The Process of Transformation: A Photo Essay Documenting Juno's Journey

I've never been satisfied with end products. As an English teacher, final essays, poems, projects submitted by my students - and standing by themselves, left me feeling wanting....

"But HOW did you get here? How did you arrive at this conclusion? At this thesis statement? With this imagery? What shaped your thinking? What were your questions? What was your process?"

These were always my burning questions. And they always created space for deep reflection, privileged sharing, and perhaps deep annoyance...Haha. But it was my life's work, to a point, right? Inviting such disclosure, and reflecting back what brilliance, gift there was inherent within.

And so it here - within my own home. Within the pages of this blog: Exposure, sharing process, disclosing thinking, documenting journey. Reflecting back.

What follows are the pictures of 1188 Juno's transformation process from this past eight weeks.

I've likened this journey to that of Diablo Cody's title character, in her movie, "Juno:"

A young woman, pregnant with life, preparing to offer up her child for another to care for.

I offer you all, as friends, readers, fellow contemplatives, the following images of my own journey preparing for the new parents of this babe, 1188 Juno.

Pray that she is received well, and cared for, eh?

Thank you,
Melissa

Starting at the foundational level: acknowledging MESS!

Tiki Kustenmacher would refer to this as the stuff below the tip of the iceberg....

David Mann arrives with Staging settees to INSPIRE transformation...We must be forward looking! Imagining! Stepping into newly created scenes...

Everything gets moved into the furnace room: Clearing for renovation!

John Hart's handywork! He arrives and cracks into what's beneath the visible...

And repairs happen....

step by step...layer by layer...

That which occurs naturally in basements: efflorescence ("the state or period of flowering" OR "the resulting powdery substance or incrustation") is tended to!

Newly applied plaster to the lathe..

Midway maybe...

Time to paint!
"Accolade" and "Dusty Trail" are chosen colors...

Choosing JOY at every stage of the game...Ha!

Patched and painted, we are ready for the new flooring...

The Original Plan: Tile, breakfast.

When adherence becomes a problem, installation of the tiles messy, John seeks new supplies to remedy the sitauation...WE NEED THINGS TO STICK!

After two attempts at sticking, John refers to this as "The Tile Fiasco!"

Let's celebrate the neater, cleaner, more simple and gloriously executed Living Room repairs!
The Main floor is always a bit easier....

No more ceiling cracks! Contemplate on that Angels...

And Christian Proetz arrives on the scene from Empire Today!

How about a little "Dusty Trail" carpeting to go with the Dusty Trail paint?
It doesn't get much more straight forward and meant to be than this...

Calculating the cost for new flooring throughout the base floor, including those steps!

A contract to complete within 48 hours!

Saturday morning, and Jorge and Paulino arrive from Empire Today!

New pad for installation...

Ripping out the covering for those steps...

A brand new roll of Dustry Trails...How perfect is that color with the tile in the kitchen?
It's going to all come together!

Jose is funny!

Mid-way through the installation...

Clean up time!

Paulino bearing the Empire Today GUARANTEE!
(Can I get one of these for this next part of my life, please?)

How beautiful is this crew?
Big Gratitude for these guys!

Another room still in need of flooring...A Before Shot...

How gorgeous is this laminate? More aligment in the color scheme...

Phil from Empire Today arrives with the sub-floor.
(How many of us know about sub-flooring? The layer underneath that supports...?)

Roger rocks the saw outside...

Friendly Phil finishing the job...

How beautiful is this, all put together?

Just awaiting trim now...

Viola! TV Room corner trimmed out!

Daniel Kerkhoff arrives to aid in the heavy lifting...

Staging that basement TV room...

Nothing like some purple settees, a little Andy Warhol art,
and red throws to liven up the place!

Beautiful Melis Arik arrives with her own red stripes, muscles and imagination to help facilitate this next part...She's all about inspired transformation!

Moving those 10 years of teaching boxes.....

With Robert Walker's Leather chair and Ottoman, we are nearing staging completion...

From another perspective, it still looks good, don't you think?

Completing the foundational floor! Furnace floor to paint...

Start by sweeping...

