Happy Birthday Joe Biden!

"Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter." ~ Mark Twain

The Vice President Elect is 66 years old today. Yesterday, Barack Obama surprised him with birthday cupcakes in their Chicago transition office.

Heartfelt wishes for good health, a clear mind, and a steady hand during the coming year!

More Praise & Hopeful Good Wishes

From author, educator and spiritual teacher David Spangler:

"Watching the election returns Tuesday night was like watching the moon landing forty years ago. Then, a man took a step onto a new world and all humanity took a step with him. Tuesday night, the voters of the United States of America took a step and because of that, a man took us all into a new world of possibility and hope. Watching President-Elect Barack Obama, I felt like I'd been waiting for this moment most of my life. As tears of joy and exclamations of wonder and delight burst forth from Americans of all color and race, I felt for this evening I was seeing the true America, the United States that can rise to be a planetary nation, a place of blessing for all peoples and all life. This was echoed in Senator McCain's gracious concession speech and in President Bush's marvelous and graceful statement of appreciation for the significance of Obama's victory at a news conference the next morning from the Rose Garden.

Obama decreed that no fireworks be set off as a victory celebration over Grant Park in Chicago because he felt it was inappropriate to the solemn tasks ahead of us and because this was not a triumph over an opponent but an opening to working together as a community to meet those tasks. But the fireworks were still there in our hearts and you could see the light of their explosions in the eyes of those who watched the returns and saw a black man—a family man, a loving man—step forth to take on the burden of our common future.

There is hard work and sacrifice ahead for all of us; the promise of the election will not be realized overnight, nor even, as the President-Elect said, in four years. The challenges ahead are immense. But for a shining moment the best in us rose to the surface and said to those challenges and to our future, "Yes, we can!" It was a truly spiritual moment, a moment transcending politics, a moment that all the world has joined with us in rejoicing. It was—and is—a moment of hope.

And now we all move forward, not into Utopia but into the bright freshness that each day always brings every day of our lives, vibrant with promise even when filled with challenge. The spirit within us is inexhaustible, and to it, each day is like the first day of creation. Possibilities abound, and love is but a choice away from being the radiant power of our lives. We forget this, and when we do, life can press down upon us and we feel shadowed. But then there are those moments, precious and empowering, when we remember. We remember who we are and what we can do and the promise of the light within us.

Tuesday night, when a black man of a minority population and of global ancestry was voted into the most powerful office in the world on a wave of transformation and hope, was one of those moments. Tuesday night, we all remembered."

David Spangler is founder of the Lorian Association.

An Open Letter from Alice Walker

Nov. 5, 2008

Letter from Alice Walker to Obama

Dear Brother Obama,

You have no idea, really, of how profound this moment is for us. Us being the black people of the Southern United States. You think you know, because you are thoughtful, and you have studied our history. But seeing you deliver the torch so many others before you carried, year after year, decade after decade, century after century, only to be struck down before igniting the flame of justice and of law, is almost more than the heart can bear. And yet, this observation is not intended to burden you, for you are of a different time, and, indeed, because of all the relay runners before you, North America is a different place. It is really only to say: Well done. We knew, through all the generations, that you were with us, in us, the best of the spirit of Africa and of the Americas. Knowing this, that you would actually appear, someday, was part of our strength. Seeing you take your rightful place, based solely on your wisdom, stamina and character, is a balm for the weary warriors of hope, previously only sung about.

I would advise you to remember that you did not create the disaster that the world is experiencing, and you alone are not responsible for bringing the world back to balance. A primary responsibility that you do have, however, is to cultivate happiness in your own life. To make a schedule that permits sufficient time of rest and play with your gorgeous wife and lovely daughters. And so on. One gathers that your family is large. We are used to seeing men in the White House soon become juiceless and as white-haired as the building; we notice their wives and children looking strained and stressed. They soon have smiles so lacking in joy that they remind us of scissors. This is no way to lead. Nor does your family deserve this fate. One way of thinking about all this is: It is so bad now that there is no excuse not to relax. From your happy, relaxed state, you can model real success, which is all that so many people in the world really want. They may buy endless cars and houses and furs and gobble up all the attention and space they can manage, or barely manage, but this is because it is not yet clear to them that success is truly an inside job. That it is within the reach of almost everyone.

