i'm leaving on a grey hound louisiana bound

happy tuesday evening duckies,

as many of you know i work at a homeless and near homeless outreach center in the front range of the rockies. today our center's lobby was a colorful canvas comprised of families clutching their leases visiting us for rental assistance, formerly middle class workers accessing our food bank in a desperate move to limit costs so they don't lose their homes, teen lovers, and our chronic homeless clients who are as much a part of our neighborhood's fabric as the outline of the rocky mountains west of our small community.

it was a normal bustling day. perhaps the most pervasive sound though was the buzz from our homeless clients about the mass influx of jobs being advertised in louisiana and texas. usually our chronically homeless clients have a defeated look in their eyes. even though they are remarkably resilient, you can look at their faces and see a road map of their struggles with finances, street life, mental illnesses and very often substance abuse. today every man i spoke with who grasped the green jobs to help clean up the oil spill flyer was lit up. all of a sudden there are thousands of jobs available along the gulf. many of these men have never left colorado and have spent the vast majority of their adult life in one city and now they are getting ready to pick up and move

many of the men had secured funding from churches to buy grey hound tickets down south. they are leaving with the packs on their backs and the hope that maybe with a job that is part of a movement all the pain and dramatic monotony of street life will be washed away. i am excited for them. i am happy that there are jobs and i left work today with the hope that these jobs will pan out and that these men who so desperately seek community and meaning will find some peace down south. i also left worried for their health. these jobs are being mass advertised in low-income communities around the country. poor and often immuno-compromised populations are swarming down to a highly toxic waste site.

so tonight, sending out a good thought for all the people who are packing up their lives and moving to the gulf. may their journeys be safe, their work be effective and well received, their bodies protected, and their spirits be lifted...

photocredit: {oilspillphotos, gulfspill, studiomunophotography, julieharrisphotography}

the only thing i know

i dedicated myself earlier this year to exploring the concept of bravery. i have been thinking a lot about what it means to live thoughtfully, yet tenaciously and what it means to take the small and sometimes invisible steps towards a life lived boldly. yesterday marked the birthday of frida kahlo: mexican painter, cultural icon, and personal inspiration to yours truly.

i know that it is cliche to carry around frida paraphernalia. frida kahlo is to young female aspiring artisans and hipsters what hillary clinton has been to a generation of politicas. it is a cliche that i'm willing to embrace because for as long as i've loved art, i've loved frida kahlo.

i am drawn to her use of color and symbolism, but primarily i am fascinated by her obsession with the self. it is bold to make any piece of art. it takes a certain gumption and abandon to perceive, feel, and then respond through creation. however, i find that it is even more brave to recreate images of the self. frida's long term partner diego's revolution was on the streets; frida's revolution existed within her soul and body. it is brave to struggle and to look deeply within yourself and then even more flagrant to then share the raw internal truth with the world.

i do not love frida because she is a superior painter to others of her generation. i do not love her because she suffered and indeed i wish that her life had been full of sweetness. i love her because she was brave. i love her because she took what was graceful and what was awkward; she took what was broken and divine to reflect and transform herself.

frida said, "I paint my own reality. The only thing I know is that I paint because I need to, and I paint whatever passes through my head without any other consideration."

happy birthday frida. thank you for living boldly in your own reality...

it's a beautiful thing.

images:{fridakahlo}

channeling

it was a wonderful three day weekend. i stretched out in a hammock and ate peaches. then i played bingo. it geriatric luxury.

tomorrow i'm speaking to some people who do amazing work in my community. i'm excited and nervous so i'm thinking about one of my world inspirations zainab salbi. she believes in community and individual growth, justice, cultural preservation, and she is tenaciously confident.

i'm hoping to channel her tomorrow!

