Stephanie - Your words, and action, express the courage of someone who refuses to go numb and that isn't an easy thing to do given the conditions in the country. You’ve given voice to a feeling so prevelent within so many of us: the disorientation, the heartbreak, the dread for a country that feels like it’s slipping out of our grasp. And yet, in the very act of naming it and putting language and words around the fear, the longing, to be able to resolve, you offer a lifeline. A way to stay human in inhuman times and that is oftentimes exactly what we struggle to hang onto and offer ourselves hope with in regard to the human condition.
On my end, I’ll take your hand. I’ll walk with you. And like you, I’ll keep choosing love, service and the slow practice of reclaiming decency in the face of despair. How can we do otherwise. So thank you for your unwavering heart and your call to remain awake. We are what’s left and what we do now matters more than ever.
Bronce, I'm grateful to take your hand. To name something and look it in the eye is the beginning, I believe, of healing. "We are what's left and what we do now matters more than ever." That is a good call to return to. I stand in unity with your vision for a peaceful world and a strong resolve to keep humanity alive during the difficult road ahead. My prayer is that we strive to stay awake!
Ah, Stephanie! So beautifully said. Your last stanza describes the place of peaceful protest for me: keeping our humanity alive though service and the practice of love, which for me includes loving this planet and all the diverse web of lives we share it with. I am reaching for your hand, reaching for others' hands, and grateful to stand together in these times. Blessings and a huge hug to you!
Women like you, women like me, holding hands, holding on, taking action however we can, informed by inclusion, love and up lifting. Thank you for being in my life. Together we are stronger.
We are stronger together. You have always held a light for me Susan, in so many ways. I am grateful to share this walk with you. Hang on tight, we're in it now. And let our pens speak our heart's intention.
Love AND fierceness. It is a delicate balance--to lift the lamp, and be ready to stand in the fray. Preparing for Saturday's protest, putting my oldering white body in front of the vulnerable and targeted. Send in a thousand grandmothers! (Holly Near song--look it up.)
Christina, thank you for the reference and I will look it up. Yes to a thousand grandmothers. Yes to your activism. Yes to balance and light, and standing in the fray. May you be met by those thousand white haired women! Love and strength my friend.
Your words are powerful. I've been feeling so off-kilter this week, and I've avoided the news for the most part because the coverage of what's happening in LA is inadequate and incomplete anyway. I'm worried about what might happen because, eventually, someone will be hurt, or worse.
It's such a difficult time. I'm grateful to hold onto your hand, my friend. We need to circle together and cling tightly to the hands of others who feel the need to do this important work.
As you wrote, "Teach and model how to take a stand but stay centered in your heart." That's exactly what you're doing, and I thank you.
Together, my friend. We are peaceful women, warriors for the heart, and by holding tight to each other, lifting up each other with intent, support and goodwill, we will, I believe, make things better! I'm so honored to call you friend, Nancy. And it's been a helluva bad, terrible, not so good, week!
Thank you for this. Every day is another assault of hate, lies, and evil, but I refuse to succumb to it. We must hold each other's hands and form a bond of compassion.
Sue, no succumbing and no numbing. I stand with you. I won't let go of your hand. Together through, as you say "a bond of compassion," we can help each other do our part. Thank you for being here.
Wow! Beautiful, feminine and bleeding! Your courageous words cut straight to the heart of the matter. As is your wise call for 'peaceful resistance', for holding onto each and refusing to let go, is a beacon in these dark times. Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful art and beautiful heart. Never stop writing, Stephanie. We need you! 🙏❤️
Thank you, Deborah! I'm so glad that we've connected and I feel supported and uplifted by your poems and musings. May we always be a creatrix of beautiful and meaningful art. You are in my heart.
My beautiful, wise, loving sister, thank you for this poetic, fierce call. Yes. I hear the drumbeat in your words—and I’m standing beside you in this reckoning.
When institutions crumble, it is the soul of the people that must rise.
In our art. In our mercy. In our refusal to turn away.
What we do now—not perfectly, but wholeheartedly—matters.
I feel your grief, your courage, your clarity.
And I believe:
Service is sacred.
Love is a revolutionary act.
Holding hands—literally or spiritually—is how we endure, how we return, how we reimagine what’s possible.
So well said, Prajna and as you wrote in your post this day - "live the life that's in front of you."
I will not let go of your hand and I know you'll hang onto mine, and through the power of love and service and making mercy, we will be activists for these times. I am united in spirt with you and your dedication to staying awake and taking actions of peace.
You are in my heart, sweet sister. Together we are stronger.
This certainly resonates with me today. I was holding a place for love for everyone in my heart yesterday, but got triggered by a conspiracy theorist. It’s tough to stay on track sometimes. Thanks for this meaningful poetry. It pulled me back to center.
