Growing Gardens for Palestine

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Loyalty

I have a trinity of three nations that I very much believe in and want the best for.... Two are sovereign, and one is Palestine.

Jaffar & Annie in Jordan

The two sovereign nations that I very much believe in and want the best for are America (where I was born and raised) and Jordan where most of my husband's family now lives, and where he was raised with many many many cousins.

Both America and Jordan have provided peace, sanctuary, security, economic opportunities, real freedom and a hopeful future for many people, regardless of religion or race. Yes one can find fault if one wants, but I'd rather look for and support the good.

A bird nesting outside Baba's library window

Baba's favorite book

I do not know what will become of Palestine, however I very much hope that someday soon Palestine will also be a fully sovereign nation providing peace, sanctuary, security, economic opportunities, real freedom and a hopeful future for its citizens- regardless of race or religion. Many people bicker about the best way to make that a reality. Meanwhile numerous hate mongers, greedy opportunists and religious extremists take full advantage of the very real plight of the Palestinians, making a bad situation even worse... no peace- no justice.

"Exhausted after more than two decades [SIXTY YEARS] of on-and-off conflict with Israel and deeply skeptical about prospects of statehood, Palestinians here are increasingly trying to carve out their own little niches of happiness." http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090711/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_palestinians_west_bank_rebound

This June, right after school let out for the summer, my husband, our two sons and I went home to Jordan where we spent a heavenly couple of weeks being totally pampered by my husband's warm welcoming family.

Most of our time was spent with family- eating eating eating- so much really really really good food! And good company. It was paradise. A perfect holiday.

We managed to make time for a few touristy excursions, brief day trips.

Chariot races in Jerash...

and the scenic views at Mt. Neba ....

in Arabic "God is Love"

& mosaics in Madaba, specifically The Palestine Map

and a very pleasant Friday morning breakfast on a rooftop cafe over a wonderful little bookstore followed by an intriguing stroll up the street and through the open market of Souk Jara.

The Arab Group for the Protection of Nature (APN) http://www.apnature.com/en/

Old Palestine Coin

Jordan River Foundation http://www.jordanriver.jo/

While in Jordan we arranged to meet with an utterly delightful young woman with The Abraham Path Initiative http://www.abrahampath.org/visit.php in hopes of strolling a bit of it, but found it is really geared for younger stronger hikers- teenagers- college students- and older athletic intellectuals who can handle hours of summer heat :-) .

I strongly recommend The Abraham Path for any school or college or group or family of enthusiastic walkers, preferably as a winter break or spring break student activity if possible. For information on traveling the Abraham Path please email: travel@abrahampath.org

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In Palestine Abraham Path Youth Walk 2009 The Palestinian Summer Celebration http://www.sirajcenter.org/

on Baba's farm

In addition to the many gifts & sweets we bought back from Jordan for family and friends here in America,

We also came home with a suitcase full of new books- beautiful books to add to our personal library. Nothing on politics- some poetry, some on flora and fauna, some on food and traditions, some on antiquities- history and art.

Jordan Poetry on facebook

One is titled Welcome to Jordan- The Heart of the Middle East. I like that title.

Another book is called Historic Trees of Jordan

Years ago when our kids were small we planted two maple trees in our yard here in America. They look glorious in the fall. The maple tree in our back yard is now big enough to climb- and to hold a macramé hammock swing. It's the type of rope hammock that cradles you sitting up. Almost every day I meander out and wander over to sit there to watch the birds flit about, listening to their songs, and watching their antics... and watching our flowers bloom...and my family...

It is very pleasant to be outside simply enjoying life in a garden.

My husband's cousin recently sent him a new photo of the old family house in Nablus Palestine. It shows the fountain in the garden- a charming central fountain... but the garden itself needs work, and the arbor needs vines. It is obvious it was once all well thought out and cared for, hopefully it will be again some day soon.

And one day we will be free to go celebrate Jerusalem- Capital of Arab Culture....

SUPPORT NONVIOLENCE: The ABC's of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic & Cultural Boycott of Israel

SUPPORT NONVIOLENCE

The ABC's of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic & Cultural Boycott of Israel

Palestinian Civil Society Calls for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel Until it Complies with International Law and Universal Principles of Human Rights

What you can do

1. ADVOCATE BOYCOTT until Israel fully complies with the precepts of international law by

A. Ending its occupation and colonization of all Arab lands and dismantling the Wall;

B. Recognizing the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality; and

C. Respecting, protecting and promoting the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UN resolution 194.

http://www.pacbi.org/etemplate.php?id=66

Boycotting Israeli academic and cultural institutions is an urgently needed form of pressure against Israel that can bring about its compliance with international law and the requirements for a just peace... ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN

************

Palestine Sunbird painting by Ismail Shammout
(heart doodle by annie)
__________________________________________________

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

....The Mathematics of Terror

If one can
another will
endlessly fragmenting
into armed rage
at what ever power
might be

If one can
more and more will
and tyranny will rise
as the only sane solution
to revolution
round and round

If one can

.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Connecting the Human Family Step by Step...