Dirty hands are a good sign of a day's labor...

Next prep step: Washing!

What kind of gunk lives on your basement floor?

But the payoff!

Arlo refers to this as butter...

And the laundry room....

Also asking for the same transformational treatment...

Sweet!

All those teaching files and libraries from my home and classroom: here! Organized and neatly stacked....Bring it on Home and Garden TV! Clean Sweep is Melissa's Basement!

Again, more labeled and stacked files...

Now; the Official City Inspectors! I get a crew of three in one day!

95% Efficient Furnace being checked out! Thank you Standard Heating! Thank you Inspectors!
Woohoo! Passing Approval!

Electricity is up to snuff!
My power is also approved...

Time for a visit from Margaret Post!

Blessing the basement!
This all began with CSJ Sister Jill Underdahl's prayerful words and nudging...
It only seems fitting that my dear CSJ Conscociate, MP, would arrive at the end to praise the work...

Yes! My East Coast Angel!

From Foundation to Main floor...Time to address the Exterior Cracks...

To the neighborhood flower shop for a little inspiration...

All this from Leitner's for $12?!
Gifts!

Scraping that exterior main arch on February 23rd..I was praying for a 35 degree day!

Paintin in the snow?

Yes! It happened...

Menard's inspired the additional use of heat for a good match and fusion...

Trimming the branches for the outside floral box...

How to make the arrangement stay? Add snow!

Jody takes the pictures of Melissa arranging things..

Everyone needs such a faithful friend and assistant! Ms. Jody Tigges!

Sunday, time for the backyard!

Repeat steps: Scrape!

Ladder and paint!

February 24th and WARM?!

AFTER!

Now: We need a clear sign for our new owners!

Jody is on this...

I think St. Francis agrees it's a good marker...

Time for Official Marketing! Arlo's photographer, Mike McCaw Arrives!

Snapshots of that main floor bathroom...

McCaw checks his kitchen shot....

Shooting that TV room...

Isn't she beautiful?

Now, it's all in the hands of this guy...(St. Joseph was Jesus' "Foster father" right? If he could hold that baby, couldn't he hold Juno and her new owners? eh? )

The beautiful, The Magnificent! Arlo Dissette! Realtor Extraordinaire!
If it's not in St. Joseph's hands, then this guy's for sure!

Blessings!

Click here to see Juno's Video, produced by Mike McCaw, or her official listing, courtesy of Roger Fazendin Realty and Arlo Dissette.

"Never Say that I was False of Heart!" - William Shakespeare

A little Shakespeare for the day's end...From the Public Domain, featured by Garrison in today's Writer's Almanac.

This first line is my prayer - ernest, honest, steadfast:

never say that I was false of heart

Enjoy the poem in its entirety, below.
Maybe note how these words:

flame/ breast/ home/
water/stain/ blood/
universe/rose

do something to your own breathing, your own beating heart.

Yes, enjoy!

***
Poem: "109" by William Shakespeare. Public Domain.

109

O never say that I was false of heart,
Though absence seemed my flame to qualify.
As easy might I from myself depart,
As from my soul, which in thy breast doth lie.
That is my home of love; if I have ranged
Like him that travels I return again,
Just to the time, not with the time exchanged,
So that myself bring water for my stain.
Never believe, though in my nature reigned
All frailties that besiege all kinds of blood,
That it could so preposterously be stained
To leave for nothing all thy sum of good —
For nothing this wide universe I call,
Save thou, my rose; in it thou art my all.

"The Kiss:" A poem about Connecting, Communicating...

I love this poem by Stephen Dunn.

As I know what it is to fall in love with someone's mind, with the way that thoughts flow, and energy, chemistry pervades from his firing synapses to my own.

Yes. This is a kind of kissing, being kissed -- even across distances.
The air is electric and lips know tenderness, touch, in sweetly communicated ideas. Even when there is silence.

I invite you to read the poem, and contemplate your own mental/ physical/spiritual energy connecting with another's.

Kisses are good things.

