Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day - Today I am reminded again to honor the ongoing struggle for freedom, equality, and dignity for all people, and share in the efforts.

Agenda for today:

1. Love cycle

2. Intentions

3. Read "The Spirited Walker"

4. March
5. Index to MLK Day projects

Hope in the Dark

Active Hope is one of my themes for Lent, which is coming up next week, and I want to have a clear idea of what that involves. It requires that I:

• maintain a clear view of reality; 
• identify what I hope for - the direction I’d like things to move in and the values I'd like to express; 
• and take steps to move in that direction.

First nasturtium, February 25, 2025

Agenda today:

1. Read "Hope in the Dark"

2. Review Essential Intentions

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day - Today I am reminded again to honor the ongoing struggle for freedom, equality, and dignity for all people, and share in the efforts.

Agenda for today:

1. Intentions

2. Study

3. March

4. Index to MLK Day projects

International Women's Day

International Women's Day has been observed since the early 1900's as a day to celebrate the achievements of women, and take steps to increase gender equality. It's all about unity, celebration, reflection, advocacy and action - globally and locally.

No one government or group is responsible for International Women's Day, so several themes emerge each year.

The United Nations theme is:

Invest in women: Accelerate progress
Achieving gender equality and women’s well-being in all aspects of life is more crucial than ever if we want to create prosperous economies and a healthy planet. However, we are facing a key challenge: the alarming $360 billion annual deficit in gender-equality measures by 2030.
Join us on March 8, 2024, for International Women’s Day under the theme 'Invest in women: Accelerate progress”, and take a stand with us using the hashtag #InvestInWomen.

The International Women's Day web page 2024 theme is: 

Inspire Inclusion.

When we inspire others to understand and value women's inclusion, we forge a better world.

And when women themselves are inspired to be included, there's a sense of belonging, relevance, and empowerment.

Collectively, let's forge a more inclusive world for women.

Read more about a definition of what it means to inspire inclusion here.

Agenda Today:

1. Read the UN Secretary General's Message

2. Read this post- Twelve small actions with big impact for Gender Equality

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day - Today I am reminded again to honor the ongoing struggle for freedom, equality, and dignity for all people, and share in the efforts.

Agenda for today:

1. Intentions

2. Study

3. March

4. Index to MLK Day projects

Second Sunday of Advent and Human Rights Day

Today starts the second week of advent. Advent is a time of vigilant waiting; I wait for something mysterious and unscheduled, with quiet excitement, and expectation. If I fall asleep to this awareness I risk missing the moment of joy, courage, or insight; the gift of grace that has the potential to feed me in ways I need.

Today is also Human Rights Day: The United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on this day in 1948. The 75th anniversary of the UDHR will be celebrated today, the culmination of a year-long campaign to showcase and increase knowledge of the UDHR as a foundational blueprint for taking concrete actions to stand up for human rights and tackle pressing global issues today.

Agenda today:

1. Mennonite advent prayer

2. Look at Human Rights Day topics

3. Journal queries

4. Advent wreath ceremony

5. Plan activities for unity and peace

6. Take the human rights pledge

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day - Today I am reminded again to honor the ongoing struggle for freedom, equality, and dignity for all people, and share in the efforts.

Agenda for today:

1. Intentions

2. Study

3. March

4. Index to MLK Day projects

Second Sunday of Advent

Today starts the second week of advent. Advent is a time of vigilant waiting; I wait for something mysterious and unscheduled, with quiet excitement, and expectation. If I fall asleep to this awareness I risk missing the moment of joy, courage, or insight; the gift of grace that has the potential to feed me in ways I need.

Agenda today:

1. Journal queries

2. Word #3 - Covenant

3. Advent wreath ceremony

4. Plan activities for unity and peace

Full Wolf Moon and Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Photo by Alan Gillespie

The Full moon of January is called atalka - the "Stay Inside Moon" - by the Kalapuya of my area, and the Wolf Moon by others, because of the hungry packs of wolves that used to roam for prey at this time of deep winter. The full Wolf Moon is a good time to ponder what I am hungry for, and how to be resilient.

We are now at the peak of the strong-energy yang phase of the waxing moon, and will soon begin the quiet-energy yin time of the waning moon. The full moon shines her light on everything; use the full moon energy for creatively completing things, and for seeing your next moves, and also to CELEBRATE how far you've come and give thanks for the lessons learned and the blessings received.

And today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day - Today I am reminded again to honor the ongoing struggle for freedom, equality, and dignity for all people, and share in the efforts.

Agenda for today:

1. Equality and Service intentions

2. Vision walk

3. Full moon sharing

4. Celebrate stillness

5. Mountain pose meditation

6. Study

7. Freedom Ribbon project

8. Index to MLK Day projects

Human Rights Day

Today is Human Rights Day: The United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on this day in 1948.