I would further advise you not to take on other people's enemies. Most damage that others do to us is out of fear, humiliation and pain. Those feelings occur in all of us, not just in those of us who profess a certain religious or racial devotion. We must learn actually not to have enemies, but only confused adversaries who are ourselves in disguise. It is understood by all that you are commander in chief of the United States and are sworn to protect our beloved country; this we understand, completely. However, as my mother used to say, quoting a Bible with which I often fought, "hate the sin, but love the sinner." There must be no more crushing of whole communities, no more torture, no more dehumanizing as a means of ruling a people's spirit. This has already happened to people of color, poor people, women, children. We see where this leads, where it has led.

A good model of how to "work with the enemy" internally is presented by the Dalai Lama, in his endless caretaking of his soul as he confronts the Chinese government that invaded Tibet. Because, finally, it is the soul that must be preserved, if one is to remain a credible leader. All else might be lost; but when the soul dies, the connection to earth, to peoples, to animals, to rivers, to mountain ranges, purple and majestic, also dies. And your smile, with which we watch you do gracious battle with unjust characterizations, distortions and lies, is that expression of healthy self-worth, spirit and soul, that, kept happy and free and relaxed, can find an answering smile in all of us, lighting our way, and brightening the world.

We are the ones we have been waiting for.

In Peace and Joy,
Alice Walker

© 2008, Alice Walker

Alice Walker won the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for her book, The Color Purple

Another Monday Meeting

"Am I not destroying my enemies when I make them my friends?"
~ Abraham Lincoln

Joint statement issued by President Elect Obama and Senator McCain after their meeting in Chicago today:

"At this defining moment in history, we believe that Americans of all parties want and need their leaders to come together and change the bad habits of Washington so that we can solve the common and urgent challenges of our time. It is in this spirit that we had a productive conversation today about the need to launch a new era of reform where we take on government waste and bitter partisanship in Washington in order to restore trust in government, and bring back prosperity and opportunity for every hardworking American family. We hope to work together in the days and months ahead on critical challenges like solving our financial crisis, creating a new energy economy, and protecting our nation's security."

An Anthem for America

"America the Beautiful" was penned by Katharine Lee Bates, who was partially inspired by the view atop Pike's Peak (one of the "purple mountain majesties") just outside Colorado Springs, CO. Some think it should be our national anthem (me included!).

America the Beautiful

O beautiful, for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America! God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea.

O beautiful, for pilgrim feet
Whose stern, impassioned stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America! God mend thine ev'ry flaw;
Confirm thy soul in self control, thy liberty in law!

O beautiful, for heroes proved
In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved
And mercy more than life!
America! America! May God thy gold refine,
'Til all success be nobleness, and ev'ry gain divine!

O beautiful, for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years,
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America! God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea!

A Blessing for Equilibrium

Another beautiful blessing from John O'Donohue's book, "Benedictus," as President Elect Obama works in Chicago to assemble his administration.

A Blessing for Equilibrium

Like the joy of the sea coming home to shore,

May the relief of laughter rinse through your soul.

As the wind loves to call things to dance,

May your gravity be lightened by grace.

Like the dignity of moonlight restoring the earth,

May your thoughts recline with reverence and respect.

As water takes whatever shape it is in,

So free you may be about who you become.

As silence smiles on the other side of what's said,

May your sense of irony bring perspective.

As time remains free of all that it frames,

May your mind stay clear of all it names.

May your prayer of listening deepen enough

To hear in the depths the laughter of God.

("Benedictus" was published in the U.S. as "To Bless the Space Between Us")

Choosing a Cabinet

"Who is wise? He that learns from everyone."

~ Benjamin Franklin

Message from the Dalai Lama

Dharamshala: His Holiness the Dalai Lama on Wednesday (last week) sent a message to congratulate Senator Barack Obama for his historic win to the post of the President of the United States.

November 5, 2008

H. E. Barack Obama,

President-elect of the United States of America

Washington, DC

U.S.A.

