Dear Peace Making Friends,
With the tragic consequences of the massive earthquake in Asia still unfolding, many of us may be feeling overwhelmed with grief. You may wish to send the light of compassion to all those suffering in the wake of this disaster, through prayers, meditations, and good old fashioned currency.
Here are two ways to address your grief:
* Donate to relief efforts. Many agencies are listed in the Seattle Times today, including our own local agency,
Mercy Corps where you can donate on-line.
You can also donate through the following agencies.
* And you're most welcome to join us for the Greenlake New Year's Eve Peace Vigil; details are given below the list of agencies in the extended entry box.
American Friends Service Committee (AFSC Crisis Fund)
1-888-588-2372
http://www.afsc.org
Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres
1-888-392-0392
http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org
U.S. Red Cross
1-800-435-7669
http://www.redcross.org/
International Red Cross
http://www.ifrc.org/
Mercy Corps
1-800-292-3355
http://www.mercycorps.org
* Join us at the Greenlake New Year's Eve Peace vigil, a wonderful Seattle tradition. This should be a fine opportunity for community and healing.
You are invited to join us early on New Year's Eve at Greenlake Candlelight Walking Meditation for Compassion and Peace
Friday, December 31, 2004 5-7 p.m.
Sponsored by the Interfaith Community Church, Sound Nonviolent Opponents of War (SNOW), and dozens of other wonderful organizations dedicated to unity and working for a just, peaceful world.
Meet us in the Athletic Field near the Community Center 2701 East Green Lake Drive North
This is an outdoor event, so dress warmly in layers! Bring a candle with a protected flame, and one for a friend.
Creating Abundance Out of Loss
Our peace group, Shoreline SNOW, is focusing on the idea that the terrible loss of life in Iraq must be grieved and addressed. We see this primarily as a Resource War. To prevent the likelihood of future wars, we must reduce our consumption of resources and demand the same from our government. The benefits of creating sustainable energy systems are immense and exciting, a true source of hope for us and all life on our beautiful planet. We will be passing out ideas for pledging your personal commitment to reduce resource use by 10% in the coming year, to honor the lives of over 100,000 of us who've died needlessly. AND ideas for demanding the same 10% reduction from our government.
As you walk the lake, you may wish to take the Ten Percent for Peace Pledge with you, and hold in your heart 10 of the human beings who've been lost to us in this war. Look for illuminated Shoreline SNOW volunteers at the event, for your copy of the pledge.
Namaste! Shalom! Peace!