2021 Theme: EQUALITY - Reducing inequalities, advancing human rights

This year’s Human Rights Day theme relates to 'Equality' and Article 1 of the UDHR – “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.” The principles of equality and non-discrimination are at the heart of human rights. This includes addressing and finding solutions for deep-rooted forms of discrimination that have affected the most vulnerable people in societies, including women and girls, indigenous peoples, people of African descent, LGBTI people, migrants and people with disabilities, among others. Equality, inclusion and non-discrimination, in other words - a human rights-based approach to development - is the best way to reduce inequalities.

Agenda:

1. Journal queries

2. Choose next steps

3. Take the human rights pledge

Holi

Holi is a Hindu holiday that falls on the day after the full moon in March each year. It marks the end of winter in India. Holi is sometimes called the Festival of Color, because on Holi everyone in India throws paint at each other! 

To prepare, folks buy gulal, which are powdered paints in rich colors of pink, magenta, red, yellow and green. Three days before Holi, families get together to sprinkle a little of the gulal powders on each other, to share love and blessings. 

On the day of Holi the whole country goes wild with people laughing and running in the streets; they smear each other with powder, drench each other with buckets of paint, and spray paint with long pistons (like super-soakers). They also fill water balloons with paint! People often show respect for elders by sprinkling dry powder on their feet. 

By the end of the day everyone is covered with color- old people, children, men, women, rich and poor. Holi creates a feeling of equality in a country with strong disparity.

Agenda Today:
1. Make Malpua
2. Have a paint throwing celebration

3. Spring cleaning

2021 Lenten Calendar, Week Seven

My theme for Lent this year is the Land I Live On. Most of my activism focus is on climate change, and I want to fuel that work with a strong and intimate connection to this land. I want to better understand my relationship to the natural world and the cycles of the seasons, the history, culture, and ecosystem of my valley, the indigenous peoples and how I connect to them, and the responsibility I feel for the land.

Also, because I am caring for my grandson this year, I have a unique opportunity to see the natural world through a baby's eyes, with Wonder and Discovery. I want to re-connect to the awe for Creation that I felt as a child.

 

March 28, Palm Sunday-

1. Journal queries: On Palm Sunday Jesus confronted the Roman domination of Jerusalem. I too am called to speak truth to power and put my faith into action.

Where do I see domination systems today?
What are my intentions for facing them with peaceful actions?

Journal: I have thrown myself fully into the climate justice movement, and that has already required me to speak truth to power, as well as to friends and family. My intentions are to speak with humble and compassionate honesty, from my own experience.

2. Prepare for a clearness meeting: I've been asked to clerk a meeting for clearness on reparations to Native Americans for a Friend. Today I will read the essay and ground myself in our process for clearness.

March 29, Holi-

3. Study Braiding Sweetgrass, section 4: The significance of braiding plaits of sweetgrass into three strands is symbolic of the philosophy and spirituality of the indigenous people. Sweetgrass is a sacred, healing plant to the Potawatomi people and is braided “... as if it were our mother’s hair, to show our loving care for her.”

4. Celebrate equality with color play: Holi is a Hindu holiday that marks the end of winter in India. It's sometimes called the Festival of Color, because on Holi everyone in India throws paint at each other! 

My grandson and I will mark the day with some outdoor paint play. 

March 30-

5. Study Braiding Sweetgrass, section 4: Preserving the relationship between plants and people through ecological restoration is another example of the need for listening to the plants. Kimmerer states in the ‘Umbilicaria: The Belly Button of the World’ chapter, “... lichens are born from reciprocity. ... They remind us of the enduring power that rises from mutualism, from the sharing of the gifts carried by each species.”

March 31-

6. Go to a climate rally: During the national Build Back Fossil Free Week of Action (March 29th – April 3rd), we will have local opportunities to take action. Today I went to a rally at the old Federal Building (my first for over a year!)

April 1, Maundy Thursday-

7. Show Love: Maundy is an English word that comes from the Latin mandatum, referring to the new commandment that Jesus made on that night: 

“A new commandment I give to you, that you Love one another. As I have loved you so you must love one another.” (John 13:34). 

8. Go to the garden tonight to pray: The Catholic Church has a tradition of keeping a vigil after the Maundy Thursday service, in remembrance of Jesus' important prayer in the garden of Gethsemane on this night. His instructions to his apostles were to "watch and pray", so I will sit in silence and wait for the Spirit to fill me. I will pray for peace in the world, respect for the earth, health for the sick, and comfort for the grieving. 

April 2, Good Friday-

9. Darkness to Hope Meditation: This morning I reflect on desperation and despair. I remember again that the soul's "dark night" is a part of the human condition. My capacity to experience despair is a gift; through it I am transformed. Jesus said, "You must be born again." (John 3:7). The ability to shift from despair to hope is how I get the strength to live life whatever the daily deaths I might face.

April 3, Great Saturday-

10. Dye eggs with my family

April 4, Easter- 

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Today I am reminded again to honor the ongoing struggle for freedom, equality, and dignity for all people, and share in the efforts.