Dear President-elect Obama,

Congratulations on your election as the President of the United States of America. I am encouraged that the American people have chosen a President who reflects America's diversity and her fundamental ideal that any person can rise up to the highest office in the land. This is a proud moment for America and one that will be celebrated by many peoples around the world.

The American Presidential elections are always a great source of encouragement to people throughout the world who believe in democracy, freedom and equality of opportunities.

May I also commend the determination and moral courage that you have demonstrated throughout the long campaign, as well as the kind heart and steady hand that you often showed when challenged. I recall our own telephone conversation this spring and these same essential qualities came through in your concern for the situation in Tibet.

As the President of the United States, you will certainly have great and difficult tasks before you, but also many opportunities to create change in the lives of those millions who continue to struggle for basic human needs. You must also remember and work for these people, wherever they may be.

With my prayers and good wishes,

Yours sincerely,

THE DALAI LAMA

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Many thanks to my good friend, Priya, for forwarding the above message for me to post!

The Reality of Hope

"Everything that is done in the world is done by hope."

~ Martin Luther

"Hope" is a squishy term for many. Not for me. This is my working definition of "hope", one that is grounded in reality, from Jerome Groopman's book, The Anatomy of Hope:

"Hope is one of our central emotions, but we are often at a loss when asked to define it. Many of us confuse hope with optimism, a prevailing attitude that 'things turn out for the best.' But hope differs from optimism. Hope does not arise from being told to 'think positively,' or from hearing an overly rosy forecast. Hope, unlike optimism, is rooted in unalloyed reality. Hope is the elevating feeling we experience when we see - in the mind's eye - a path to a better future. Hope acknowledges the significant obstacles and deep pitfalls along that path. True hope has no room for delusion. Clear-eyed, hope gives us the courage to confront our circumstances and the capacity to surmount them"

And "hope" is a very real force to be reckoned with for Barack Obama, from his book, The Audacity of Hope:

"The audacity of hope.

That was the best of the American spirit, I thought - having the audacity to believe despite all the evidence to the contrary that we could restore a sense of community to a nation torn by conflict; the gall to believe that despite personal setbacks, the loss of a job or an illness in the family or a childhood mired in poverty, we had some control - and therefore responsibility - over our own fate.

It was that audacity, I thought, that joined us as one people. It was that pervasive spirit of hope that tied my own family's story to the larger American story, and my own story to those of the voters I sought to represent."

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Late edition to this post:

Roger Cohen's hopeful column in the New York Times on November 10, "Emptying Pandora's Box," is worth a read:

"These are interesting times. Jobs are disappearing and General Motors is running out of cash. At the same time, America has assuaged some of its deepest wounds with the election of Barack Obama. We have less money in our pockets but more hope in our hearts.

Hope won’t feed an empty stomach. But it’s potent. In Greek myth, when Pandora opened her box, she let out all the evils except one: hope. The Greeks considered hope dangerous; its bedfellow can be delusion. Nietzsche later saw hope as the evil that prolongs human torment.

But in the end Pandora opened her box again and released hope because, without it, humanity was filled with despair."

continue reading here

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Hope has spread across America like wildfire; let's live up to the responsibility that goes with it.

Please End the War in Iraq & Bring Our Troops Home

"This world of ours...must avoid becoming a community of dreadful fear and hate, and be, instead, a proud confederation of mutual trust and respect." ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

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VETERANS DAY 2008 - A POEM

MOTHER AND SON - FROM ONE WAR TO THE NEXT

The stories told in staring eyes,

monotoned during daylight, and

screamed through haunted darkness,

bespoke unimaginable horror.

The anguish inflicted on my generation

warned of a military madness

that feeds upon the newborn.

I bore fear along with my child

Even as my womb cradled and nurtured,

I knew one day they would come.

Drawn by youth, thirsting fresh blood,

they'd come for you those Vampires of War.

Joyful colors clothed your childhood.

Your favorite: purple.

Never the small-sized uniforms that foreshadow dark future.

Cammies aren't meant for kids.

No guns for my son!

No onimous plastic noise makers

pressed to imitate authoritarian threat!

So you pretended sticks into rifles.

Mother songs lullabied hope and peace

while soldiers who'd put down their weapons

and the millions in our streets,

ended the Tonkin-induced war.