Peace,
Melissa

***

Poem: "The Kiss" by Stephen Dunn from Everything Else in the World. © W.W. Norton & Company, 2008. Reprinted with permission. (buy now)

The Kiss

She pressed her lips to mind.
—a typo

How many years I must have yearned
for someone's lips against mind.
Pheromones, newly born, were floating
between us. There was hardly any air.

She kissed me again, reaching that place
that sends messages to toes and fingertips,
then all the way to something like home.
Some music was playing on its own.

Nothing like a woman who knows
to kiss the right thing at the right time,
then kisses the things she's missed.
How had I ever settled for less?

I was thinking this is intelligence,
this is the wisest tongue
since the Oracle got into a Greek's ear,
speaking sense. It's the Good,

defining itself. I was out of my mind.
She was in. we married as soon as we could.

Obama and the Borgmanns: Another Juxtaposition around Making Change In a Place

As our country makes its way through the primaries and caucuses - towards the election of a new president - the desire and energy around CHANGE is palpable. So, too, is it at 1188 Juno, my friends! Last weekend with Obama, Romney and Clinton's descent upon the Twin Cities, came, too the Borgmann /Liewer camps! And we were all blessed!

As I write and mull over what it means to create shifts in living and bring about transformation in space, spirit, psyche, (and our country!) I'm keenly aware of the joy that accompanies this process, especially when family arrives and helps make it all happen. It's not easy, but wow is it powerful and rooted in love and a mutual faith. Though we all don't share the same political affiliation, we share a blood and bond that takes us far in making things happen. Good God, and we love to laugh! That can carry anyone through mess and tumult! Amen!

Blessings! Rich, Divine, Amazing blessings!
Enjoy the photo report below!

Friday Night Arrival at the Chanhassen Dinner Theater to see dear David Mann in the
"Wonder Bread Years"
Pictured from left to right are: Uncle Dan Liewer, Friend Brian Mogren, my mom, Beth Liewer Borgmann, Me, Aunt Trish White, and my dad, Steve Borgmann

Not since my dad's construction days in Bullhead City, Arizona, has he slept on an air mattress on the floor. My parents might be saints!?!

Saturday morning and Steve is at it!

The Prayer Shrine! Jesus, Buddha, Mary, Mother Theresa are all here -- and my Godmother Cheri Honeycutt, and her husband John, for good measure!

This is the most somber expression you'll ever see on my pop's face.
(Could it be from sleeping on the air mattress on the basement floor? Or contemplating the electrical wiring and track lighting installation ahead?)

Here we go....

Voila! Let there be light!

There's a smiley Steve with his first load of garbage...Now: to the basement!

Bathroom before caulk...

More action from pops...

Not only caulking, but applying a coat (or three!) to the cabinets...

Isn't white caulking a wonder?

How sweet does this look? Newly painted...(Just wait for the new floor pix!)

Ack! Cupboards before...

Expired Food and Garbage...

Cupboard AFTER!

How many shot glasses does a girl need?
(Collection Courtesy of my Nebraska/ Colorado/ Mexico party days?!)

Thanks Aunt Trish!

Let there be organization and efficiency!

Mom goes to work on the CD tower...
An impossible task I'd not take on!

Dan shakes the shades....

To the dumpster!

She swears my collection of music is worth millions...

The Stereo and Windows after! Thanks Mom and Dan!

Steve taking us for snacks...

A Trip to St. Paul is not complete without a stop at the infamous Nook!

Skip ahead to Sunday, after mass, and a family excursion to the Walker Art Center
(Serving up the art, eh?)

Through the Conservatory...

To Uncle Dan's Favorite: Frank Gehry's "Standing Glass Fish"

Parting gifts of food before they go: Jambalaya and bagels, baby!
(Thanks, Mom!)

Dad and Dan carry a couple more loads to my car.
(Believe it or not: I did do more than just take pictures.)

Good Will Offerings: Some bread baker is going to be happy!
Oh! And all my dishes since college are given away here...

Monday morning:
A last photo before the road trip back to Nebraska!

LOVE!

After November 2, 2004: A Reflection Today

The following was written as part of an ongoing series of email exchanges my family members and I are having on our Borgmann-Family-Yahoo-Group-List-serve. I share it here, encouraging everyone's ongoing reflection, dialogue and discernment around their voting action.

