most difficult for me to witness.

And yet …. And, yet.  These were the words that greeted me this morning:

"My aunt Sarah was killed at 24 years old by a drunk driver on Route 16 in Milton NH at the 30 mile marker December 14th 2000, she was on her way to work where she was a brilliant respiratory therapist.. I do not carry anger or hate in my heart, because no matter how much you hate someone for something so horrible.. It doesn't help you heal. It just breeds hate. Don't breed hate."

       Sometimes we receive gifts that aren’t necessarily intended for us specifically. They aren’t wrapped. They don’t have tags. They are offered into the universe for those who might see their value. 

Thank you, dear one for passing this one along to me. 

Road Trip for the Soul!!!

       

 Tomorrow I will be heading up to Ferry Beach in Saco, Maine.  The actual departure will be no doubt harried. On a ‘regular day’ I seem incapable of leaving the house without running back in at least once for something I’ve forgotten.  Planning for an entire weekend increases the odds of it being at least two ‘run-back-ins’ if not more.  To be fair, it’s a lot to think about.  Sleeping bag? Air mattress? Bathing suit? (Yes, you read that correctly!) Glow sticks for the late night youth sharing circle on the beach? Bananagrams? Toll money? Singing bowl?  Robe & stole? Graham crackers+chocolate+marshmellows? As I said, a lot to think about!  All important ingredients to help make our annual UUCM retreat, an actual treat for our souls.

Road trips for the souls can take time and effort but they are so well worth the effort.  They needn’t be trips to Maine, however.  They needn’t even involve a car.  They only require the delivery of yourself to ‘that place,’ even if it’s in your own backyard!

 I love the outdoors but I can count on one hand ‘those places’ that own a piece of who I am.  One is Lighthouse Beach in Annisquam (Gloucester, MA).  My soul takes over my body as soon as my feet hit the path and suddenly I find myself on the rocks, my shoes somehow shed and my feet moving me effortlessly to the sand and sea.  My soul humming its way into song and then flight! Another is our property in Michigan.  My soul begins a slow hum as we turn onto Zue Road.  As we pull into the driveway it begins to sing.  As I my feet land upon the dirt driveway and head in any direction – orchard, forest, corn field, garden, yard or grape arbor, my soul soars.   There are other places, each engaging my soul in different ways.  Familiarity inviting newness. Newness tickling an already happy soul.  Each place claiming me as much as I claim my spot within that special, sacred slice of the universe.  Special because we’ve claimed one another as home. Sacred because there my soul leads, letting my body and mind tag along.

And so, tomorrow I will scurry about, running in for ‘last’ things.  I’ll head north. Somewhere on Route 95, after the tolls & after the rest stop, my soul will take notice.  I will relax a bit into knowing that whatever I’ve brought I’ve brought and whatever I’ve forgotten, I can do without.  Worry about logistics won’t leave entirely but will fade. And the hum will begin, becoming louder as we exit into Saco.  When we turn the corner by the shuffleboard court and glimpse the ocean, the hum will turn into soul song.  As we pass the marsh grass and channels that wind out to the shore the song will grow strong.  As the door opens and the sound of the powerful waves reaches my soul, I will let go.  Moments later I’ll find myself on the beach, shoes left far behind. My feet will be in the water. My arms will hang loosely by my sides.  The wind will push at my opened hands. My face will lean into the sun and sea spray. And my soul will soar. And I will be glad.

~May your days include many trips for your soul ~

If We Mean What We Say ~ UU Principle #1

If We Mean What We Say ~ (An excerpt from a sermon series exploring the 7 principles of Unitarian Universalism http://www.uua.org/beliefs/principles/ )

If We Mean What We Say ~

(An excerpt from a sermon series exploring the 7 principles of Unitarian Universalism http://www.uua.org/beliefs/principles/. Image by fabulous UU Tim Atkins!)

“Inherent worth and dignity of every person.”  We tend to always read this principle as being about how we view and treat other people. We use it to fuel our efforts to impact change for ‘other’ communities. It is the subtext of all of our justice work.  Using that principle as an anchor we have made great strides in making more of our spaces accessible. We have journeyed further in understanding how racism is embedded in our system, benefitting some and harming others. We have learned to value multi-generational community, and in particular, our youth. This principle is at the heart of our efforts around securing equal rights for people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning. All of these are good, honorable. Important.

