A friend from work sent me this email on my birthday:
I thought of you today as I exercised by walking for hours through the wonderful city of Florence. We have had a wonderful day and I hope that you have too.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Pat's email about her walk in Prince Edward County
Just a note to let you know I did celebrate your birthday this morning with an extra long walk with my dog at the campgrounds where we are staying in Prince Edward County. Because I wanted to extend my walk, I was particularly observant about pathways that I might not have otherwise found and I walked from one farm meadow to the next through mowed pathways. Each meadow was distinctly different and had a particular charm and I felt like I was walking through the closets of Narnia! This setting was indeed peaceful and a perfect background for my own thoughts of peace…how I can be more peaceful, encourage/support peaceful behaviour in others, and act to increase the level of peace in our society and culture. I had both general and specific thoughts about how these goals might be realized, and I thank you for using the occasion of your 60th birthday to promote these thoughts in your friends and family. Roy and I had a very peaceful holiday in Prince Edward County, something we both needed very much, but we were sorry that the timing conflicted with your birthday party and your church service.
Thanks for including us,
Pat
Thanks for including us,
Pat
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
What a weekend!
Last Friday, August 6, 2010, I turned 60. On Wednesday and Thursday, I had lunches with two of my best friends, Irene and Carol, and on Thursday night, I had dinner out with my family. After all that, on Friday all I had to do was get ready for the Burlington Runners beer run at my house on Sat. morning. I asked Tony to do the shopping, and I'd do the rest. Well, it also snuck up on us that the emissions test had to be done on the car, and a trip to the registry to get it official for another year. The day was moving along, and there was, as always, lots to do still around 5 or 6, when the bell rang. It was Brody being dropped off, and Kim came by to say Happy Birthday. To make a long story short, she stayed and visited and cut up bagels, and muffins, and whatever, and tidied up. What had been a complete chore turned into an easy peasy evening, and the whole thing was ready to go. It was a great spontaneous birthday gift. I'm lucky to have such good friends.
Saturday morning, Khursh Ahmed from Physicians for Global Survival met me at the parking lot before the Burlington Runners weekly run. I was duly celebrated during announcements, and directions were given to my house. Khursh stayed to give out watermelon to the runners when they came in, a very special treat. We had a lot of people here for the beer run, and it was a great party. Burlington Runners are a terrific group, we don't take ourselves too seriously, and we support each other. Then I went for a run! I thought about all the people who are putting their lives on the line voluntarily, and decided to run for them. When I was younger, I was so critical of the Viet Nam war that I didn't respect the soldiers enough, when I look back.
Saturday night we had a party at Emma's Back Porch. Mark Collis was the best DJ in the world, playing all my favourites, and some I didn't even ask for. I thought there'd be dancing, and there was -- except it was only me! There are some songs that can't be sat through. I had family, running friends, church friends, neighbhour friends, and friend friends. I was so grateful that there were people to help me celebrate, because, as I said, I can't celebrate without others being there to do it with me. It's all about community.
Then Sunday morning I was doing the sermon at my church, First Unitarian Church of Hamilton. I had some trouble getting the sermon written, and I realized once I started it was because I couldn't ignore the elephant in the room. I had to talk about what happened in Hiroshima to the people present when the bomb dropped. Anyway, I was able to say that we must remember, and say Never Again. Then I talked about how challenging it is to move past our egocentric view of life and see us as all one human family that sinks or swims together.
Then we had a walk/run, and a reception. Gail Rappolt gave me such a wonderful gift in her very well organized service leading, and organizing the walk/run and the lunch afterwards.
Then I came home and fell asleep for two hours.
I've been decompressing since. I think this work about creating community, or building more within the communities that I'm already a part of, is so interesting, challenging, and both satisfying and abstract simultaneously. There is no product, no goal. It requires faith. What do you think?
If you've been involved, I'd love to see your response.
Saturday morning, Khursh Ahmed from Physicians for Global Survival met me at the parking lot before the Burlington Runners weekly run. I was duly celebrated during announcements, and directions were given to my house. Khursh stayed to give out watermelon to the runners when they came in, a very special treat. We had a lot of people here for the beer run, and it was a great party. Burlington Runners are a terrific group, we don't take ourselves too seriously, and we support each other. Then I went for a run! I thought about all the people who are putting their lives on the line voluntarily, and decided to run for them. When I was younger, I was so critical of the Viet Nam war that I didn't respect the soldiers enough, when I look back.
Saturday night we had a party at Emma's Back Porch. Mark Collis was the best DJ in the world, playing all my favourites, and some I didn't even ask for. I thought there'd be dancing, and there was -- except it was only me! There are some songs that can't be sat through. I had family, running friends, church friends, neighbhour friends, and friend friends. I was so grateful that there were people to help me celebrate, because, as I said, I can't celebrate without others being there to do it with me. It's all about community.