***

I remember November 3, 2004. I was utterly devastated. Woah. Talk about woe.

The United State's election for President was so close, and the candidates in my mind were so freaking far apart. And I was so afraid of the wretched and widening gap between people in the U.S. The division was so ugly between Democrats and Republicans, and mirroring the even-further separation of those with resources and those in poverty.

Ugghh.

It still makes my heart quake.

"Disbelief" is a word I have to describe my state of mind about the state of affairs on November 3, 2004.

"This can't really be possible. We elected George W. Bush? We are choosing fear? We are choosing aggression? We are perpetuating a kind of blindness to humanity, a blindness to global citizenship? We are willfully ignoring the creation of relationships and working instead to sever and destroy?"

I'm speaking about my perception of our country's leaders working from this well-conveyed mentality: The post-9/11 mentality - of getting "evil doers" OUTSIDE our country -- when we forgot to check within our own hearts the rage and hate that perpetuates "evil" here!

Should I list those fears so rampant in the days leading up to November 2nd?

• The fear of gay people. That was a big one.
• The fear of two same sex individuals getting married and threatening the sanctity of"real" married love.
• The fear of Muslims.
• The fear of amassed arsenal and sneak attacks.
• The fear of spending money on social programs, on education.
• The fear of spending money on mass transit infrastructure.
  
• The fear of science and research that might destroy life.

I remember shortly thereafter having dinner at my then partner's home.

Dudley's parents were in town from Vermont. Her mom, the state poet, Ellen Bryant Voigt and her father, Fran Voigt, named "Vermont's Citizen of the Year," had come for a visit. Also at the table were writer and contemplative, Patricia Hampl, and her husband, (whose name escapes me now.). All civic-minded individuals, all passionate about equality, justice, freedom, but achieving those in a radically different manner than what George W. Bush had prescribed for the country. All, too, had come of age during the 60's, Civil Rights, Vietnam, Women's Liberation, and found themselves called to work diligently to make change....

All were teachers, too, as I think about it now.
Ellen and Fran were college professors in Vermont, at Goddard College, and Patricia was/ is at the University of Minnesota...And then there was Dudley and I, working on "The Juno Collective," and working with our little crew of urban students, trying to make our kind of revolutionary change in the way people see, assess literacy, intelligence, and understand diversity....

But on that evening, at the table, we were all in mourning over the turn we saw our country taking:
The turn toward war.
The turn of citizens and our leaders toward embracing and being lead by the FEAR of "evil" in the world - and needing to CONTROL IT, STOP IT...and how? By BEING VIOLENT AND DESTRUCTIVE OURSELVES!

***

Do you guys know Sun Tzu? My friend Vuyi turned me onto his classic text, "The Art of War."

In this, (the "oldest military treatise in the world") the Chinese leader states,

"Choose your enemy wisely, for you eventually become him."

That thought sticks in my head a lot right now, as I think back to that election, and the war we've waged in the name of Peace and Democracy, LIberation....And the way that I'm living and working to love, discern, act right now.

I can't vilify George W. Bush, name him as "enemy," or point and blame him for all that is at hand. In doing so, I become him. (Do you understand this?) I can, however, intelligently, reasonably, compassionately, REFLECT on November 2nd and all the days since then. I can reflect on my fellow citizens. On myself. On all that has transpired in the course of the last four years in my own heart, in my own home, in this country, and what I know of the larger global societies. And I can make my own change.

I CAN CHOOSE NOT TO HAVE AN ENEMY. I can choose not to act from my fears, but from my faith. I can choose to see the inter-connectedness of all beings. I can choose to see everyone with new eyes: as Love. I can choose to see as a benevolent and all-loving Creator asks me to see. See as God asks us all to see. And I can vote and act from that place of thinking and being.

Peace,
Melissa

"Where Does Revelation Come From?" A Homiletic Reflection about Jesus' "Sermon on the Mount"

And from time to time there is a sermon that so inspires, that so challenges, that so resonates, that it invites deep reflection and is cause for celebration as it invites a kind of deep transformation within, (or at least a subtle shift in thinking.)