Every May , often around the time we go to the Riverfront Arts Festival, our irises bloom... Irises are one of my favorite flowers.

In Greek mythology, Iris was a messenger god and the personification of rainbows.

Every May, over Memorial Day Weekend, there is a wonderful Arts Festival in Riverfront Park here in central Pennsylvania.... and every every May we go come rain or shine.

I am fascinated by the many ways many different people make our world a better and a more beautiful and interesting place.

Our Riverfront Arts Festival is a pleasant way to spend the day, and no matter how long you stay you never get to see everything- there is just so much! Something for everyone.

Every year we try to find at least one treasure at our Arts Festival-some kind of handcrafted whimsy. This year we bought an oval bowl that seems to become a swan, and two "matched" mugs made to look as if a blue heron is holding the mug with his wings, with his arced neck shaping the handle. As the mugs are handcrafted they are not exactly alike, but close enough to look like a set.

There are many whimsies fashioned for home and garden. One of my favorite garden whimsies are the fountains. More and more artists use recycled material to come up with some new.

This year our garden has been full of birds. Busy birds building nests.

All are a pleasure to watch- but most fascinating and magical to me to me are over in my Fairy Garden, off in the far corner of our back yard.

Up under a bower of blooming clematis is a nest

with one egg

that already hatched.

Mr.

& Mrs. Cardinal

Cardinals build nests, rather shallow nests, off the ground- but not too high as their fledglings often tumble out before they are ready to really fly. The parents continue to care for the fledglings, feeding them and then teaching them what they need to know about being a bird.

I did not see ours tumble out of his nest- but I know he found refuge in my fairy garden.

I'm rather sure that his perspective on it is very different than mine!

My own perspective on our garden is shaped by my own life. Stories I have been told that recall the teller as much as the story itself, and stories that I have read. My memories of other gardens and my childhood. My mood as well as my deep admiration and respect for the gardener my husband. His history and his good humor as well as my own history and good humor and all the many stories that have become part of me- and part of us.

On Monday an iris might make me think of a stylized figure on an urn in a museum or a Wedgwood bowl... whereas on Tuesday the same iris stirring in the breeze might evoke a lively myth illustrated by my own active imagination with the various Gods and Goddesses looking very much like people I might know. On Wednesday the iris might simply make me see the color- and a whole rainbow of possibilities.

In Growing Gardens for Palestine today I am thinking about possibilities, of nesting and building new things out of old... and of travel:

The recent Palestine Festival of Literature Blog captivated me... their website is very much worth exploring. In writing about Bethlehem Michael Palin says "From Raja I learned some of the history, of the old villages of Palestine which were destroyed after the war in 1948, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinian Arabs were forced from their homes, to become refugees. I also something of the beauty of these stony olive-grove-covered hills which I wouldn’t have appreciated without Raja." http://palfest.org/authorsblog.html

Raja Shehadehis the author of the book Palestinian Walks: Notes on a Vanishing Landscape http://books.google.com/books?id=aYQ_8FnVfO8C&dq=raja+shehadeh+palestinian+walks&source=gbs_summary_s&cad=0

Palestine Walks: Vanishing Landscape slide show with Raja Shehadeh narrating excerpts from his book http://annies-letters.blogspot.com/2009/04/palestine-walks-vanishing-landscape.html

There are interesting projects popping up, endeavors that help educate and enlighten a person, endeavors that respect both history and all religion as well as help local economies that are in need of money. A win win situation means everyone benefits- such as by Celebrating Palestine with the Siraj Center for Holy Land Studies

Another project that I am really interested in is called The Abraham Initiative. One can take a virtual tour- or an actual tour.

Connecting the Human Family Step by Step

The Abraham Path (Masar Ibrahim al Khalil) is a route of cultural tourism which follows the footsteps of Abraham / Ibrahim through the Middle East. The story of Abraham / Ibrahim's journey, which has been kept alive for some four thousand years in the landscape and memory of this region, records the origin of a spiritual tradition shared by more than three billion people in the world today.

