Dear Friends,
During this difficult time, I find myself calling upon the resilience of our ancestors…
“To acknowledge our ancestors means we are aware that we did not make ourselves…We remember them because it is an easy thing to forget: that we are not the first to suffer, rebel, fight, love, and die.” ~Alice Walker
My great-grandmother Anna Marie Olson Hanson's story in song
Here's the blog I wrote to accompany “How Shall We Sing”: blog link
Almost Everything: Notes on Hope by Anne Lamott
"I am stockpiling antibiotics for the Apocalypse, even as I await the blossoming of paperwhites on the windowsill in the kitchen," Anne Lamott admits at the beginning of Almost Everything. Despair and uncertainty surround us: in the news, in our families, and in ourselves. But even when life is at its bleakest--when we are, as she puts it, "doomed, stunned, exhausted, and over-caffeinated"—the seeds of rejuvenation are at hand.” "All truth is paradox," Lamott writes, "and this turns out to be a reason for hope. If you arrive at a place in life that is miserable, it will change." That is the time when we must pledge not to give up but "to do what Wendell Berry wrote: 'Be joyful, though you have considered all the facts.'"
In this profound and funny book, Lamott calls for each of us to rediscover the nuggets of hope and wisdom that are buried within us that can make life sweeter than we ever imagined. Divided into short chapters that explore life's essential truths, Almost Everything pinpoints these moments of insight as it shines an encouraging light forward.”
Amnesty International is a global movement of more than 10 million people who are committed to creating a future where human rights are enjoyed by everyone. United by our shared humanity, we know that the power to create positive change is within all of us. We are independent of any political ideology, economic interest or religion. We stand with victims of human rights violations whoever they are, wherever they are. No government is beyond scrutiny. We uncover the truth. We hold human rights violators to account.
Where do you find your cathartic laughter? One of my favorites destinations is The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
Need a reminder of hope in your kitchen? cultivate joy store
Immerse yourself in a few moments of nature...
With gratitude for those who have gone before and shown the way,
Joy
Joy Zimmerman is a touring folk & acoustic roots singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, presenter, and former social worker. Joy's latest album,"Where the Light Lives," debuted at #6 on the Folk Alliance International Folk Chart in August 2023. joyzimmermanmusic.com