It is tough to stay on track. I get triggered most days, and have to work hard to come back. Last night I found myself up too late wiping dust off of the leaves of my indoor plants, and woke up too early this morning with sharp pains in my stomach. I think preparing for Saturday's protest by attending an ACLU "know your rights" and be prepared for teargas, digital surveillance and arrest - sent me off the rails, even as I appreciated the suggestion that carrying a wet bandana in a baggie could help with teargas.
I am so grateful for your writing Stefanie, and the writings of Marisol Muñoz-Kiehne, Parker Palmer and many others, including folks who comment in all of these places. Standing in unity, striving to stay awake, holding on to each other and refusing to let go, finding a way to stay human in inhuman times, taking a stand while remaining centered in our hearts, grounded in our souls; I reach out my hand to everyone and won't let go.
Margo, you are in my heart now and I will be thinking of you, holding heart space for you and walking with you on Saturday. Together we are stronger. Let's not let go of one another.
I've spent the past couple o days divided between wanting to pull the covers over my head and preparing for two joyful family events - one tonight, one Saturday and Sunday - with hopes that much-needed demonstrations don't derail either. This post has been on my mind the whole time, as I waited for a reponse to emerge. In the end, I can only quote Nancy Stordahl. "As you wrote, "Teach and model how to take a stand but stay centered in your heart." That's exactly what you're doing, and I thank you. Thank you, Nancy, and always, always, thank you Stephanie.
Sending you love, my friend. It's difficult to know how to respond to so much of what's going on, and I believe we are all struggling. I also believe in the force of good and the power of peaceful resistance. What is so disconcerting is, what's the timetable for this unfolding? But we stand together, Susan, and that gives me hope and inspires courage to keep on.
Thank you for your beautiful poem, which pares down the rhetoric to the bare bones of what really matters. Send love to you, from across the pond. The tide is turning here, too, and all across Europe. Thank you for your example of measured protest.
"so—
i will go to a place
where i can help someone.
it doesn’t matter where or how.
keep humanity alive
through service
and the practice of love."
So important that this is part of the equation. Thank you for reminding us.
Thank you Margaret. It's what I know we can all do. I stand in peace and in strength with you.
Stephanie - Your words, and action, express the courage of someone who refuses to go numb and that isn't an easy thing to do given the conditions in the country. You’ve given voice to a feeling so prevelent within so many of us: the disorientation, the heartbreak, the dread for a country that feels like it’s slipping out of our grasp. And yet, in the very act of naming it and putting language and words around the fear, the longing, to be able to resolve, you offer a lifeline. A way to stay human in inhuman times and that is oftentimes exactly what we struggle to hang onto and offer ourselves hope with in regard to the human condition.
On my end, I’ll take your hand. I’ll walk with you. And like you, I’ll keep choosing love, service and the slow practice of reclaiming decency in the face of despair. How can we do otherwise. So thank you for your unwavering heart and your call to remain awake. We are what’s left and what we do now matters more than ever.
Bronce, I'm grateful to take your hand. To name something and look it in the eye is the beginning, I believe, of healing. "We are what's left and what we do now matters more than ever." That is a good call to return to. I stand in unity with your vision for a peaceful world and a strong resolve to keep humanity alive during the difficult road ahead. My prayer is that we strive to stay awake!
You have distilled our fears and a peaceful counterpoint call to action so powerfully. Thank you, Stephanie.
Thank you, Ann. May we rise to the occasion. I so appreciate your being here -- especially today. Hugs.
Indeed. Thanks, Stephanie.
Thank you Susan. I stand in solidarity with you.
Ah, Stephanie! So beautifully said. Your last stanza describes the place of peaceful protest for me: keeping our humanity alive though service and the practice of love, which for me includes loving this planet and all the diverse web of lives we share it with. I am reaching for your hand, reaching for others' hands, and grateful to stand together in these times. Blessings and a huge hug to you!
Women like you, women like me, holding hands, holding on, taking action however we can, informed by inclusion, love and up lifting. Thank you for being in my life. Together we are stronger.
You hold our hands, Stephanie. And that's you, holding up the lantern. Thank you for lighting our way through this perilous dark.
We are stronger together. You have always held a light for me Susan, in so many ways. I am grateful to share this walk with you. Hang on tight, we're in it now. And let our pens speak our heart's intention.
Love AND fierceness. It is a delicate balance--to lift the lamp, and be ready to stand in the fray. Preparing for Saturday's protest, putting my oldering white body in front of the vulnerable and targeted. Send in a thousand grandmothers! (Holly Near song--look it up.)
Christina, thank you for the reference and I will look it up. Yes to a thousand grandmothers. Yes to your activism. Yes to balance and light, and standing in the fray. May you be met by those thousand white haired women! Love and strength my friend.
Hi Stephanie,
Your words are powerful. I've been feeling so off-kilter this week, and I've avoided the news for the most part because the coverage of what's happening in LA is inadequate and incomplete anyway. I'm worried about what might happen because, eventually, someone will be hurt, or worse.
It's such a difficult time. I'm grateful to hold onto your hand, my friend. We need to circle together and cling tightly to the hands of others who feel the need to do this important work.
