We can not sleep even though it is night....

Isaiah 21:11-12

A prophecy concerning Dumah. Someone calls to me from Seir, "Watchman, what is left of the night? Watchman, what is left of the night?" The Watchman replies, "Morning is coming, but also the night. If you would ask, then ask; and come back yet again."

I heard this verse and thought, "What on earth is this sermon going to be about?" But as he spoke, I found myself leaning forward in the pew; eating every word he spout.

He spoke of the marches with Dr. King. It was night. He spoke of Jim Crow. It was night. He spoke of the first time he was jailed. It was night. He spoke of Rosa Parks. It was night. He spoke of the death of Malcom X. It was night. He then spoke of the election of Barack Obama. And how morning had come.

But, as with every day, night always falls and we must persevere until morning comes once more.

There are people without food, water and shelter. It is night. There are students chained to educative debt. It is night. There are pollutants seeping into our Mother Earth and killing her. It is night. There are sick and dying without access to healthcare. It is night. There is war. It is night. There is racism, classism, sexism, ageism, heterosexism, inequality of every degree, rampant in our country. It is night.

We can not sleep even though it is night. We must persevere until the morning.

I have never dreamed that I would ever be in a position to hear Rev. Jesse Jackson speak. It was as though we were of two separate worlds. And in a way, perhaps we were. But we are no longer. I hope that what I heard in his sermon and have relayed here touches you as it has touched me.

peace be to you all.
katie

A Welcoming....

I was officially welcomed at lunch yesterday. All of the volunteers who were present sang me a song and I was given a gift. Don't get too excited, it was a Stony Point coffee mug, with a satchel inside. Contained in the satchel was an eraser, a penny, a marble, a rubber band, a string and some chocolate hugs and kisses accompanied by a piece of paper.

It reads:
Stony Point Resident Survival Kit
An eraser, so you can always correct your mistakes.
A penny, so you need never feel you're broke.
A marble, in case someone says you've lost all of yours.
A rubber band, to stretch yourself beyond your limits.
A string, to tie things together when everything falls apart.
And hugs and kisses to remind you that we are here for you.

It was agreed that it is slightly corny, but incredibly true.

I also celebrated my first sabbat last night. That may be incorrectly spelled or worded. It was quite a beautiful dinner at the Shomer Shalom house where Lynn and Carolyn are living. Shomer Shalom means Keeping Peace. Lynn said the blessing of the wine and the only word I recognized was l'haim (also probably spelled wrong) and then the blessing on the bread--there was the most amazing honey butter on earth. A delightful dish of brown rice, veggies and fried tofu as well as a cucumber yogurt salad. We sat around and talked and I enjoyed the company immensely.

I do have a bunch of photos of Stony Point Center and of the town itself, and I was going to try to add a slideshow on the blog, and I may still in the future, but not this morning. So, here is a link to the photos on facebook so you can see where I am. http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=185425&id=532274918&l=333efff641

all for me, for now.
katie

A True Beginning of Consciousness...

So, I went to a Lent sevice last night. I haven't been to an Ash Wednesday service for years. I honestly don't remember the last time. But, I got to go last night. And the local Presby Church here in Stony Point is just a half mile down the road and is such a beautiful church, with a rather small congregation. The pastor has an inter-faith background, and wasn't Presbyterian when she began there, and is going to Peru in June. It was a nice service, we were invited to come and be in a very non-traditional way, with very traditional verses and songs. It was quite a dichotomy.

It seems quite poignant that my first day at Stony Point is the first day of Lent. I have not observed Lent for some time, and it was usually on accident. I hadn't decided to give something up until our resident Rabbi was unsure if she should offer me wine, and as a joke, I said wine was fine, I had given up coffee. I had been thinking that I was just going to take this time here at Stony Point during Lent to be purposefully intentional; with my blog, my relationships, with my actions, with my life. I feel like that could be just as meaningful, if not moreso, than depriving myself of coffee. Today, however, I realized that I am going to give the no coffee thing a real shot. I had three opportunities to partake of the good brew today, and something tugged me. I did say I gave it up. I should be impeccable with my word.

On a side note of interest, I have been asked more than seven times in the past twenty-four hours if I was Presbyterian. I found it kind of strange to ask that considering I drank wine with a female Rabbi, one of the co-directors here at SP is Quaker, many of the Christian volunteers don't go to church and many more don't know what they believe. This is not a judging statement, so please don't confuse it for one. I just found it interesting that to get to know me, I needed to be categorized and labeled. It made me wonder about that radical hospitality that I spoke of before. Is it possible to uncategorically accept, understand and appreciate someone for who they are, as they are, when we are so many, many different things all at once?

Another aside, I am so excited about being here. I have so much to learn from the people who have chosen to be here with me. And now, I must revel in the lesson of the YAV, just be. For that is when community forms, and fellow volunteers become peers, who in turn become friends.

Viva la revolucion.
katie

Another New Beginning...

Well, I find myself sitting in my new, reminiscently dorm-style room in the 700s sector of the Beta building basement on the Stony Point Center complex. I haven't really seen much of the grounds yet. This morning was spent barely functioning after my red-eye flight from Seattle to Newark (have I mentioned that this is my second flight of the year, my second red-eye flight of the year??---I think the Peruvian habit of night travel may have been ingrained in my psyche). Anyway, I had breakfast and met a slew of people and slept through lunch. I unpacked and found that my shampoo bottle top was ripped off somewhere in transit and seeped out of the protective plastic bag and onto the majority of my clothes, so I washed those this afternoon. In doing so, I stumbled upon a book called Radical Hospitality.

It is about the Benedictine Rule of hospitality. It talks about love and a spiritual longing for connection, how simple and secular human spirituality is, and the monastic way of life. It is speaking bounds to me right now; especially the word acceptance. The writer's describe acceptance as a loaded word. it is not just merely tolerating someone else (and their views and life), but accepting them for who they are in this very moment and relishing in that joy. It's funny because I have been trying to come up with a better word for tolerance, a word with a positive connotation, and I believe that acceptance is that word.

The book's introduction also speaks about hospitality, monastic hospitality. It doesn't involve itineraries or programming plans. It is a hospitality that I am already experiencing here at Stony Point. It centers on the idea of being welcoming and available, while maintaining an unforceful nature. I have been asked questions about how I got here, but nothing too in depth. And I have been told more than once not to worry too much about starting work just yet--there will be time for that later. Right now, I should learn some names, and sleep a lot, and get used to being here. Part of me was a little apprehensive that no one had knocked on my door, and I must admit that I had flashbacks to my first two weeks of college freshman year. Nervous, unsure, scared even. But, I took a moment and took a breath. Everyone I have approached has listened to me and asked me questions and were very amiable. No need to fret.

So, that is my very limited view of my first ten hours at SPC.
Stay tuned for more....

Explanations....

Well, this is my first intentional blog.

I have spent the past seven months readjusting to life in the United States after living in Lima, Peru for one year. It has been hard. It has been good. My time in Peru has changed me and the focus of my life inexplicably. Suffice it to say before Peru I thought I would end up an English Professor at a Community College, and in one weeks time I am moving to Stony Point, NY to work at a conference center and to live in an intentional multifaith community dedicated to peace and non-violence. I am not exactly sure what the future holds for me, but I am undoubtedly heading there, and plan to keep this blog along the way.

I hope to include book reviews, thoughts on God (god, goddess, the power of the universe, etc...), anecdotes from community, struggles, personal revelation and insights.

Thank you for paying attention, being involved and loving all that you do.
To the REVOLUTION!
katie