Then Sunday morning I was doing the sermon at my church, First Unitarian Church of Hamilton. I had some trouble getting the sermon written, and I realized once I started it was because I couldn't ignore the elephant in the room. I had to talk about what happened in Hiroshima to the people present when the bomb dropped. Anyway, I was able to say that we must remember, and say Never Again. Then I talked about how challenging it is to move past our egocentric view of life and see us as all one human family that sinks or swims together.
Then we had a walk/run, and a reception. Gail Rappolt gave me such a wonderful gift in her very well organized service leading, and organizing the walk/run and the lunch afterwards.
Then I came home and fell asleep for two hours.
I've been decompressing since. I think this work about creating community, or building more within the communities that I'm already a part of, is so interesting, challenging, and both satisfying and abstract simultaneously. There is no product, no goal. It requires faith. What do you think?
If you've been involved, I'd love to see your response.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Thanks Ian!
Thanks Ian D., for being my first official follower!
Actually, he isn't much of a groupie type, and the rumour is that he himself was in a rock band back in the day. Anyway, thanks Ian for getting the ball rolling.
btw, I'm the second follower. That happened when I was trying to figure out who the first follower was. Woops. I'm still learning about this, as you can see. When I learn to delete myself, then maybe I won't feel so schitzophrenic....
Actually, he isn't much of a groupie type, and the rumour is that he himself was in a rock band back in the day. Anyway, thanks Ian for getting the ball rolling.
btw, I'm the second follower. That happened when I was trying to figure out who the first follower was. Woops. I'm still learning about this, as you can see. When I learn to delete myself, then maybe I won't feel so schitzophrenic....
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Wow! I got in! More about my 60th birthday!
Hi everyone! It's taken me a looong time to figure out how to log into my own blog. This should be no surprise to those who have read my other messages. Whatever!
The good news is that my 60th birthday is coming up in less than a month on August6. It's the 65th anniversary of the bombing of Hirshima.
It's both a celebration and a time to reflect on how we can make the world a better place. As you know, I love to run, and I'm committed to nuclear disarmament. So for my 60th birthday, I'm asking--inviting--encouraging--begging--pleading, doing whatever it takes, to get you to move. Please move. Please walk, run, garden, make love, swim, sculpt, do anything you can. Be grateful for your body. And give money to Physicians for Global Survival (PGS). We're a group of Canadians, part of a larger group of physicians and others, and together, they've won a Nobel Peace Prize for their work. Then tell us, via this blog, what you did. Be a part of the community building.
My goal is to raise $6000 for my 60th birthday. As importantly, while you move your body, bring your mind with you. Think about peace. Think about what happened in Hiroshima, in Nagisaki. Think about a world without nuclear weapons. Then, please, please, join us in community by sharing what you think and feel on this blog.
We're organizing a number of events for the weekend of Aug. 6 - 8. More on that later. Mostly I want to encourage everyone outside of the Burlington area to think about what you would like to do. Do you want to join others? Go for a hike with a friend? Do something by yourself that's meaningful to you. Do you want to challenge yourself to achieve a goal? Do you want to relax and feel peaceful? It's all good.
I know I'm not the only one out there who thinks better when I move. Have some fun with it, because we need to connect with all of ourselves in order to have world peace.
I've learned so much already from trying to do this. I truly believe the world is one family. But I let myself get bogged down for a month, not able to log onto the blog, and I didn't ask for help from my friends as PGS, or from others that could have made this easy. If I really trusted my family, I wouldn't have segmented them off, I would have known they were there for me, and would have given me the help I needed, or found it for me. I'm asking others to come forward and trust that we can find a way to live together in peace, and I still have a ways to go myself. So it's a humbling experience. I know, though, that being on the path, that continuing to take one step at a time, however stumbly, is how the human race moves forward.
I believe that the human race is one family, and that this isn't some far-out hippie naive idea. I've been reading a scary book, The Hundredth Monkey, and one sentence says something like this: Nuclear bombs are not the solution to any problem. They are a bigger problem than any problem that they are trying to solve. Amen.
So having atomic weapons is like shooting yourself in the foot. Using them is like shooting yourself in the arm. Or the heart. Or the head. It's all bad.
There are a million good causes out there, and this is one of them. I try not to think of life as this or that. Many times it can be this and that. So if nuclear disarmament isn't your pet project, how about supporting me, and there's a good chance I'll support you. I'm hoping to have 60 people donate $100, or 100 people donate $60. Or a whole whack of people donate what they can or want to donate, and all the better.
I'm looking forward to seeing who's going to be the brave person to be the first to reply. Most of my friends and family are over 50, so here's the challenge: if I can do this, so can you! Show the love! What do you think of this idea so far? Let me know I'm being heard.
