FUNDRAISING UPDATE
CURRENT: $3315, GOAL: $6350

Thank you Pat...your support is so encouraging.

What a fantastic weekend! On Friday night I was able to visit Berkeley with my friend to hear Holly Near speak. She is an incredible feminist/human rights activist/peace maker. She sings these beautiful songs like '1000 Grandmothers'-she suggests that we should send 1000 grandmothers to war, they'd heal the wounds. Her song questions the fact that humans send their young to war. I thought about it and started looking at the way we relegate our elders to homes or facilities-as if they've lost their purpose and should be put away somewhere. I wonder if part of the reason some elderly people age so poorly and become completely inactive is because we have a culture that allows them to. What if they understood their lives needed to continue to be purposeful, that there is still a purpose for them-would they keep moving? Are we losing generations of wisdom because we've stopped venerating our elders? My wonderful friend Kay (97 years old and still driving and wild and stylish) told me that she keeps herself young and active by continuing to move about. She tells me that when she spends a day without activity, she gets creaky and it becomes harder for her to move. She has given me the most basic and useful tips on living-don't spend too much time in the past, enjoy the simple things in life. Kay moves quite slowly at this point and usually needs some assistance when we walk. I know she doesn't like that she is slow but from my vantage point it feels quite amazing. Whenever I visit her-I slow down completely. My world goes from 100mph to 25mph and it's rad. I listen more closely, I talk less, I walk slowly, I nap when I feel like it in her comfortable papasan chair...I drink tea and I'm still. Being with Kay is like a retreat. She is another one of my gifts from the Universe.

Anywho...Holly Near spoke about finding your voice. Not literally necessarily-I believe it's more about finding what you believe in and are willing to work towards. I read this book 'Answering Your Call' and the author gives suggestions on how to live a called life-find purpose in the mundane, live with purpose through the routine. He suggests that living a called life means working towards a goal that is bigger than oneself and not able to be achieved in a lifetime. I think that's what Holly Near means about finding your voice, it's finding your calling. I don't think that means you have to find one job you want to do for the rest of your life-mabye it means...dang, I still don't know.

I want to go to Africa so much. Yes to help, but also to open another door and maybe find my voice.

Another reason this weekend was so fantastic is I ( and my gifted croquet partner Lyman) won a croquet tournament-what a game!