Thoughts From This Side of The Pond

Above are some of the handmade peace flags hanging unfurled & free, in the lobby of the Storrs Friends Meetinghouse...

"Cousins in the Land of Abraham" is the program we attended last night-

Joyce McKelvey is speaking to Dr. Charlie Prewitt, just before announcing the guest speaker to her right, Mr. Christopher Doucot...

A not so familiar sign shared during this presentation, it is from the organization Rabbis for Human Rights

The espically talented & passionate speaker of the evening-

Mr. Christopher Doucot

A restful & sweet still life in the lobby of the Meetinghouse, note the proudly displayed

peace flags above...

The above is an article that I read after returning home, in the Lent 2011 edition of The Catholic Worker, by, Felice Cohen-Jappa, it tells quite briefly the story of the very brave & dedicated nuclear resister, Helen Woodson. Helen Woodson is the longest imprisoned nuclear resister in history. She is to be released in September 2011, after 27 years behind bars. The Catholic Worker is helping to get the word out, in order to raise funding in the aid of Ms. Woodson, *Please send checks or money orders to, the Nuclear Resister [with "for Helen" written on the memo line] & sent to the Nuclear Resister, PO Box 43383, Tucson, AZ. 85733

Above is the arched entryway of the Storrs Friends Meetinghouse where, all are welcome...

Yesterday was the royal wedding of William & Kate, the fairytale couple of Great Britain. The only very distant connection we would have to that grand affair is that our friend Neila & her recently departed husband Glen, their daughter Shana, played violin in the symphony during the wedding. I am sure Neila is so very proud, as would Shana's dad Glen, have been. Glen Douglas was born & raised in England & grew up either in, or around Yorkshire, of the countryside of James Herriot's, "All Creatures Great And Small". Glen we think of you, & your family anytime there is a brit story, you were such an excellent royal ambassador from across the pond, & your entire family, & the love of music that you & Neila have shared, & instilled in your two daughters will continue to do you proud!

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On yet another note, last night my husband & I attended a presentation at the-

Storrs Friends Meetinghouse, of the Quakers

Titled, "Cousins in the Land of Abraham" presented by, Christopher Doucot

Mr. Doucent is a graduate of Holy Cross University, & Yale University Divinity School.

He spoke last night as a representative of the Hartford Catholic Workers.

The program was sponsored by the Israel/Palestine Peace, Education and Action Group, of N.E. Ct. for further info: 860-429-3107

Mr. Doucent has traveled to the hot spots of the world in order to gather a better understanding of what it is the peoples on the street are thinking & saying. His travels include:

Bosnia '93, Chiapas '98, Iraq '98-'04, Israel/Palestine '01-'11, Dufur '04 & '05,

Afghanistan 2011

It was an interesting presentation, as the title so captures the imagination-

"Cousins in the Land of Abraham" as the Story of Abraham, the patriarch of monotheism for the faiths of Judaism, Christianity & Islam connect all three faiths, for we are all, of us, certainly cousins if we have been raised in any one of the faiths of Abraham.

I will not go into the politics of the mideast, as the Peace Garden's mission is not one of politics, but I will bring forth & introduce individuals who are working, so very hard to bring peace to the world, by touching upon their unique stories-

Mr. Doucot is in his own words a pacifist, he is a married man, & a father. If I were to distill his presentation down, in so far as what I took away from some of the information that he shared, which he clearly stated on several occasions-

"In Palestine, it is not a conflict about religion, it is a colonial conflict, a colonial conflict about land."

It all makes sense, for as I recall my opening remark for today's posting was about the royal wedding, the empire that was king of the world, in colonialism, & of which so many nation states, including the U.S. have chosen to model after.

How is this all working out for humanity... , well we can pretty much figure that one out. A wedding that probably cost in the millions, & I can almost be certain if I were to say that every citizen that resides in Great Britain is not being excused from an existence of poverty.

Certainly it was quite the affair to behold, the gowns, the suits, the carriages, & the hats, all of it a visionary feast, but until we as a specie can truly take care of our own, do we really deserve this much decadence. Yes, even in high fashion, on the streets in London, a colonial conflict of it's citizenry continues.

I too love the beauty of fairy tales, but those of us that were brought up on the old & traditional ones, do remember the endings to these stories, they were not always happily ever after. But weddings are new beginnings, & on the individual level we all wish William & Kate, a lifetime of happiness, & I'm sure they too, will do their very best, to help to make this a better world, as the whole world is watching.

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© Mother Lightning of Mother Lightning's Peace Garden