Vietnam swept G.I. Joe from toy store shelves.

But the dolly boy resurrected to

trickle down into little boy hands

via Reagan's pipe dream presidency.

You grew while I taught you to value humanity,

to share, to love, to respect.

I showed you how to step into other existences

yet they lurked. Vulture-like. Watching. Waiting,

Ready to stalk when restless and unsure,

You lost your way in school.

Adventure! Money! Manhood! A mere GED away.

You turned your head, and your life.

The truth, with which I'd armed you, once targeted,

was swiftly and effectively neutralized.

You swallowed their bait.

They set the hookand reeled your from my arms.

Fourteen years on, the PTSD hid behind your unfocused stare.

It was your guarded monotone I heard during the day.

And you who faced the dark demons brought by sleepless terror, Alone.

We could not protect you there.

Then you challenged the Vampires of War

by speaking truth to their prey

and turned numerous boys from a war-torn path

your brother among those who walked away.

And now, You've survived the battle within.

Victorious, you win it still every day,

giving each of us who love you

the freedom to finally say...

Welcome Home Son, Welcome Home.

KWW

November, 2008

I found the above poem linked in the comments of a blog on the Seattle Post Intelligencer today.

Monday Meeting

"Compassion and nonviolence help us to see the enemy's point of view, to hear his questions, to know his assessment of ourselves. For from his view we may indeed see the basic weaknesses of our own condition, and if we are mature, we may learn and grow and profit from the wisdom of the brothers who are called the opposition."

~ Martin Luther King Jr.

Barack and Michelle Obama meet George and Laura Bush in the White House today. The New York Times remarks on the potential "for a meeting that could be as awkward as it is historic. . . (given). . . the personal chemistry between two leaders whose worldviews are miles apart."

Let's hope for some brotherly love!

Sunday Morning Proverb

"Through wisdom a house is built and through understanding it is established."
~ Proverbs 24:3

More thoughts . . .

My good friend, TopCat in Seattle, reminds me that columnists and writers around the world are documenting this historic moment often from a highly personal point of view. I'll try to gather links to many of those articles on this blog; in the meantime, here are a couple of TC's favorites.

These lines were in Le Monde by Robert Solé, who has a daily humor column:

"Sorry. No column today. The keyboard is not responding. History is a page being turned. Three words on the screen: "Yes we can." While it is impossible to joke with genocide or disaster, it is equally impossible to joke with an event that makes you weep for joy. The first worldwide good news since the fall of the Berlin Wall in
1989 needs more than a pirouette or an amused wink. At this moment - but for how long ? - we can say with far more conviction than on 11 September 2001 : we are all Americans."

She also loves this last paragraph from Anna Quindlan in the current Newsweek:

"But I suspect that, like many others, I wept for myself, too, because I felt I was part of a country that was living its principles. Despite all our prejudices, seen and hidden, millions of citizens managed, in the words of Dr. King, to judge Barack Obama by the content of his character and not the color of his skin. There were many reasons to elect him president, but this was one collateral gift: to be able to watch America look an old evil in the eye and to say, no more. We must be better than that. We can be better than that. We are better than that."

Friends - send more! Thank you!

The First Barakah

A Blessing for One Who Holds Power

by John O'Donohue

May the gift of leadership awaken in you as a vocation,
Keep you mindful of the providence that calls you to serve.

As high over the mountains the eagle spreads its wings,
May your perspective be larger than the view from the foothills.

When the way is flat and dull in times of grey endurance,
May your imagination continue to evoke horizons.

When thirst burns in times of drought,
May you be blessed to find the wells.

May you have the wisdom to read time clearly
And know when the seed of change will flourish.

In your heart may there be a sanctuary
For the stillness where clarity is born.

May your work be infused with passion and creativity
And have the wisdom to balance compassion and challenge.

May your soul find the graciousness
To rise above the fester of small mediocrities.

May your power never become a shell
Wherein your heart would silently atrophy.

May you welcome your own vulnerability
As the ground where healing and truth join.

May integrity of soul be your first ideal
The source that will guide and bless your work.

~ John O'Donohue
Benedictus, A Book of Blessings
2007