The Meaning of Your Calendar
So then I ended up sending this out -- an expansion of the thought on previous post.
Subject: [iedopna] The meaning of your calendar
Date: Fri, 19 Jun 2009 10:01:55 -0400
Dear Peace People!!
I have thought about reaching out to all of you and checking in on a few things that I've been thinking about for a while now -- then I received an email that talked about the importance of your "calendar" and "budget." Specifically, the idea that where a person spends their time and money speaks volumes about who they are and what is important to them.
"...I used to say that a budget tells you what and who are most important to a family, a church, a city, state, or nation. And that’s certainly also true about a calendar. Who or what is most important?" - Jim Wallis, Sojourners
The campaign for a Department of Peace actually embodies this idea of priority: if we say that violence reduction is necessary, if we wonder if there are better solutions than what we're doing now (because it seems to not be working all that well), then we need to spend some resources (time and money) to making these things happen and answering these questions. As a nation, we need to focus on how to create peace nonviolently in our communities, nation and world. That's what we're asking for when we're asking to create a Department of Peace at the highest level of our government.
"One little person giving all her time to peace, can make news. Many people, giving some of their time, can make history." -The Peace Pilgrim
So, I give time and money on the campaign. Not all my time. Not all my money. Which is good, because then I'd have no money for food, clothes, my home, you know, the details of life. Plus, doesn't it seem like budget issues are on the forefront of everyone's mind? And time, well as a new mom, my calendar has never been so entirely blank and yet been so busy.
But I give some time and money because it's important to me. I don't want to make news, I want to make history. I want to make violence history. For a lot of reasons. And these reasons change, and more reasons pop up all the time. Ethan, my 6-month old, is an example of a new reason. You probably have a lot of good reasons for joining this group, being in this group or staying in it.
Some of you know the story about how I first got involved in the campaign. I watched, kept an eye on the website (thepeacealliance.org), looked for a local group (there wasn't one) and generally had interest in the idea (though I didn't know many details). I did this for over two years.
Did you ever hear the story about the pig and the chicken? One is committed and one is interested. When it comes to breakfast, eggs and bacon, for instance, the chicken is interested, the pig is committed. Haha. Luckily the campaign doesn't ask for the kind of commitment the poor pig has to give.
So in January of 2006, I received an email about a conference call discussing a day of lobbying on Valentine's Day here in California. I had a phone. I shuffled some things around (namely dinner) and was on that call. It wasn't like it was meant to be, it was just that peace was important to me and my calendar didn't reflect that. I'd emailed friends, taken "ACTION" online with a petition, letter, etc. My friend Sean calls it "armchair activism." So I made the call happen!
The call was for organizing a plan to visit all of the Senatorial offices across the state and deliver a Valentine cookie for peace -- A Department of Peace. Between Sen. Boxer & Sen. Feinstein, there's 11 or so offices across the state. The ONLY office where a volunteer was not going to visit, was here in the Inland Empire (Sen. Boxer has an office in San Bernardino).
Finally, it came to two essential questions. If not me, who? And if not right now at this moment, then when?
I was scared that I didn't know what I was talking about, I had plans already and had to go way out of my way to get to San Bernardino, and I had just a little time to print out the packet and put it together in some sort of cohesive, presentable fashion. Plus, spending $30 on a heart-shaped cookie didn't sound appealing either. I had just taken a break from sales and had very little extra money. But then I got over myself and just decided to do it. And that, as they say, is that.
I had moved from interest to commitment. There's a brief summary of some things that we've done since at the new IEDOPNA website
It's been three years. My ability to give has waxed and waned depending on what is going on. Two years ago, I spent the summer in Northern California training for a new job to learn community organizing, I've spent the last six months learning what my friends had told me about how time-consuming and energy-depleting taking care of baby can be was true. So, I realize, we do what we can, as we can.
But, we define what is important to us overall when we look at our calendar and our budget. If we don't, we run the risk of giving time and resources to things that we don't value.
Get to the point already, right?
Overall, since I made the decision in 2006, my calendar & budget reflects my commitment to peace. And yours can too. There is so much to be done. We have yet to get a local congressional sponsor for the bill. Besides Marcia Taack, there are no other Team Leaders helping to coordinate news and information, or organize actions. This group is about the opportunity to GIVE to the cause of peace.
I would be honored to hear your answers: Are you interested in peace? Are a committed to peace? How are you willing to open up your calendar (and/or your budget) to reflect that interest and commitment? How can I support your effort?