The following was written and delivered by a young parishioner and member of the Church of St. Philip's, in North Minneapolis. The author asked to remain anonymous on this blog. I celebrate his spirit, his wisdom, and this Catholic Faith community that I am privileged to be part of on the North Side, that would be so bold as to invite and acknowledge that reflection and revelation might come from him. You may read the text and/ or listen to it on the recording below.

Enjoy!

***

"Where Does Revelation Come From?"

February 3, 2008.

I'd like to first thank Fr. Pat, not only for inviting me to talk, but inviting me on what is perhaps the best day of the year to share reflections on the Gospel. Is there any more profound Revelation in the Bible than the Sermon on the Mount? God on earth telling his friends how to live? I really think a person could spend a lifetime reflecting on and being challenged by:

Blessed are the merciful. Blessed are the clean of heart. Or blessed are the peacemakers.

So thanks Fr. Pat for helping me out and letting me share reflections on text that moves us all so deeply. On the other hand, maybe I shouldn't be so grateful to give a sermon after we've all just heard the greatest sermon ever given. Oh well.

I've always had an easier time connecting with the Gospels, they always seem the most direct and applicable. The most inclusive. Paul always seems a bit verbose and complicated while the Old Testament is…well...Old. But as Catholics we are nothing if not rooted in history, in what has gone before. We believe there is a common thread and a history to our faith that gives us wisdom and is worth holding on to. One question that seems to be present through all these readings is, "Where does Revelation come from?"

How does God share with the people of the world what the great big Plan is? How does God answer that eternal and ginormous question of "WHY?"

St. Teresa of Avila said,

"Christ has no body on earth but yours, no hands but yours and no feet but yours. No voice but yours."

So maybe its not so much a question of HOW God shares Revelation, but from WHO.

The readings today give us a pretty good idea of WHO we should be listening to. And its not who we might expect. Which reminded me of a story.

It was about a year ago. I was working at the county hospital down town and I'd just finished a long shift, and went down to wait for the bus. It a week like last week, bitter cold. And it was 11pm. At that time of night the bus only comes every 30 minutes or so, so I was planning on a wait. I'd only been there a few minutes when I saw a man leave the ER doors and start walking towards me. His clothes were humble, his face lined, and as he came up, he smelled of alcohol, but he had a huge smile on his face that I can't quite describe. He immediately engaged me in conversation, and I admit I was a bit taken aback. He was asking who I was, why I was there, where I was headed. He listened well and was very encouraging about what I said, telling me that I was doing okay. All the while smiling and dancing. I asked him where he was headed, and he told me a homeless shelter, which he was okay with. He then started telling me about his life, he told me that he had been just about everywhere, done all sorts of things and was as old as father time. At one point he asked where I was from. When I told him "Up North" and that I grew up on a lake. He told me that he knew all about that. In fact one time he had been fishing up north and had actually been pulled into the water by a fish. I jokingly said "You were the fish." He stopped, looked serious and said, "Now that's a whole different story." I began to realize that maybe I was talking to someone important. Something about the way he talked made me feel as though I was encountering the Divine. It reminded me of Bible stories when people met angels and were always initially afraid. Maybe its because they were like this guy. Anyway, his bus eventually came, which wasn't mine. As I was reflecting on this unexpected spiritual experience, I looked up to seeing him sitting by the window.…..and as if giving a final confirmation of my thoughts he suddenly turned to look out the window and went like this…..(huge smile, big thumbs up.)

Where does Revelation come from?

