Dear Peacebuilders,
We began our May 1st session with the song First of May by James Taylor.
Our co-facilitator, Tom Kotlarek, led us through a process that he calls casting a circle so that we simultaneously become grounded and visualize a deeper connection to one another. We were joining positive energy from Tehran and Sénégal to Philadelphia and Arizona!
Using the "open mic" process, members were invited to share challenges with peacemaking they wanted to explore in more detail in breakouts. Our first prompt from Elaheh Pooyandeh was: How can we better accept the truth and the reality of things that we are facing? The second from Marion Transetti was: How can we better balance the demands of our peace activities with our lives, our families and work?
Following twenty minutes of dialogue in our breakouts, Elaheh and Marion shared what they heard and learned from others in the small groups. Elaheh talked about how we are creating something together - and the challenges of dislodging conflict over centuries. She talked about the importance of taking small steps and having clarity on what is ours to do, our unique role. While it is hard to accept that we don't have to do everything ourselves, we can internalize that each of us is a piece to the puzzle. Marion learned that each of us must periodically give ourselves time for a "reset" to review our priorities and honor what we really need. We must let go of what we can't control and find support through a network of people we trust.
Barry spoke to the importance of having an identity and invited us to be part of the Peace Brook network he is spearheading with Chicago residents. Julie pointed out that we can list our "weaving organizations" on the Weave Peace and Justice Group page under "Resources," at Weaving Organizations.
We wrapped up with a quote by Sister Joan Chittister: Perseverance with hard things can be the source of the greatest pleasure, the deepest satisfaction. What we work hard to achieve, we value most.
Our next session, a skill-building session will be on Wed., June 5th, 11:00am to 12:30pm Central: Empathic Fluency: The Art of Listening.
Yours in peacebuilding,
@Kate Towle, Co-Facilitator