Agenda today:

1. Journal queries

2. Study

3. Freedom Ribbon project

4. Virtual March

5. Index to MLK Day projects

St. Nicholas Day and Second Sunday of Advent

My grandson's first St. Nicholas Day!

Today is St. Nicholas Day, and today starts the second week of advent. Advent is a time of vigilant waiting; I wait for something mysterious and unscheduled, but I wait with quiet excitement, and expectation. If I fall asleep to this awareness I risk missing the moment of joy, courage, or insight; the gift of grace that has the potential to feed me in ways I need.

Agenda Today:
1. Advent Prayer
2. Journal queries

3. Advent wreath ceremony

4. Plan activities for unity and peace

Holi

Holi is a Hindu holiday that falls on the day after the full moon in March each year. It marks the end of winter in India. Holi is sometimes called the Festival of Color, because on Holi everyone in India throws paint at each other! 

To prepare, folks buy gulal, which are powdered paints in rich colors of pink, magenta, red, yellow and green. Three days before Holi families get together to sprinkle a little of the gulal powders on each other, to share love and blessings. 

On the day of Holi the whole country goes wild with people laughing and running in the streets; they smear each other with powder, drench each other with buckets of paint, and spray paint with long pistons (like super-soakers). They also fill water balloons with paint! People often show respect for elders by sprinkling dry powder on their feet. 

By the end of the day everyone is covered with color- old people, children, men, women, rich and poor. Holi creates a feeling of equality in a country with strong disparity.

Agenda Today:
1. Make Malpua
2. Have a paint throwing celebration

Holi

Holi is a Hindu holiday that falls on the day after the full moon in March each year. It marks the end of winter in India. Holi is sometimes called the Festival of Color, because on Holi everyone in India throws paint at each other! 

To prepare, folks buy gulal, which are powdered paints in rich colors of pink, magenta, red, yellow and green. Three days before Holi families get together to sprinkle a little of the gulal powders on each other, to share love and blessings. 

On the day of Holi the whole country goes wild with people laughing and running in the streets; they smear each other with powder, drench each other with buckets of paint, and spray paint with long pistons (like super-soakers). They also fill water balloons with paint! People often show respect for elders by sprinkling dry powder on their feet. 

By the end of the day everyone is covered with color- old people, children, men, women, rich and poor. Holi creates a feeling of equality in a country with strong disparity.

Agenda Today:
1. Make Malpua
2. Have a paint throwing celebration

International Women's Day

International Women's Day has been observed since the early 1900's as a day to celebrate the achievements of women, and take steps to increase gender equality. It's all about unity, celebration, reflection, advocacy and action- globally and locally.

No one government or group is responsible for International Women's Day, so several themes emerge each year.

The International Women's Day web page theme is Balance for Better- "Let's build a gender-balanced world. Everyone has a part to play - all the time, everywhere. From grassroots activism to worldwide action, we are entering an exciting period of history where the world expects balance. We notice its absence and celebrate its presence. Balance drives a better working world. Let's all help create a #BalanceforBetter.


The United Nations theme is “Think equal, build smart, innovate for change”. The theme focuses on innovative ways in which we can advance gender equality and the empowerment of women, particularly in the areas of social protection systems, access to public services and sustainable infrastructure.

Agenda Today:
1. Post a Selfie Card
2. Read this post- 5 Reasons Why Climate Action Needs Women

Human Rights Day

Today is Human Rights Day: The United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on this day in 1948. 

Today the UN kicks off a year-long campaign to mark the upcoming 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We celebrate all our inalienable rights and freedoms including a right to education, a decent living, health care and a right to live free from any form of discrimination among others.

Agenda:
1. Journal queries
2. Choose next steps
4. Take the human rights pledge

Second Sunday of Advent

Today starts the second week of advent. Advent is a time of vigilant waiting; I wait for something mysterious and unscheduled, but I wait with quiet excitement, and expectation. If I fall asleep to this awareness I risk missing the moment of joy, courage, or insight; the gift of grace that has the potential to feed me in ways I need.

Agenda today:
1. Journal queries
2. Advent wreath ceremony
3. Plan activities for unity and peace

Indigenous Peoples Day and New Chrysanthemum Moon

Happy Indigenous People's Day! Some people celebrate the second Monday in October as Columbus Day, but many of us prefer to honor instead the people who were here in the Americas for centuries before Columbus "discovered" it. 

Many cities are finally making the name change official, adopting Indigenous People's Day to celebrate the people and their culture, and also to reflect on their ongoing struggles in this land. The celebration today includes powwows, drumming, dancing, Native American foods and crafts.

This is also the night of the new moon. The Chinese call this ninth new moon the Chrysanthemum Moon. The chrysanthemum is a symbol of long life and endurance because of its ability to withstand colder temperatures. According to Chinese scholars, it shows the virtues of one who can endure temptations and maintain grace.

Agenda:
1. Journal queries
2. New moon meditation
3. Set intentions
4. Make fry bread
5. Make a prayer stick