Slavery again

I have not blogged in some time and in the interim, I have worked at an amazing exhibit about human exploitation called "Sold."   Please visit www.soldexperience.org.

I learned a lot more about modern slavery through the time I spent helping the exhibit.   I had a fun job - I sold jewelry and crafts made by child survivors of sexual slavery in Cambodia.   The products are from a wonderful organization called Agape International, which  you can visit at http://agapewebsite.org/. 

I enjoyed browsing through the bracelets, and yes, I was a good customer too.   I received almost as much $ in donations as I did in sales, which is truly lovely.  

When it was quiet, I read one of the books on the book table - Renting Lacy.  It was an easy read intellectually but not emotionally.  Quite powerful - I recommend it.  Author is Linda Smith, a Washington state former legislator, and now the founder of Shared Hope International. 

This experience was about a month ago, and it is still very much with me.  

Please visit these web sites and become a little more aware, and then a little more engaged.  

Peace and justice, y'all

Molly

More on faithfulness

More peace in my home since I started acting more kindly and attentive to my hubby.  I help him remember his meds, massage him, tease him and talk to him more.   And he is in turn happier.   So things are better! 

Would that things were better everywhere.  But alas, we do what we can and make things better wherever we are.  

The Spring of Sustainability sessions continue through June, and they are awesome.   How I hope to harness some of the inspiration I'm feeling, and learn more, much more, from the experts I listen to.   Somewhere on the planet someone is reading this, and I hope to share what I learn.  

Peace and justice, y'all

Molly

Sustainability

I have been listening to the Spring of Sustainabilty's weekday teleconference interviews with leaders in sustainability.  It has been very inspiring, mostly.  Each person is asked the same question at the end:  what one thing should listeners do to make the world more sustainable? 

The answers are in a few categories.  First, get going.  Take the first step.  Take personal inventory.  Know your values and priorities and act on them.  

These ideas do not relate strictly and solely to environmental issues.   They work in other dimensions as well. 

Sustainabilty does not relate strictly to environmental issues.   Sustainabilty means living now in a way that ensures future generations can do likewise.  So there is also social sustainability.   Fair housing.  Access to good education.  Access to good health care.  

Sounds like the things that constitute a just and peaceful, verdant world.  

The Spring of Sustainability series continues through the end of the month.  Visit them online and tune in.  It's really worth it.

Peace, and justice, y'all

Molly

Faithfulness

I have the word faithful in my password and everytime I type it I think about faithfulness.  Having faith?  the condition of having faith.  Feeling full of faith?    Faith is not my strong suit, practice is.  In Quaker terms, what you do is your practice and what is in your heart is your faith.  So I am more grounded in taking positive steps than in mere belief.

Yet I pray constantly.  Go figure

I pray for peace, I pray for justice.  I pray for my country and for my planet.  And for myself-my health and peace of mind and the like.  

I have been listening to daily teleconferences about sustainability.  Every interview closes with "what is the one most important thing for your listeners to do? "  And there is some consistency in the reply:  get started.  Do something.  Do Some Thing, and it will lead to the next, and the next, and soon you'll have allies and a movement and perhaps an achievement. 

So I dive into this blog and hope these random thoughts help you, dear reader, go somewhere and do some thing.

Peace, y'all

Molly

Precision

The importance of Truth has become very clear to me.  If we see truth, how can we not become humbled by it?  How can we keep up our pretences if we see the truth?   I think it's impossible.

I came to this understanding about truth through a quote involving growing our personal strengths in three areas:   precision, gentleness, and ability to let go.    "Precision" rattled around in my head quite dissonantly, and a friend suggested to think of it as seeing things accurately.   And to me that means recognizing truth.  

I find this very humbling.   Yet familiar.  I am Quaker, and the formal name of our group is the Religious Society of Friends.  And we are friends of....... TRUTH.   So my Quaker forebears already recognized the cardinal place of truth in our human understanding, faith and practice.   Seeking more truth.

The revelations I have found and shared about trafficking are part of seeing the truth.   First we see the problem, then we imaging a solution, then we enlist others and bring the solution into being. 

Truth.... A beautfiul and powerful force.  

Yes, this is part of my nonlinear path to personal peacemaking.   Seeing truth, God willing, will help me see the right path to increase the amount of peace and justice in this world. 

Glad we didn't spend money today on fancy fish.   Glad we didn't gamble in the raffle at the gig today.  (Meeting? Event? Party? I don't know.)  Seems to me a better way to spend money is to help others.   A little glimmer of truth there, just a weak and faint one. 

Peace and justice, y'all

Molly

justice

Some time ago I realized the path to peace is through justice.  Sweet justice, blind justice.  Social justice, environmental justice.  

Now, recently I got an email suggesting I pray for patience, gentleness, and precision.  PRECISION?  This seemed very strange, but the nature of precision could be accuracy, and that could mean truth.  Oh, to see truth, to know truth.  

The ability to see truth clearly is something worth praying for indeed. 

Peace and justice, y'all

Molly

about cars

I recently began reading Wall Street Journal and I have learned a few things.   1) Americans are buying less gasoline than they have in 11 years.  Whoa!   High prices, efficient cars, fewer places to go in a depression, who knows?    2) In March, the big 3 automakers (GM, Ford, Chrysler) sold a record number of cars--and it's the high fuel economy cars that are driving off the lot in droves.

The federal government required high fuel economy, and funny, I didn't hear any moaning and whining about how hard it would be.  The car makers are putting out small efficient cars and large (more) efficient cars.  Hybrids galore.

I learned today from the editor and creator of GreenBiz.com, Joel Makower, that companies are doing a lot to be more sustainable, but they are not talking about it.   They are not doing it for PR or idealogy.  They are doing it for sound business reasons.

Let's let the carmakers laugh all the way to the bank.

Recently I have blogged a lot about problems, and it depressed me, I admit.  The problems are still out there, but I will turn my focus other places for a while.  

Peace and justice, y'all

Molly