But there is a more powerful way we are called to let this principle change us and through us, our world.  It requires enormous intentionality. It requires that we first apply the principle to ourselves.  That we embody the respect in a manner that alters us.  That we look in the mirror and say “There I am. Flawed. Beautiful. Worthy.”

“ There I am. Flawed. Beautiful. Worthy.  There I am. Flawed. Beautiful. Worthy. I will make mistakes today. I will blunder. I will take responsibility for my mistakes. There I am, flawed, beautiful, worthy. I will do good deeds today. I will show up. I will try to add goodness and beauty to our  world.  There I am. Flawed. Beautiful. Worthy. I will say the right thing today. I will say the wrong thing today. Either way, I will speak up.  There I am. Flawed. Beautiful. Worthy. This day is a gift and out into the world I go. Flawed. Beautiful. Worthy.”

And if we can do that…. Here’s step 2.  Before you leave that mirror say “I will encounter others. They are flawed. They are beautiful, they are worthy. They will make mistakes today. They will blunder. They may or may not take responsibility for their mistakes.  There they are.  Flawed. Beautiful. Worthy. Some will do good deeds today.  They will show up.  Some will try to add goodness and beauty to our  world.  There they are. Flawed. Beautiful. Worthy. Some will say the right thing today.  Some will say the wrong thing today. There they are. Flawed. Beautiful. Worthy.  Mine. 

This day is a gift to all of us and out into the world we go. Flawed. Beautiful. Worthy. All.

And then ….. at THAT moment, you know THAT moment, when someone has just said the absolute WRONG thing and you knew it was coming, because you know them so well OR someone has disappointed you in a large way OR someone just slammed into your car in the parking lot ------ instead of reaching for time-worn habits that involve harsh words or gestures, reach instead for three words: Flawed. Beautiful.  Worthy.  And if you can, stretch for the fourth ~ Mine.

       If…..if we mean what we say, we need look no further than the mirror each day.

Whisper from a Hummingbird (aka Another Reason to Join a UU Congregation!)

Today a hummingbird whispered in my ear and in that instant, my soul was renewed. I am ever grateful for this brave little bird. She whizzed by my ear and then flit from feeder to feeder, dancing on air, in front of me, in between each sip of the sugary nectar.

Most of the pictures I captured were out of focus because her wings moved so fast! But then she rested at just the right time and this picture was born, providing me a glimpse of her beautiful, powerful wings.  How could the hummer have known this was just what I needed today? 

             

       I'd just love to think that this magical little creature gazed down from her perch in the cherry tree, at me and thought "Hmm- Wendy looks a bit sad today, I think I'll buzz by. I know! I'll flutter by her ear and whisper 'look at life.'"  Now, I know that is anthropomorphic and, of course, all about me! Yet, the thought was just the boost I needed to keep me rooted in the life side of the creation equation.
      In times when sadness, loss and tragedy seem too present,  it is good to remember to 'look at life' rather than focus on death.  In a month where I’ve bid goodbye to several fabulous souls, one who left this earth far too young, it may seem presumptuous to make such a statement.  But choosing to 'look at life' is a perspective of choice that does not deny death, rather it focuses on each day of living. Even when we are in relationship with people nearing the end of their living.  Even when we are that person.

      When I was a young person, death and dying were things done at the hospital and rarely discussed.  Even serious illness seemed at best vaguely referenced.  Today, with the increased usage of hospice, advances in palliative care and an attitudinal shift towards end of life 'living' we are more able to live all of our days in the company of friends and family.  It is such a gift that our last days of living can be less about mechanical devices and more about our human interactions with people.  It is also a gift to be able to be part of a community of care in which we can help one another learn to be with sadness AND embrace living at the same time.   The focus on living is akin to the glass half empty/half full analogy.  Death and loss are never easy, but we get to choose how we arrive in their presence.   I'm of the belief that if we root ourselves firmly in living, even while in the presence of dying we serve each other and ourselves well.