root down, rise up

good morning duckies,

i am sitting at my office taking in the snow. it's coming down again and this california sunshiney girl is wondering: when does the snow stop? is march not spring? apparently it is not. yet in my garden my daffodils are beginning to bloom and their fresh green shoots wear little white capped bonnets this morning. we've entered metamorphosis time and i'm making a little cocoon of my big chunky red sweater. it's a year to grow my patience skills

little tidbits that are making this long winter a bit brighter:

mango juice for the lips
the promise of my favorite flower
the knowledge that i'm on the path to becoming an advanced practice nurse midwife. this is a fact that brings me much joy.
bobo's oat bars...my new snack obsession
time reading at stellas, a most beloved coffee shop.
practicing photography and appreciating this amazing photography website

photocredit: {blamstur}

wonderful world wednesdays: dr. david benke of deer creek school

this morning i want to recognize a local hero. i feel pretty strongly about the fact that teachers are heroes everyday. it takes a certain kind of patience, enthusiasm, dedication, and spirit to teach children. my mother is a teacher and a few of the most significant people in my life teach or have been teachers. it takes a servant heart to teach and i think it is one of the most difficult, yet lovely callings around.

this wednesday, february 24th, i want to acknowledge a teacher that exhibited a bravery and selflessness that should not go unacknowledged. yesterday a mentally ill man opened fire at deer creek middle school, which is located in my town. it is also located down the street from Columbine High School, which is the school at which one of the worst school shootings in our country's history happened. our county is located on the eastern slope and front range of the rocky mountains. it is a county that represents communities of extreme wealth and extreme poverty and currently has the fastest rising rate of childhood poverty in the nation. it is a demographically diverse and complex region.

the shooter entered the school property and asked students if they attended deer creek. when they answered that they did he began shooting. two students suffered gun shot wounds. one of them has been released, but the other is in critical condition. doctors are saying that he should make it. it is miraculous given the fire arm power and the nature of the situation that no one died. our community is up in arms and grieving today.

no other students were shot in large part because of the heroism of dr. david benke. dr. benke is a math teacher at the middle school and he tackled the shooter while he was reloading his weapon. he said that he did not really have time to think; he just did it. i believe that generally acts of bravery manifest in this way. we usually cannot plan the times where we are going to step up and be brave. such an act of selflessness wells up inside someone and just happens. in the face of this horrific and traumatic event i find a lot of hope in the fact that there are people who will sacrifice their own well being for the sake of others. it reminds me that we are all in community together. protecting others is noble.

keep the victims, the other students, and the shooter in your thoughts. the man who fired the shots is at trial already this morning. he has a history of deep mental illness and a history of being unable to secure the proper medication to treat his illness. what this man did is horrific, yet just as dr. benke protected the students and faculty of deer creek so might we be compelled to protect the mentally ill and their victims through securing proper long term treatment for those who suffer from mental illness.


so many, many thanks to you dr. benke. you are a hero everyday in your teaching and were especially significant in the lives of many students and teachers yesterday!

Gee's Bend Quilters Collective

Mary Lee Bendolph and Ruth P. Mosely

good morning duckies,

i hope everyone has an aromatic cup of coffee or tea preparing you for the battle against the midweek slump. i am sipping rooibos and thinking about the fact that one of my childhood friends will be getting married this spring. i have been contemplating making them a quilt as a wedding present. there is a collection of quilts that have particularly intrigued and inspired me.


for this week's wonderful world work i'd like to acknowledge the Gee's Bend Quilters. Gee's Bend is a small and rural community nestled in the depths of Alabama. it was founded during antebellum times and has traditionally been a very impoverished and low-resourced community. for many years the people of Gee's Bend lived without much recognition. very few people had access to the rich and creative Gee's Bend quilting culture. although the quilters did not have an endless supply of fabric, they were able to create some of the most renowned North American pieces of textile art.

Louisiana Bendolph

right around the year 2000 the quilts gained international acclaim when multiple museums in the US introduced them into their temporary galleries. the new york times called the quilts, "some of the most miraculous works of modern art America has produced." the Gee's Bend Quilters Collective is dedicated to producing unique and artful quilts, using the proceeds of their sales to give their community more resources and access to opportunities, and to sharing the history of Gee's Bend quilting.