I wish it were that simple and I wish that was where the story ended…..but its not. It seemed like my bus just wasn't coming, so I hopped on 5 bus, thinking I would ride it down to Nicollet Mall and warm up a little bit on the way before getting out and waiting some more. I hopped off and was surprised to see such a large crowd of folks on such a cold night. The Nicollet Mall connecting stop is the main stop out of downtown to get to Northside. So I hunched up my shoulders, found a wall to lean against and tried to disappear into the crowd. And then it happened again. A well dressed man followed by two 12 yr old looking boys came up the sidewalks. He was handing out tracts. This is actually a pretty common along the bus routes and even on the busses, especially at the Nicollet/Northside bus stop. And like always I tried to decline a tract. The main reason I do this is that I believe to really share your faith you must have mutual care for the person you are sharing with. It also saves on paper since I am already a "Christian". So I declined. This was apparently a really bad idea. The man immediately got up in my face and said "What's the matter, don't you believe in God?" So I explained that, no, I do, and that I'm a Christian. He asked where I go to church. So I proudly told him St. Philips! Up on 26^th and Bryant. He immediately looked suspicious. "What kind of Church is that?" It's a Catholic Church. He looked triumphant. "You're in some trouble then." He started quoting some Bible. Telling me I should be worried about my salvation; that I didn't believe "right". After a few seconds of this I closed my eyes and started repeating aloud "I'm not going to argue with you." This went on for maybe a minute. I think until he realized I wasn't going to engage with him. So he finished by telling me that if I didn't reconsider my church I would be going to Hell. As he walked away I called after him "God Bless You." He turned around and yelled "God does bless ME."

Where does Revelation Come from?

I've ridden that bus route over a thousand times in the last several years. Never have I been engaged in spiritual conversation except on that one night. Twice. The first, a story of connection, inclusion. A poor, humble man who convinced me that I was enough. The second, a story of division, exclusion. A different kind of man who told me I certainly was not enough.

The trouble with Revelation is we often have to choose or decide which message we are to believe with little evidence other than what we know in our hearts to be true. But Jesus helps us out today.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit. Blessed are they who mourn. Blessed are the meek."

Who are these people? Jesus tells us that when they, or we, carry this banner,

"They will insult us and persecute us and utter every kind evil against us."

Paul takes it farther.

"God chose the foolish, the weak, the lowly and despised."

And Zachariah,

"God will leave a people humble and lowly."

Where does Revelation Come from?

What messages do we hear the most today?

I'm heading to a Super Bowl party this afternoon. I mostly watch for the commercials because they're funny. But what are the commercials really saying? You are not enough. But if you buy our product, or spend more, maybe you will be.

I hear big speeches by rich and powerful people saying they have all the answers and if I only vote for them, our problems will be solved.

I see leaders of organizations seeking to exclude those they see as different.

Is this Revelation?

But if we pay attention, there is a message that softly sneaks through the cracks.

I was on a full bus the other day when a woman got on with a baby. I was too busy reading my book, but a homeless man stood up so they could sit down.

At College Bound the other night I was sitting with a kid named Eli. He told me that he wasn't sure he believed in God, but if he did, he pictures God, Jesus, Mohammad, and the Buddha, all in a line, hangin' as brothers. And we just choose which one we get along with best.

Leo Tolstoy was a Christian Pacifist and writer in the 1800's. He wrote a calendar of daily wisdom. The wisdom for today, February 3^rd reads,

"Love is real only when a person can sacrifice himself for another person. Only when a person forgets himself for the sake of another, and lives for another creature, only this kind of love can be called true love, and only in this love do we see the blessing and reward of life. This is the foundation of the world."

I know that where you will find Revelation is very different than where I will find it. And I know that you will share your Revelation in a different way than I. And isn't that the beauty of the human spirit? Isn't that faith?

Lois asked me if I would have a challenge for you at the end (because she knows I kind of dig it when we're challenged by a homily). But I think instead I have a prayer for you:

I pray that you know you are not alone. On this day all across the world millions of humans have heard the Greatest Sermon ever given. This is a faith we share.

I pray that as a child of God you know you are enough. And you always were.

And finally I pray that you find Revelation in the simplest and most unexpected places. That you listen to it. That you pay attention to it. And that you let it move you, like a Sermon on the Mount.

Amen.

"Why I am Voting for Barack Obama: A Contemplative Response"

What does it mean to cast a vote?

What does it mean to be President?

What calls anyone to act?

What thoughts and convictions are weighed before a person steps forward (to vote, to run for office, to do anything!)?

How does anyone arrive at a choice, a decision?

What are the core values or beliefs I hold about leadership, about citizenship?

What makes good leadership? What makes a good citizen? What makes a good human being, for that matter?