If not you, then who? If not now, then when? Let's make history today.
Peace!
Subject: [iedopna] The meaning of your calendar
Date: Fri, 19 Jun 2009 10:01:55 -0400
Dear Peace People!!
I have thought about reaching out to all of you and checking in on a few things that I've been thinking about for a while now -- then I received an email that talked about the importance of your "calendar" and "budget." Specifically, the idea that where a person spends their time and money speaks volumes about who they are and what is important to them.
"...I used to say that a budget tells you what and who are most important to a family, a church, a city, state, or nation. And that’s certainly also true about a calendar. Who or what is most important?" - Jim Wallis, Sojourners
The campaign for a Department of Peace actually embodies this idea of priority: if we say that violence reduction is necessary, if we wonder if there are better solutions than what we're doing now (because it seems to not be working all that well), then we need to spend some resources (time and money) to making these things happen and answering these questions. As a nation, we need to focus on how to create peace nonviolently in our communities, nation and world. That's what we're asking for when we're asking to create a Department of Peace at the highest level of our government.
"One little person giving all her time to peace, can make news. Many people, giving some of their time, can make history." -The Peace Pilgrim
So, I give time and money on the campaign. Not all my time. Not all my money. Which is good, because then I'd have no money for food, clothes, my home, you know, the details of life. Plus, doesn't it seem like budget issues are on the forefront of everyone's mind? And time, well as a new mom, my calendar has never been so entirely blank and yet been so busy.
But I give some time and money because it's important to me. I don't want to make news, I want to make history. I want to make violence history. For a lot of reasons. And these reasons change, and more reasons pop up all the time. Ethan, my 6-month old, is an example of a new reason. You probably have a lot of good reasons for joining this group, being in this group or staying in it.
Some of you know the story about how I first got involved in the campaign. I watched, kept an eye on the website (thepeacealliance.org), looked for a local group (there wasn't one) and generally had interest in the idea (though I didn't know many details). I did this for over two years.
Did you ever hear the story about the pig and the chicken? One is committed and one is interested. When it comes to breakfast, eggs and bacon, for instance, the chicken is interested, the pig is committed. Haha. Luckily the campaign doesn't ask for the kind of commitment the poor pig has to give.
So in January of 2006, I received an email about a conference call discussing a day of lobbying on Valentine's Day here in California. I had a phone. I shuffled some things around (namely dinner) and was on that call. It wasn't like it was meant to be, it was just that peace was important to me and my calendar didn't reflect that. I'd emailed friends, taken "ACTION" online with a petition, letter, etc. My friend Sean calls it "armchair activism." So I made the call happen!
The call was for organizing a plan to visit all of the Senatorial offices across the state and deliver a Valentine cookie for peace -- A Department of Peace. Between Sen. Boxer & Sen. Feinstein, there's 11 or so offices across the state. The ONLY office where a volunteer was not going to visit, was here in the Inland Empire (Sen. Boxer has an office in San Bernardino).
Finally, it came to two essential questions. If not me, who? And if not right now at this moment, then when?
I was scared that I didn't know what I was talking about, I had plans already and had to go way out of my way to get to San Bernardino, and I had just a little time to print out the packet and put it together in some sort of cohesive, presentable fashion. Plus, spending $30 on a heart-shaped cookie didn't sound appealing either. I had just taken a break from sales and had very little extra money. But then I got over myself and just decided to do it. And that, as they say, is that.
I had moved from interest to commitment. There's a brief summary of some things that we've done since at the new IEDOPNA website
It's been three years. My ability to give has waxed and waned depending on what is going on. Two years ago, I spent the summer in Northern California training for a new job to learn community organizing, I've spent the last six months learning what my friends had told me about how time-consuming and energy-depleting taking care of baby can be was true. So, I realize, we do what we can, as we can.
But, we define what is important to us overall when we look at our calendar and our budget. If we don't, we run the risk of giving time and resources to things that we don't value.
Get to the point already, right?
Overall, since I made the decision in 2006, my calendar & budget reflects my commitment to peace. And yours can too. There is so much to be done. We have yet to get a local congressional sponsor for the bill. Besides Marcia Taack, there are no other Team Leaders helping to coordinate news and information, or organize actions. This group is about the opportunity to GIVE to the cause of peace.
I would be honored to hear your answers: Are you interested in peace? Are a committed to peace? How are you willing to open up your calendar (and/or your budget) to reflect that interest and commitment? How can I support your effort?
If not you, then who? If not now, then when? Let's make history today.
Peace!
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