Ethiopia

I'm heading for Ethiopia on Sunday, the second Sunday of the Easter season in the Roman Church, the feast day of Blessed Luchesio and Buonadonna, first members of the Secular Franciscan Order, and Easter Day in Ethiopia--which has its own calendar. I'm going there with my stepdaughter Jody to support her on her trip to the orphanage in Addis Ababa where her newly adopted son Naol (Noah) lives. Noah is one year old. Just five days to pack, tie up some loose ends, and learn a little Amharic. Suddenly I'm a pilgrim in a hurry.

Rise up campesino

Rise up campesino
Originally uploaded by soupshow

Nice woodcut wheatpasted poster. My favorite kiind.

11 months later

So much happening, and so much has happened. Sending a selection of my peace posters to the Alaska Peace Center for a show. Another trip to Oaxaca, making a print with ASARO, coming home with 60 woodblock prints from the collective, and organizing a show of their work: Oaxaca Resiste. Meeting artists and making contact with others I hadn't seen for years, and organizing another show, Art Surge: Artists Against War. Working on another show, Art Surge 2: The Art of Democracy, opening October 3. And planning yet another, Dia de los Muertos, to open Nov. 1. Having a great vacation in Door County with extended family. Reading dozens of books, including a great many graphic novels. Making 3 more woodcuts, and participating in print exchanges with the themes of summer and voyages. Helping members of my family coping with illness. Gardening. Canning applesauce. Freezing blueberries and raspberries and pesto. Attending a fiesta at Drumlin Farm and collecting canning jars for the families gardening there. Getting a mostly good report on the health of my transplanted liver. Anticipating the loss of a hopefully tiny part of my nose that harbors skin cancer. Carving a mask out of basswood salvaged from the big tree MG&E felled in my front yard before it split and took down the power lines on one side and my roof on the other. Moving ferns and bloodroots and all manner of shade loving plants to the back yard. Planting a trio of little plum trees and a serviceberry tree in the front yard.

Day of the Dead

I woke up early in the morning of 31 Octubre and knew that I had to make a Day of the Dead altar for the fallen in Iraq. I spent part of the day making a 17x44 inch poster of thumbnail photos of members of the US military forces who died during the past year. I added the words from my favorite bumper sticker and mounted it on a big piece of foam core. Then I went to Carniceria Guanajuato and bought velas and pan de muerto. I spread petals from our late-blooming dahlias on the ground, arranged the velas and lit them, added a pumpkin from my stepson's garden, a glass of water, and a plate with the pan de muerto. I propped up the poster along with another poster I'd made earlier this fall that had on it the names of all the confirmed US dead from the beginning of the Iraq war to 4 Septiembre 2007. That evening I sat on my front steps next to the altar, ate my supper, and handed out candy to the trick-or-treaters. Some of them thought it was cool. Cool.

A song

I wrote this song during the first few minutes of Meeting for Worship yesterday. A string of messages about anger prompted me to stand up and sing it as my own contribution.

I'm not afraid of dying of old age or disease
Or in some accident that I could not foresee
I'm not afraid of death because my life would be too short
But I'm afraid of dying with hatred in my heart.

So let me make peace with all that I've come to resent
And remember that everyone I meet is heaven sent

I'm not afraid of dying in mighty hurricane
I'm not afraid of being run over by a train
I'm not afraid of growing old depending on Depends
But I'm afraid of dying before I make amends

So let me make peace with all that I've come to resent
And remember that everyone I meet is heaven sent

I'm not afraid of dying before all the world's at peace
Though my anger at injustice will always need release
Let me use the energy it gives with courage and with grace
And let me die knowing that I've made the world a better place

So let me make peace with all that I've come to resent
And remember that everyone I meet is heaven sent

Hello world!

A pilgrimage is what it is. Not a journey to a specific holy site, because those holy sites are everywhere. But it is without doubt a journey, and what a long strange trip it's been. Friends have asked me to share my thoughts pictures links songs and other outpourings of the Spirit so now it seems like it's time for a blog. Postings to follow!