Mary Lee Bendolph and Ruth P. Mosely

these quilts stand on their own artistic merit. they carry the stories of a people often overlooked and disenfranchised due to their socio-economic and racial background. they speak to resilience and collective nature of a community. they speak to the marriage of functionality and aesthetics. these quilts and the quilters that made and continue to make them are examples of how even when resources are scarce it is more than possible to create something of true beauty.

photocredit: {treat}

wonderful world wednesdays: Maria Gunnoe

good morning all,

today i'd like to take a moment to honor Maria Gunnoe. she is a real live coal miner's daughter born and raised in the Appalachian region of west virginia. her community has been disproportionately impacted by mountain top removal mining. not only has this practice degraded the physical landscape, but impacts the environmental health of the community as dangerous debris from the mining pollutes the watershed.

she was part of taking one of the mining corporations to court and the forced construction of a valley for the purposes of mining. over 60 residents initially were part of the case, but after many threats from the mining companies Gunnoe was the sole resident to testify. the courts ruled against the mining company.

Gunnoe continues her community activism in the face of threats on her life. she received one of the prestigious goldman environmental prizes for 2009. she is a true advocate for the beautiful and mystical Appalachian landscape and for her people.

doesn't she have the warmest smile?

photocredit: {goldmanprizesite}

tears

confession, i am a crier in joy and in sadness. i have a great appreciation of tears. last night was a big crying night. the images of Haiti are devastating. i was nauseous. on one hand there is nothing that we can do as small people in this big world. on the other hand we can pray, we can collectively grieve, we can give what we have to the organizations that are most effectively helping on a grassroots level.

i've been told that partners in health as well as wycelf jean's org use money most effectively on the ground in Haiti.

there are no solutions, but there is empathy and there are many people working as hard as they possibly can to bring some peace and light to this devastation...

photocredit: {nellie vin}

my mama's birthday

is today. she is my wonderful world work woman of the week. my mom came up out of adversity attending one of the strongest schools in the nation. she is an amazing teacher, founder of a school that serves immigrant children in LA, dedicated community organizer, and a beautiful mother.

mostly though she knows me better than anyone in the world. she has taught me what love is everyday that i have been alive.

i only hope that one day i will love my children with the fervor and depth that she displays daily.

wonderful world wednesdays: Wangari Maathai

good morning world! wednesday is creeping up on us and it's time for wonderful world wednesdays installment #1. on this january 6th i wish to acknowledge the beautiful Wangari Maathai.

Maathai is a kenyan woman who founded the Greenbelt Movement . She also is a woman's rights activist, an accomplished scientist, a member of parliamentary, and a nobel peace prize winner.

her major environmental works acknowledge not only the inherent value in preserving natural habitat, but moreover explore how people and animals are impacted by environmental degradation. she trained local women in communities to plant trees to battle the massive top soil loss that was happening in kenya during the past few decades. her work has been highly effective. she understands the interconnectedness of all things living and inspires me to think about how small ideas can take root and really make this vibrant place we live healthier for all.

power and blessings to you Maathai!

have any of you ever planted a tree? i am currently trying to keep a garden alive in the winter, but have never actually planted a tree. i plan to when the soil thaws. any thoughts on what type of tree i should plant? i am a complete tree planting amateur...

wonderful world wednesdays

as 2010 begins i've been thinking a lot about all the amazing women and men in my life. this has been a tumultuous year and through it all i've really found such support and have grown so much in my friendships. although people are capable of such intense levels of cruelty, i also firmly believe that the greatest strongholds of hope in our world are found in the kind and wonderful things that people and communities do everyday.

in the spirit of these thoughts i will be highlighting someone who is impacting the world in an innovative and moving way each week. wednesdays are for me generally very difficult. i get the mid-week slump and feel the need to either flee my office desk or take a nap on my keyboard. i almost always need inspiration on wednesdays.

so welcome "wonderful world work wednesdays". i'll begin this wednesday. does anyone have people they would like to see highlighted? i always love learning about the creative ways people impact change!

photocredit: jodi cobb