As you wrote, "Teach and model how to take a stand but stay centered in your heart." That's exactly what you're doing, and I thank you.
Together, we will do this hard work.
Together, my friend. We are peaceful women, warriors for the heart, and by holding tight to each other, lifting up each other with intent, support and goodwill, we will, I believe, make things better! I'm so honored to call you friend, Nancy. And it's been a helluva bad, terrible, not so good, week!
Thank you for this. Every day is another assault of hate, lies, and evil, but I refuse to succumb to it. We must hold each other's hands and form a bond of compassion.
Sue, no succumbing and no numbing. I stand with you. I won't let go of your hand. Together through, as you say "a bond of compassion," we can help each other do our part. Thank you for being here.
Your poem is beautiful even in its sadness. A call to peaceful action.
Thank you Julia. Sometimes our answers and our meaning can be found in the rubble of our sorrows. May we all rise to the occasion of peaceful action!
Wow! Beautiful, feminine and bleeding! Your courageous words cut straight to the heart of the matter. As is your wise call for 'peaceful resistance', for holding onto each and refusing to let go, is a beacon in these dark times. Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful art and beautiful heart. Never stop writing, Stephanie. We need you! 🙏❤️
Thank you, Deborah! I'm so glad that we've connected and I feel supported and uplifted by your poems and musings. May we always be a creatrix of beautiful and meaningful art. You are in my heart.
Tell a new story! Envision it becoming real.💓
...and live the life in front of you. All good wishes and goodwill.
My beautiful, wise, loving sister, thank you for this poetic, fierce call. Yes. I hear the drumbeat in your words—and I’m standing beside you in this reckoning.
When institutions crumble, it is the soul of the people that must rise.
In our art. In our mercy. In our refusal to turn away.
What we do now—not perfectly, but wholeheartedly—matters.
I feel your grief, your courage, your clarity.
And I believe:
Service is sacred.
Love is a revolutionary act.
Holding hands—literally or spiritually—is how we endure, how we return, how we reimagine what’s possible.
Let’s keep walking each other home.
So much love, Prajna
So well said, Prajna and as you wrote in your post this day - "live the life that's in front of you."
I will not let go of your hand and I know you'll hang onto mine, and through the power of love and service and making mercy, we will be activists for these times. I am united in spirt with you and your dedication to staying awake and taking actions of peace.
You are in my heart, sweet sister. Together we are stronger.
Yes, sweet sister—hand in hand, heart to heart.
Love is the revolution. Mercy is the medicine.
Together, we walk awake. Stronger. Softer. Unshakable. 💜
Always writing the perfect thing at the perfect time. I'm so grateful to you, Prajna.
This certainly resonates with me today. I was holding a place for love for everyone in my heart yesterday, but got triggered by a conspiracy theorist. It’s tough to stay on track sometimes. Thanks for this meaningful poetry. It pulled me back to center.
It's tough to stay on track, for all of us. We can support each other in staying centered. Thank you for being here.
It is tough to stay on track. I get triggered most days, and have to work hard to come back. Last night I found myself up too late wiping dust off of the leaves of my indoor plants, and woke up too early this morning with sharp pains in my stomach. I think preparing for Saturday's protest by attending an ACLU "know your rights" and be prepared for teargas, digital surveillance and arrest - sent me off the rails, even as I appreciated the suggestion that carrying a wet bandana in a baggie could help with teargas.
I am so grateful for your writing Stefanie, and the writings of Marisol Muñoz-Kiehne, Parker Palmer and many others, including folks who comment in all of these places. Standing in unity, striving to stay awake, holding on to each other and refusing to let go, finding a way to stay human in inhuman times, taking a stand while remaining centered in our hearts, grounded in our souls; I reach out my hand to everyone and won't let go.
Margo, you are in my heart now and I will be thinking of you, holding heart space for you and walking with you on Saturday. Together we are stronger. Let's not let go of one another.
I've spent the past couple o days divided between wanting to pull the covers over my head and preparing for two joyful family events - one tonight, one Saturday and Sunday - with hopes that much-needed demonstrations don't derail either. This post has been on my mind the whole time, as I waited for a reponse to emerge. In the end, I can only quote Nancy Stordahl. "As you wrote, "Teach and model how to take a stand but stay centered in your heart." That's exactly what you're doing, and I thank you. Thank you, Nancy, and always, always, thank you Stephanie.
Sending you love, my friend. It's difficult to know how to respond to so much of what's going on, and I believe we are all struggling. I also believe in the force of good and the power of peaceful resistance. What is so disconcerting is, what's the timetable for this unfolding? But we stand together, Susan, and that gives me hope and inspires courage to keep on.
Thank you for your beautiful poem, which pares down the rhetoric to the bare bones of what really matters. Send love to you, from across the pond. The tide is turning here, too, and all across Europe. Thank you for your example of measured protest.
That photo is not me. How weird!
May we all rise to the occasion of peaceful resistance and work to make a better world. We are stronger together. Thank you for being here, Jo.