Ed Garren’s Weblog

One of my favorite quotes from a very famous Floridian, pulitzer prize winner, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings.

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 If there can be such a thing as instinctual memory, the consciousness of land and water must lie deeper in the core of us than any knowledge of our fellow beings.

We were bred of the earth before we were born of our mothers.  Once born we can live without our mothers, or fathers, or any other kin, or any friend, or human love.

We cannot live without the earth or apart from it, and something is shriveled in man’s heart when he turns away from it and concerns himself only with the affairs of men.

Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

author of “The Yearling”

from her memoirs “Cross Creek”

 Here is a YouTube video of Bonnie speaking recently at a symposium on Marriage Equality, talking about her spiritual journey as a Quaker and a Lesbian, and how she came to know the importance of marriage equality, and how the current inequality hurts children, parents, and society.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCtbziDMuIc 

Bonnie Tinker was killed in a Truck/Bicycle accident last week in Virginia.  She was 61.  The long time Human Rights activist was the founder of “Love Makes a Family”, a group that advocates for the rights of so called “Alternative Families.”  The full story can be found at the following link:

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/07/to_the_end_friends_say_bonnie.html

I had the absolutely delightful honor of meeting Bonnie at a “Separation of Church and State” conference about a month ago at Portland State University.

 I made some observations about not being so patient with people who hate us (GLBTQ persons), and that patience in the face of injustice is never a virtue.

Afterwards Bonnie came up with that beaming smile of hers, and we recognized each other as kindred spirits. We exchanged phone numbers, and planned to get together soon. Now “soon” won’t be happening, though I suspect she’s looking down and smiling as I write this.

Something that our detractors rarely seem to understand is how passionately we “activists” love life, and want as many people as possible to have a fair shot at living a full and rich life. “The World” is always trying to make us less than human, less than full children of a loving God, less important.

Too many people buy into it, and then look at people like Bonnie, myself, or other activists and angrily ask “Why do you think you’re so important?”

Nelson Mandella answered the question very well: 

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.

We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.

It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fear: our presence automatically liberates others.”

–Nelson Mandela

Bonnie understood this, personal liberation is why we are all here, it is how we grow closer to God, and more appreciative of the life God has given us.Even though I barely knew her, I will miss her healing strength in this broken world.

May she rest in peace, and may the rest of us continue to make trouble wherever there is oppression.

 People & Places 

Mobile Press-Register, Sunday, January 25, 2009

Youth Merit Award

Sarah Bryars , an eighth-grader at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School, was selected to receive the Mobile Sunrise Rotary Club’s Youth Merit Award.

Bryars was honored at the Sunrise Rotary Club’s weekly breakfast meeting on Jan. 21. Sarah is an honor roll student, as well as vice president of the student council and secretary of the National Junior Honor Society. She is in the McGill-Toolen elementary band, on the SVS robotics team, and is an Oakleigh Junior Belle. Sarah is the daughter of Richard and Krista Bryars.

Ed’s note:

In 2005, less than 2 months after flooding from Katrina soaked their house in Mobile with 2 feet of water, Sarah had “Gamma Knife” surgery to correct an Arterial Veinal malformation in her Occipital lobe (vision) in the back of her brain.  We are all very proud of Sarah, she’s a very strong young lady.  

Her great aunt and uncle were my and my brother’s God Parents.  My brother is named after the great uncle, Mjr. Royal Francis Brewton of Mobile Alabama, who was my father’s commanding officer in Air/Sea Rescue for the Army Air Corps in WWII. 

 Leave a comment so that Sarah can see it when she checks this posting.  Thanks,  Ed

Like most people I know, I spent the inaugural week weeping more than occasionally with joy for all that has happened.  Here in Portland’s “Q Center” the boxes of tissue were being passed like communion trays as we all watched on Tuesday morning.

My personal “tear jerker” are the words of Dr. King ringing in my head, “I may not get there with you, but we as a people will get to the promised land.”

 I am thanks-filled that so many people, including Rev. Lowery, have lived to see this day.

 Here is the transcript of his benediction, which for me, was the best part of the event. 

Many of you will recognize the last verse of “Lift Every Voice and Sing”, by James Weldon Johnson (a native of Jacksonville Florida) who also penned “The Creation”, which opens this prayer.   

Transcript courtesy Federal News Service  and my friend John Burnett who sent it to me.

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God of our weary years, God of our silent tears, thou who has brought us thus far along the way, thou who has by thy might led us into the light, keep us forever in the path, we pray, lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met thee, lest our hearts, drunk with the wine of the world, we forget thee. Shadowed beneath thy hand may we forever stand — true to thee, O God, and true to our native land.

We truly give thanks for the glorious experience we’ve shared this day. We pray now, O Lord, for your blessing upon thy servant, Barack Obama, the 44th president of these United States, his family and his administration. He has come to this high office at a low moment in the national and, indeed, the global fiscal climate. But because we know you got the whole world in your hand, we pray for not only our nation, but for the community of nations. Our faith does not shrink, though pressed by the flood of mortal ills.

For we know that, Lord, you’re able and you’re willing to work through faithful leadership to restore stability, mend our brokenness, heal our wounds and deliver us from the exploitation of the poor or the least of these and from favoritism toward the rich, the elite of these.

We thank you for the empowering of thy servant, our 44th president, to inspire our nation to believe that, yes, we can work together to achieve a more perfect union. And while we have sown the seeds of greed — the wind of greed and corruption, and even as we reap the whirlwind of social and economic disruption, we seek forgiveness and we come in a spirit of unity and solidarity to commit our support to our president by our willingness to make sacrifices, to respect your creation, to turn to each other and not on each other.

And now, Lord, in the complex arena of human relations, help us to make choices on the side of love, not hate; on the side of inclusion, not exclusion; tolerance, not intolerance.

And as we leave this mountaintop, help us to hold on to the spirit of fellowship and the oneness of our family. Let us take that power back to our homes, our workplaces, our churches, our temples, our mosques, or wherever we seek your will.

Bless President Barack, First Lady Michelle. Look over our little, angelic Sasha and Malia.

We go now to walk together, children, pledging that we won’t get weary in the difficult days ahead. We know you will not leave us alone, with your hands of power and your heart of love.

Help us then, now, Lord, to work for that day when nation shall not lift up sword against nation, when tanks will be beaten into tractors, when every man and every woman shall sit under his or her own vine and fig tree, and none shall be afraid; when justice will roll down like waters and righteousness as a mighty stream.

Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their labors rest, and in the joy of a new beginning, we ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get back, when brown can stick around — (laughter) — when yellow will be mellow — (laughter) — when the red man can get ahead, man — (laughter) — and when white will embrace what is right.

Let all those who do justice and love mercy say amen.

AUDIENCE: Amen!

REV. LOWERY: Say amen –

AUDIENCE: Amen!

REV. LOWERY: — and amen.

AUDIENCE: Amen! (Cheers, applause.)

Below is a link to the song that the “Black, Brown, White” part of the benediction was inspired from.  The expression, “If you’re white, you alright, if you’re brown, stick around, if you’re black, get back!” is a very old one in much of this country.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZLw5ahxm-Q