In faith and love,
Ginny
The good news is that my 60th birthday is coming up in less than a month on August6. It's the 65th anniversary of the bombing of Hirshima.
It's both a celebration and a time to reflect on how we can make the world a better place. As you know, I love to run, and I'm committed to nuclear disarmament. So for my 60th birthday, I'm asking--inviting--encouraging--begging--pleading, doing whatever it takes, to get you to move. Please move. Please walk, run, garden, make love, swim, sculpt, do anything you can. Be grateful for your body. And give money to Physicians for Global Survival (PGS). We're a group of Canadians, part of a larger group of physicians and others, and together, they've won a Nobel Peace Prize for their work. Then tell us, via this blog, what you did. Be a part of the community building.
My goal is to raise $6000 for my 60th birthday. As importantly, while you move your body, bring your mind with you. Think about peace. Think about what happened in Hiroshima, in Nagisaki. Think about a world without nuclear weapons. Then, please, please, join us in community by sharing what you think and feel on this blog.
We're organizing a number of events for the weekend of Aug. 6 - 8. More on that later. Mostly I want to encourage everyone outside of the Burlington area to think about what you would like to do. Do you want to join others? Go for a hike with a friend? Do something by yourself that's meaningful to you. Do you want to challenge yourself to achieve a goal? Do you want to relax and feel peaceful? It's all good.
I know I'm not the only one out there who thinks better when I move. Have some fun with it, because we need to connect with all of ourselves in order to have world peace.
I've learned so much already from trying to do this. I truly believe the world is one family. But I let myself get bogged down for a month, not able to log onto the blog, and I didn't ask for help from my friends as PGS, or from others that could have made this easy. If I really trusted my family, I wouldn't have segmented them off, I would have known they were there for me, and would have given me the help I needed, or found it for me. I'm asking others to come forward and trust that we can find a way to live together in peace, and I still have a ways to go myself. So it's a humbling experience. I know, though, that being on the path, that continuing to take one step at a time, however stumbly, is how the human race moves forward.
I believe that the human race is one family, and that this isn't some far-out hippie naive idea. I've been reading a scary book, The Hundredth Monkey, and one sentence says something like this: Nuclear bombs are not the solution to any problem. They are a bigger problem than any problem that they are trying to solve. Amen.
So having atomic weapons is like shooting yourself in the foot. Using them is like shooting yourself in the arm. Or the heart. Or the head. It's all bad.
There are a million good causes out there, and this is one of them. I try not to think of life as this or that. Many times it can be this and that. So if nuclear disarmament isn't your pet project, how about supporting me, and there's a good chance I'll support you. I'm hoping to have 60 people donate $100, or 100 people donate $60. Or a whole whack of people donate what they can or want to donate, and all the better.
I'm looking forward to seeing who's going to be the brave person to be the first to reply. Most of my friends and family are over 50, so here's the challenge: if I can do this, so can you! Show the love! What do you think of this idea so far? Let me know I'm being heard.
In faith and love,
Ginny
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Welcome!
Hi. I am so computer savvy that I couldn't find my account number, I couldn't preview a background set up for the blog, and then the first entry I made, a very friendly, rambling entry about how this idea came about have now disappeared through the cracks in the internet. Sort of how my life seems to disappear somewhere between commuting, sorting out things I could have/should have done better the first time, and just keeping track of what needs to be done.
I love my life. I'm grateful that I live with health, wealth, a satisfying job, a network of family and friends, and was born with a sunny disposition.
Most of you know that my birthday is Aug. 6, 1950, which was the fifth anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima. Some of you also know that I ran 50 km on my 50th birthday, and raised over $3000 for the Burlington Association for Nuclear Disarmament (BAND). As wonderful as that was, it was also an individual accomplishment. People asked me if I was going to run 60 km on my 60th birthday, which was not anything I was interested in doing. I also visioned a more community oriented birthday for my 60th, because it will take lots of people standing up to end nuclear weapons as a reasonable reality. (Now there's an oxymoron for you.)
Anyway, I have to go to work, so here's my second attempt at a first posting. Let me know you found me!
Cheers!
I love my life. I'm grateful that I live with health, wealth, a satisfying job, a network of family and friends, and was born with a sunny disposition.
Most of you know that my birthday is Aug. 6, 1950, which was the fifth anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima. Some of you also know that I ran 50 km on my 50th birthday, and raised over $3000 for the Burlington Association for Nuclear Disarmament (BAND). As wonderful as that was, it was also an individual accomplishment. People asked me if I was going to run 60 km on my 60th birthday, which was not anything I was interested in doing. I also visioned a more community oriented birthday for my 60th, because it will take lots of people standing up to end nuclear weapons as a reasonable reality. (Now there's an oxymoron for you.)
Anyway, I have to go to work, so here's my second attempt at a first posting. Let me know you found me!
Cheers!
Monday, June 7, 2010
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