        Reflecting back on recent weeks leading up to the recent losses in my community & the many difficult diagnoses among us, I am inspired by how well our community lives this philosophy.  I may have imagined the humming bird's whisper but the message from our community is loud and clear. Here, we live.  We live with one another.  Even when it gets difficult.  Even when it includes pain and loss. And so, we will live this day.

        File this under – 'Another reason to join a Unitarian Universalist congregation!'

               

A Really Great Story ~ Via Upworthy.com  PLEASE VIEW AND SHARE!!!

http://www.upworthy.com/one-easy-thing-all-white-people-could-do-that-would-make-the-world-a-better-place-5

Remind me ~

Dear, dear creation,

Thank you for the seed.  The seed within me that calls me to come and plunge into the ocean just when I need it most.  The seed that tells me if I am very still this snail will come out to say a peek. The seed that reminds me of our interconnectedness with all that is creation.  The seed that calls me understand that a wound to one is a wound to all.

The seed that reminds me of this truth: life, even with death and injustice, is beautiful. Thank you ~

We Are Not Trayvon Martin

• I am not Trayvon Martin.  I am a 56 year-old white woman whose life has been mostly defined by privilege.  When I get stopped by police officers for speeding or a busted tail light, they usually end up apologizing.  Just last month I was denied a Global Entry (think express line in Customs) because of a civil disobedience arrest and the officer apologized to me, saying he agreed with why I protested. My own  awakening as “active-participant-in-a-racist-society-privileging-me” occurred at age 44.  The setting was a class on social identity at Boston University. We were separated into racial identity groups and then asked to report back our findings. As a young woman of color spoke, it was as if a screen had been lifted revealing the existence of an entire reality unlike my own!  I listened to her speak of their collective experiences of daily life in Boston and I was stunned. The contrast in our experiences of shopping in any retail store, interacting with police at a traffic stop, riding public transportation and simply walking down the street were startling to me. Equally startling was how the contrast was not at all surprising to her or other members of her identity group. Worse still was how rapidly several members of the white identity group sought to negate the experiences of the people of color or tell similar stories of a single instance in which they felt marginalized.

  I would love to be able to write how rapidly I became informed, started to work on acknowledging my own white privilege, strived to be an accountable white ally and spent time each day working to dismantle our racist systems. I cannot. It was not until several years later I came to realize how close to home the racism was located and how my lack of active participation was the same as condoning the injustice.  As a member of a progressive, liberal faith community, I believed we were collectively among those who understood white privilege and systemic racism and were activists in building multicultural community. Following a national gatherings in Texas I learned how wrong I was in that perception. Having heard white supremacists had come to protest our gathering, I was outraged.  Next I heard local police had profiled our youth of color, while leaving white-appearing youth alone. I was appalled. Then I heard stories of white members of our own faith community making racist assumptions and behaving in racist manners. Car keys were tossed to one person of color, assumed to be a valet. Other people of color were assumed to be wait or housekeeping staff. Youth of color trying to enter an event were assumed to be ‘not ours.’ These were just some of the racist incidents caused by our own community. I had been looking too easily outside of my own community for the presence of racism and privilege. Part of my own privilege was in choosing the easy places to be outraged and seek change. Now that I knew it was our own family. Now I knew it was me. I am not Trayvon Martin but I am the racist system that leads to gated communities in which any person of color is seen as ‘outsider.’ I am the racist system that leads to law-enforcement practices and policies that devalue people who are black or brown. I am the racist system that breeds fear of young men of color in hoodies and protects young white men with varsity letters. I am the racist system that equates justice with a protection of the status quo in terms of racial power. I am the racist systems that requires nation-wide protest to even attempt to access justice. I am not Trayvon Martin but I am the racist system that caused him to lose his life. And it is this certain knowledge that calls me to the work of anti-racism, anti-oppression and multiculturalism each day. 

