the ‘peace gets personal’ blog

As a recovering global nomad, this periodic blog helps me to process the messy, ongoing journey of coming ‘home’ to the USA. This is where peace gets personal.

Category: First Nations

  • Sins of Omission

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    Several months ago – Yes, I am a very slow blogger, but this is a story worth telling…. So, several months ago, I had the privilege of meeting two new colleagues at an inter-faith conference. Paul is a Palestinian Christian from Jerusalem and Salim is a Palestinian Muslim living in Nablus, 60 kilometers or so to the northeast.  Despite their different life experiences, they share a similar frustration at how people in the outside world, especially the United States, tend to have a one-sided understanding of the issues facing Palestine and Israel. Paul meets a lot of international visitors, many of…

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  • Opportunity & Uncertainty

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    Three months after its dedication, I stand at the foot of the John T. Williams Honor Totem. The totem has bold lines and bright colors, and its significance fills my eyes with tears. There is no mention here of how Mr. Williams died. Rather than proclaiming that he was felled by a police bullet, the totem simply honors the man’s life and Ditidaht heritage, and calls to mind his talent as a woodcarver. This simplicity seems both appropriate and lovely. The totem does not acknowledge the police, but the police have acknowledged the totem. On the day the totem was raised,…

    Read more: Opportunity & Uncertainty