Fresh! Encounters

Hello All,

Today I spent the morning with some friends at Glide. As always the audience was a beautiful rainbow of people. Some folks were smiling so big you could feel your own heart melting at the sight of them. The choir, was the Glide Choir - just loving. Spirited song birds is what they are.

Near then end of the service, Pastor Finch spoke on this, his last day as a Methodist Preacher on the importance of loving one another. For some reason he said he felt that those who hate, seem to do so very powerfully because of their commitment to it. Their hate is very thought out, well managed and organized. Many of us have seen that they who practice and preach hate and bigotry are are so committed to it, their followers will turn their backs on their own brothers and sisters, family friends and neighbors.

Then he spoke the truth I’ve been hearing in my own head and in my own heart all my life. I wrote about it last week and speak about it daily - there is never a reason to believe that you are better off or serving anyone else by keeping your emotions, your love, your feelings of gratitude and honoring humility to yourself. Who can you serve and how can you find and be in community when your fear of being hurt, rational or not, keeps you from me; keeps you from your family and neighbors; keeps you from all the wonderful gifts life has to offer.

Today Dr. Finch asked that all of us not just love ourselves, but let that love out and share it with others.

Today I commit to expressing love and gratitude; trust and humility, appreciation for life and charity for the rest of my days, and oh yeah, a lot of compassion for the times I’m not meeting this commitment.

Thanks to my dear co-worker Britt, I have finally set up my blog!!! I was especially encouraged today because I support justice movements in our cities, nations and the world and I believe the US Social Forum taking place in Atlanta at the end of the month is a valuable event for me to attend. Here is a link to the main event: http://www.ussf2007.org/en/about

Below you can find information about a pre-Forum Queer Leftist Event

When I put a call out for support for air fare to get to this event Britt suggested I create a blog and add a ChipIn Widget that will allow folks to contribute to travel. Thank you Britt. I’m now hours behind with actual work (thank goodness for flex-time) and I now have a way for folks to contribute if they’d like.

Why I want to go:

This is the exact type of conference that I have been thinking about for a long time; as I have been growing with and supporting small organizations in the SF Bay Area. I have always stressed the importance of collaboration amongst the various groups and organizations I have worked or participated with. I have had a vision of pulling together the Unionist, Queer Groups, Educators, Heathcare professionals, Environmentalist, technology and all justice minded community members into something that looks a lot like what the US Social Forum intends. I believe I will learn and grow from this experience and that this growth will benefit all the communities I am involved with.

What will happen with any extra funds? Any extra funds collected will be split evenly between the group I am acting as a delegate for, the Community United Against Violence (www.cuav.org) and Roopa Singh, a political poet activist who is also working to raise funds to attend. You may email Roopa for more information on her mission at: politicalpoet@gmail.com.

Thank you for visiting my blog. I promise to keep it up to date with my activities.