How is any of that assessed?

How do I measure my own presence on the planet?

What indicators invite or inspire me to continue on in my journey?

What is the role of Spirit, of Love, of Faith in any decision?

How do those factors differ from Hate and Fear in making a decision, or casting a vote?

What direction do I want to see my life go in? How does that compare with what I want for my community, my state, my country, the planet?

How do I vote?

Why vote?

Ohhhweee! Asking questions makes my head spin! But, these are the ones that surface as I wrestle with the words to articulate my reason for voting for Barack Obama in tomorrow's Super Tuesday Election.

Why vote for Barack?

First and foremost, I don't believe change starts with him. Or with any leader, really. I believe it starts in myself. In my belly, in my brain, in my heart, and in how I choose daily to breathe and act and be on the planet.

Since I left teaching, and struggled (some might say "failed") in creating an organization aimed at honoring the leadership and literacy of young people, I have wrestled deeply with some of these core questions about government, about leadership, about programs, systems, relationships -- and assessing and measuring the "success" of anything.

Time and again: I come back to this notion articulated so beautifully and simply by Mahatma Ghandi:

"Be the change you want to see in the world."

I have taken that literally to heart. It informs how and why I get up in the morning, and how I work to intentionally conduct myself from moment to moment.

I get up to Love. And be Love. That's all that I truly have any kind of power or authority over: my own choosing to be a person of non-aggression, peace, and - let me repeat: LOVE!

And then, at the end of the day, or from moment to moment, I get to measure and assess my own actions, by asking:
Did I work for peace? Did I perpetuate a kind of good feeling in my interactions, or stir up the bad? Do I demonstrate love? Did I? How did simply showing up serve a kind of joy vs. woe? Is breathing in a space and sending out good thoughts enough? Am I an agent of change? Am I enough?

So in my own skin, bones, muscle tissue, blood, being: I get to choose what and how I conduct myself, and as a former teacher, it's what I invite each and every person I encounter to do or be, simply by modeling it, Love, to the best of my ability.

So, Okay, saying all that, where does that get me in my thinking about casting my vote for the next President of the United States? (Or representative of one party, really.)

Well, what it does, is help me align my convictions, and weigh those of the candidates and examine how they convey their own philosophical ideas and lead from that space.

Do they inspire me?

Do they inspire others?

Who is working for the greatest good?

What is the greatest good?

I think my "bottom line" in this question, is that Barack Obama is inspiring and moving people to act on their own behalf. To be the change themselves. He said quite clearly to the crowd of 20,000 gathered at the Target Center in Minneapolis on Saturday,

"I don't believe change comes from the top down, it comes from the bottom up."

And that, my friends is a core conviction of mine, finding alignment with a presidential leader. And this "idea" isn't simply an IDEA, but is an ACTION, as I witness thousands in motion around this election. And: I don't see the movement, the motion of my own limbs, stopping with my own ballot being cast. I see my own momentum continuing, as I make my own small, transformational changes in my home and living, and find community and joy in those around me doing the same thing! I know change is happening in a powerful way! I see it! I am part of it! I am experiencing it!

***

I'll close this thinking and writing with an analogy that surfaced in an email to my cousin Derrick, a precinct captain for Obama, in Denver, Colorado. I shared this with him this morning:

As I was walking toward the Target Center Obama Rally on Saturday, crossing a bridge from North Minneapolis into Downtown, I pointed to the construction site below me, and said to my Aunt Trish, the Twin Sisters from South Dakota, and Ropan, the Nepalese engineering student, walking alongside:

"This is a metaphor."

The footings for the new Twin's stadium were poured, and these gigantic pillars of support were coming out up out of the earth.

"We are part of a solid foundation. Obama is leading us, cementing all of us together, in order to build this new thing where entertaining things can happen."

We laughed. But it's true. And Obama's message and leadership does not rest with us solely on this earth, as there are layers upon layers of our predeccessors, ancestors, leaders, that lie below and are coming through EACH of us, as we ruminate and ACT upon our convictions.

This construction: it's all an act of faith in the future.

***

Blessings on each of you as you discern your own course of action!

Peace,

Melissa