By retracing this journey, the Abraham Path provides a place of meeting and connection for people of all faiths and cultures, inviting us to remember our common origins, to respect our cultural differences, and to recognize our shared humanity. The path also serves as a catalyst for sustainable tourism and economic development; a platform for the energy and idealism of young people; and a focus for positive media highlighting the rich culture and hospitable people of the Middle East.

Thanks to the generous welcome which has been extended by host communities along the way, the first walking sections of the path are now open to travelers: www.abrahampath.org/visit.php.

As the path unfolds, we invite you to join us in this historic endeavor...

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Twittering

Spring in Palestine

by Ismail Shammout

Every minute new technologies emerge that help give voice to Palestine. And all over the world people are saving tidbits for and about Palestine.

IMEU Home > Palestine in Photos Palestinians in the West Bank city of Qalqilia celebrate Jerusalem as the capital of Arab Culture 2009. (Maan Images)

Jerusalem Capital of Arab Culture 2009

Ever watch how a bird makes a nest. It is much the same way one weaves cloth- one strand at a time. Each strand counts. Every heartbeat is part of humanity- every life worth something to someone.

In trying to sort through the veritable avalanche of news and opinion on Palestine it is easy to get distracted and/or overwhelmed- easy to loose sight of the big picture.

PALESTINE MAPS

Home > Palestine Facts > Maps > Palestine

Maps are a useful tool. Maps can help us understand the lay of the land, and they can help prove trends, and as such they are a valuable resource for anyone interested in simply exploring the facts.

Maps can also help us learn where people come from, what wild flowers bloom there, as well as the best time to plant things wherever we might live now.

Another spring is here- and another year for growing Gardens for Palestine... each in our own way:

Earlier this month my clever husband fixed our back yard fence over by the driveway, putting up lattice, making it look so much more gardeny. I am utterly delighted with it. This past weekend we planted bulbs and seeds in front of it.

We also worked on the front garden

and our Fairy Garden

and our hillside garden.

Our gardens are frequented by many different birds. Their songs are heavenly... I am very grateful for my husband's hard work in making our home such a welcoming place.

In watching our seedlings grow and our flowers bloom, year after year, I am always enchanted by the way they reach for the light.

Last week I had Jury Duty:

"Citizens of the United States have enjoyed for over 200 years the right to have their cases decided by a jury of their peers. Jury service is not merely your responsibility - it is also a cherished right." http://www.ccpa.net/index.asp?NID=1964

The rule of fair and just laws is a constant process here in America, and we are all part of that process in one way or another. Our justice system asks a randomly selected jury to bring who they are and what they know to the table to deliberate the case.

"Jury service is one of the most important civic duties. You do not need any knowledge of the legal system to be a juror. The protection of rights and liberties of litigants in federal courts is largely achieved through the teamwork of judge and jury." http://www.uscourts.gov/jury/welcomejuror.html

Headlines tend to focus on the negative and the nasty and the outrageous, and TV sitcoms tend to celebrate the rude and highly dysfunctional but reality is there are many admirable and decent people in this world of ours- quiet heroes that go about their business every day with compassion and good humor- and good manners.

The Golden Rule is a universal idea- shared by all of humanity.

Unclench your fist... Live by the Golden Rule

Last year NOVA did a fascinating program on the Wisdom of the Crowds: Ask enough people to estimate something, and the average of their guesses will get you surprisingly close to the right answer. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sciencenow/0301/04.html

As time goes by we really do become enlightened by civilization itself. Some of us are inspired by the arts- some by science- some by all the other many options out there- the many ways to approach life itself.

As time goes by more and more people who know and love Palestine will find ways to help free Palestine.

A little twitter here, a tweet there, it adds up. Word spreads. More and more people are more and more likely to notice and remember and treasure Palestine in positive ways. To honor Palestine with dignity and grace.... to help fulfil the promise of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights- including but not limited to FULLY respecting the Palestinian refugees inalienable legal, moral and natural right to return to original homes and lands...

"International law protects weak and strong alike, and we ignore its continuing abuse at our peril." George Bisharat

"WHEREAS recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world..." Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Rivers of paint...

...Up Out of the Mud

Rivers of paint
run through my blood

Rivers of unequivocal color
up out of the mud

huts to palaces
every home

where ever tint can roam

every floor
every wall
every tile
every hall

every costume
every dance
every embroidery
every glance

huts to palaces
every home

every garden
every wood
every field
every could

huts to palaces
every home

where ever ever ever
an I might roam

The Fairy Garden Poems # 47