Posted by jodietonita on August 15, 2009
I believe in living.
I believe in the spectrum
of Beta days and Gamma people.
I believe in sunshine.
In windmills and waterfalls,
tricycles and rocking chairs.
And i believe that seeds grow into sprouts.
And sprouts grow into trees.
I believe in the magic of the hands.
And in the wisdom of the eyes.
I believe in rain and tears.
And in the blood of infinity.
I believe in life.
And i have seen the death parade
march through the torso of the earth,
sculpting mud bodies in it’s path.
I have seen the destruction of the daylight,
and seen bloodthirsty maggots
prayed to and saluted.
I have seen the kind become the blind
and the blind become the bond
in one easy lesson.
I have walked on cut glass.
I have eaten crow and blunder bread
and breathed the stench of indifference.
I have been locked by the lawless.
Handcuffed by the haters.
Gagged by the greedy.
And, if i know anything at all,
it’s that a wall is just a wall
and nothing more at all.
It can be broken down.
I believe in living.
I believe in birth.
I believe in the sweat of love
and in the fire of truth.
And i believe that a lost ship,
steered by tired, seasick sailors,
can still be guided home
to port.
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Posted by jodietonita on March 7, 2009
For Tam & Josh
Tam always precedes Josh when I refer to them as a couple. It’s Tam & Josh. Tamara was my first connection. She is Mark’s older sister and over the years she became my sister of the *heart*. Someone who cares deeply and illustrates it in the care and attention she brings to her living and loving. Someone who resonates beauty in the most humble of ways. The kind of person that you want to be around because through her example you learn to be a more healthy and giving being. A steady and nurturing presence through good and bad… thick and thin… always there to pour the tea, listen to your story, uncover the humour, and leave you smiling. A daughter, a sister, a mother, a partner, a friend and in all of these roles… her way of being generates deep joy and powerful love. Just look at Noah and you’ll see what I mean.
Then there’s Josh… My spirit brother and faithful friend. Who is always there to share, to listen, to learn and to laugh with. And to put up shelves and move boxes. He is nearly as crazy as I am and that is incredibly comforting. He is my brother of the heart. His love for Tamara and for Noah and his dedication to his extended family and friends awes me. He is there for me in the most precious of ways and I see him holding that sacred container of support for so many. Many of you in this room understand and experience how truly giving he is of his energy and love. To be one of Josh’s friends and a member of his family is an amazing gift.
And then there is Noah… a being that is so super charged with joy that he spreads love and care and compassion where ever he goes. He is the best of his parents with his own kooky nature baked right in. Thank you for keeping your parents so young at heart little monkey. I love you to the moon and back.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TAM & JOSH! MANY BLESSINGS ON THIS JOYOUS OCCASION WHEN WE DELIGHT IN CELEBRATING ALL THAT YOU ARE AND ALL THAT YOU BRING TO YOUR LIVING!
MAZELTOV!
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Posted by jodietonita on January 27, 2009
i am a smart-ass
i love to travel
i dream of green hills
i know that striving for what’s right is what matters
i’m willing to listen
i sometimes even change my mind
i dream it, i see it, i get it done
i am the strong one
i understand that family is my responsibility, my sorrow, my joy and i embrace it all
i think that richard john tonita walks on water
i know he loves me. i know it in my bones
i believe and trust in god
i know when to hold and when to fold
i love my grandmother and will cherish her for all eternity
i am all these things because i am my grandmother’s grand daughter
she is with me always…
rest now dear one…
we will carry on…
Posted in Spirituality, musings | 2 Comments »
Posted by jodietonita on January 25, 2009
I am connecting with my Grandma in the most special of ways. I am feeling the satisfaction of a life well lived. I feel her faith and her trust. I feel her appreciation. I feel the relief.
I am whispering in her ear… i love you grandma… god loves you… thank you for all that you are… and all that you bring to your living and loving. Thank you. I love you.
You can rest now… You can let go…
Be well dear one. Be well. Trust in god.
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Posted by jodietonita on December 9, 2008
You make me proud Gregor! Thank you for your dedication to the people of the Downtown Eastside. Bless your heart and mind! May the city of Vancouver stand with you and meet the challenge.
View Gregor Robertson’s Inauguration speech
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Posted by jodietonita on November 27, 2008
Photo: John Gress/Reuters
U.S. president-elect Barack Obama hugs his daughter, Malia, during a visit to a food bank in Chicago.
Posted in Leadership, Politics, Social Justice | 1 Comment »
Posted by jodietonita on November 18, 2008
Photo: Andy Clark/REUTERS
The downtown core of Vancouver and the Lions Gate Bridge rise above a morning fog in this view from Cypress Mountain in West Vancouver
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Posted by jodietonita on November 10, 2008
this is deep y’all…
Majority-rule decision making may appear to be straightforward, clean, and efficient, but appearances can be deceptive. We persistently ignore the radical inefficiency of creating an alienated minority of losers who sometimes leave the meeting determined to conduct a long-term guerrilla war to undermine the decision we thought we had made. Majority rule may not resolve the tension but merely drive it underground.
The democratic alternative to majority rule is consensus, a process often misunderstood even by people who claim to use it. Consensus does not mean that we can make a decision only when everyone involved is equally enthusiastic about a course of action; if it did, very few decisions would have been made this way! Consensus means that we can make a decision only when no one in the group feels a deep need to oppose it, usually on the grounds of conscience.
– Parker Palmer, from The Politics of the Brokenhearted
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Posted by jodietonita on November 9, 2008
Photo: David McNew/Getty Images
‘There’s something deeply wrong with putting the rights of a minority up to a majority vote. If this were being done to almost any other minority, people would see how un-American this is.’
Gay-rights lawyer Evan Wolfson after California voters passed a proposition banning gay marriage
Posted in Politics, Social Justice | 3 Comments »