- See more at: http://wearenottrayvonmartin.com/post/56433249723/i-am-not-trayvon-martin-i-am-a-56-year-old-white#sthash.eRU3zlVS.dpuf

Tears to Action ~

http://www.wickedlocal.com/marblehead/news/lifestyle/religion/x624130830/Marblehead-UU-minister-reacts-to-Trayvon-Martin-verdict

But it's not about race? Actually, it was, before, after, during ... and it still is~

Someone asked what to say to a friend who believes the Zimmerman verdict wasn't about race: 

I'd start with 'I might have that reaction 15 years ago but have come to learn how pervasive racism is in our iives. And I'm still learning. There are times when I can agree to disagree but in this case, lives are at stake so I find myself willing to risk relationships in order to open more heads and hearts to seeing what our historically marginalized communities have known all along. Our system favors people who look like me. Period. The racism in this case preceded the events of that evening. The racism present in the neighborhood automatically put at risk people who looked like Trayvon Martin. The racism present in the political powers automatically favored anyone with a firearm pointed at a person of color. The racism present in the entire dominant social fabric automatically ramped up the expectations of consequences, feelings of entitlement & bravado in George Zimmerman. The racism present in the systems of power, including the justice system automatically moved to dismiss the facts of the case, leading to the 6 week delay in an arrest forced by widespread criticism and protest. The racism present in the judicial system led to the make-up of the jury. The racism present in your socialization, and many others, including mine for some years, leads us to this conversation today. And we are wrong if we allow that socialization to rule our heads and hearts. 

This was about racism. Period. And so, dear friend ---- I invite you to just spend a day, give that much to the Martin family --- spend just today imagining that this was about race and that an innocent young boy died at the hands of a racist system. And then let's talk again ~ I love you but I want to live in a world in which every child is loved and protected by all of us - and this isn't it. Multitudes of parents of children of color are sitting down tonight and reminding them how they are not safe in this world. Sadly, not for the first time. We need to be talking to our children too and telling them that they can either pretend this isn't about race or get busy changing it. Here's an important article you might start with 
.
http://www.timwise.org/2013/07/no-innocence-left-to-kill-racism-injustice-and-explaining-america-to-my-daughter/

Letter to UU Congregation of Marblehead

Dear ones,

Last night was a tragic night in the ongoing struggle for racial justice in our beloved country.  The acquittal of George Zimmerman, in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, left many beyond articulation but clear in emotions of outrage, despair & sadness.  For many in the community of color, fear.  For many in the dominant culture, shame.  Since last night, texts, facebook messages, tweets and emails have poured in, each providing one more piece of trying to put words to this point of time in our journey.  Some focus on the jury - how could it be allowed?  A jury that was nearly all-white? Others on the racism inherent in the entire incident, recalling that it took a nationwide protest to get the shooter arrested at all?  Others still, mostly all of color, register their lack of surprise, noting on the arc of their own lived experience this stands as simply one more piece of being targeted, harmed and harmed again by an unjust system.  And yet.  And yet, those are also the voices of hope that call us all to the work of understanding racism as something so embedded in our dominant culture it can lead to none other than fear-based laws like 'stand-your-ground,' profiling people who are 'other' and a justice system that benefits financially from the continued incarceration of people of color and at the same time provides a different level of justice for the same population.  From an accurate analysis of our system, this is exactly the verdict we should expect.  And yet.  And yet, those among us who on this night will worry until their young are back home, worry as they drive their cars through upscale neighborhoods and see flashing blue lights approaching, note with dismay the extra attention inside of the retail store, wonder --- what of this do I share with my child tonight? ............................ they lead us with strength of purpose and hope, to say, the work continues.  For those of you who are most impacted by this event because you are a member of the community of color, or other at-risk identity group, I offer my prayers and sorrow that our world is not yet the world we profess to seek as a people of conscience and faith.  I pledge to you that my head, heart and hands will not waiver in the journey. For those of you, who like me, live within the privilege of the dominant Euro-American white culture, I applaud the efforts of those who are already well on the journey of understanding how 'white privilege' operates in our daily lives and societal systems  and invite you in to an intentional expansion of our efforts to educate ourselves, each other toward the end of working in effective, increasingly powerful and dear creation, I pray, transformational work.  

And with gratitude to a dear friend from Atlanta, I offer the reminder that anger toward the shooter, the lawyers and/or the jury, feed the less-best-selves within us and our task is so grand, we need our whole spirits engaged on the promise of a better tomorrow.  Let our prayer of today be a re-commitment to a future in which we share equally the justice so many of us take for granted. 

Yours on the journey ~

Rev. Wendy von Zirpolo