To all of you who worked with Pledge-3 here in Bullitt Co.
Thank you for your hard work, your serious thought, and your sincere communication with so many people. Many of us are grieving, and this grief shows that there is much more to this past election than winning or losing.
You are invited to be part of a simple ceremony where we:
recognize our feelings of loss,
name the hopes that we want to carry forward,
express our gratitude to John Kerry and John Edwards,
and begin to transform this valuable experience toward a better tomorrow.
As John Kerry told us, "in an American election there are no losers, because the next morning we all wake up as Americans." He's right. We move on. Please come.
When: Sunday, November 14 4:30 - 5:00 PM
Where: Bernheim Forest Quiet Garden (beside the Arboretum)
Bring a pencil or pen for yourself and one to share. Lawn chairs optional. We'll be outdoors. Bernheim charges an entry fee on Sunday, but tell them you're with Maggie Hettinger, and you won't be charged.
pax,
maggie
REGROUPING
Bernheim Forest
11/14/2004
Song
Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free,
'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.
When true simplicity is gain'd
To bow and to bend we shan't be asham'd,
To turn, turn will be our delight
'Till by turning, turning we come round right.
--Joseph Brackett, 1848
Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag
Welcome
"Somewhere, in the last few years, from our different backgrounds, we all, I think I can safely say, we all came to an awareness that our world was even more out-of-kilter than usual, and that we probably should do something about it. What we here have in common is that we came to focus our hope for change on the election of the President of the United States, and put our efforts strongly behind two people, John Kerry and John Edwards, their vision and their goals.
"The result of the election may or may not be known yet, but regardless, our roles in the highly-polarizing, dualistic process have come to a natural breakpoint. We are all people who think deeply and evaluate, and this is the time to do it. I'm glad you agreed to come here to this beautiful place to do it together.
"Today I want to do three things, in a ceremonial way.
1. Recognize the loss we've experienced
2. Consider John Kerry's invitation to us to pledge in uniting our country over the partisan divide
3. Make a personal commitment to move forward.
"No matter how big the problems, how grand our goals, it still always come down to simple engagement between one person and another."
Reading
After the election
some of us thought that God
had smiled upon us-
had rewarded us for righteousness-
had promised to save us
and millions of sweet babies--
had shown allegiance
to the sacredness of marriage.
After the election
some of us thought that God
had become small
and mean spirited, like those
who like to make their gods
in their image.
Some of us thought
we could see them at the forge,
pounding out their chains from the veins
of gold in the human heart.
Some of us knew what they knew --
that even the shadows
can be sharpened into swords.
After the election some of us
talked about how simple it had been,
to extract those nuggets of goodness
and those ancient myths- fashioning them
towards a higher cause.
Manipulating the masses is easy
once you’ve found that core.
After the election some of us were
slain by words too small-
and bombs too dumb.
Some of us knew that morality
is larger than the body politics
of the bedroom and procreation.
Some of us believed in God’s whole house,
an ecology of relationships.
Some of us wanted that large God to come back
to occupy that house in us.
--Patty Wren Smith
Sharing
--Hobie Dotson
(individual accounts of loss, and coming to terms with it)
Reflection
What you did made a difference, and building on itself we go on to make a difference another day.
In an American election there are no losers, because, whether our candidates are successful, the next morning, we all wake up as Americans. That is the greatest privilege...
With that gift also comes obligation. We are required now to work together for the good of our country. We must find common cause. We must join in common effort, without remorse or recrimination, without anger or rancor. America is in need of unity and longing for a larger measure of compassion. I hope President Bush will advance those values in the coming years. I pledge to do my part to join in ending the partisan divide. Join me in pledging to bridge the partisan divide.
---John Kerry Nov. 3
* Put America back to work
* Political Party ideals
* Protect the environment
* Support our troops
* Push the frontiers of science and discovery
* Succeed in Iraq
* Restore America's reputation in the world
Commitment
Write a letter:
Dear John Kerry, John Edwards,
Thank you…
I hear your call to bridge the partisan divide. I pledge...
Signed,
(letters to be sent to John Kerry, either individually, or by Maggie)
I am one voice, and I am singing.
I am one voice, and I am singing.
I am one voice, and I am singing.
I am not alone.
We are two voices, and we are singing.
We are two voices and we are singing.
We are two voices, and we are singing.
We are not alone.
We are one hundred voices singing.
We are one hundred voices singing.
We are one hundred voices singing.
We are not alone.
We are one thousand voices singing.
We are one thousand voices singing.
We are one thousand voices singing.
We are not alone.
We are one voice, and we are singing.
We are one voice, and we are singing.
We are one voice, and we are singing.
We are not alone.
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