The Art of Mindful Conversation
What is mindful conversation? What does it have to do with creating a healthy community? Wendy Krom, a community organizer and student of Shambhala Buddhism, is currently organizing local congregations to form the Berkshire Organizing Sponsoring Committee. The foundation of this congregation-based approach to community organizing is relationship building. As we get to know each other one-on-one and learn one another's stories in community, issues of concern reveal themselves and leaders naturally emerge.Wendy will lead us in the practices of mindfulness meditation and conversation. In describing the work of community organizing, the practice of meditation and the study of Shambhala Buddhism, she will help us discern how our relationships with one another form the fabric of enlightened society.
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| Wendy Krom |
Wendy Krom is Founder and Director of
Community Consulting Services, which provides training and technical
assistance to non-profit organizations and community groups. www.communityleadership.com
She
has extensive
experience in community coalition building as a
means
to prevent alcohol, tobacco and other drug
abuse and has helped neighborhood groups become organized and
young people to form peer education groups in
their
schools and communities.
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A Prayer For Our World 
Holy One of Blessing, Source of Life we offer our prayers for our Great Mother, our world of unspeakable beauty
and unspeakable tragedy.
May
the light of compassion grow in the hearts of all human beings, to
transform the darkness of greed into the growing awareness that all life
is sacred.
May You guide us with wisdom and strengthen us with courage to make the changes we need to make
to safeguard the future for our children and generations to come.
May You awaken our leaders to the one simple truth that we are all inextricably connected to one another.
At
this time of particular danger and struggle in the Middle East we pray
for all peoples who long to live under your canopy of peace.
Keep them safe when they are threatened and
protect them from harm.
When they are wounded and bereaved
grant them healing and comfort.
May they find strength and courage in the days ahead.
(this paragraph adapted from Rabbi Karyn D. Kedar)
Dear God, hear our prayers, grant us wisdom, courage
and the holy chutzpah
to continue the work for healing and peace .
Amen
received from Rimon in the Berkshires
Resouce Center for Jewish Spirituality
http://www.rimonberkshires.org/
Share your prayer for peace..
received from Rimon in the Berkshires
Resouce Center for Jewish Spirituality
http://www.rimonberkshires.org/
Share your prayer for peace..
for most this
amazing day for the
leaping greenly spirits
of trees and the
blue true dream of
sky and for everything
that is natural that is
infinite that
is yes
I who have died am
alive again today and
this is the sun's birthday
this is the birthday of
light and of love and
of the gay, great happening
illimitable earth
how should tasting touching breathing merely human being
doubt unimaginable you
now the ears of my ears
awake and the eyes of
my eyes are open
poem by ee cummings