It's Black History Month. Washington State has black history – in some surprising places. Take Mt Vernon, Skagit County WA. Not a lot of black people lived there. Especially years ago. Eve grew up there. On a farm, Not many black farmers in Washington State. Her father was one. Also worked as a janitor at a local school to make ends meet. I loved hearing Eve's stories about life on the farm as told at our Baha'i devotional meetings held at Wright Park a decade ago. She shared some of these same stories at her 60th birthday celebration held some months ago at Tacoma's historically black Caballeros Club. -gw
Jamie found this chalk art on a concrete wall in Tacoma. There really is a St John of Napomuk. To be a saint in one part of the world is to be remembered in another. Such is the world today. -gw
Chapter XVI: The Rise and Establishment of the Faith in the West
It was on September 23, 1893, a little over a year after Bahá’u’lláh’s ascension, that, in a paper written by Rev. Henry H. Jessup, D.D., Director of Presbyterian Missionary Operations in North Syria, and read by Rev. George A. Ford of Syria, at the World Parliament of Religions, held in Chicago, in connection with the Columbian Exposition, commemorating the four-hundredth anniversary of the discovery of America, it was announced that “a famous Persian Sage,” “the Bábí Saint,” had died recently in ‘Akká, and that two years previous to His ascension “a Cambridge scholar” had visited Him, to whom He had expressed “sentiments so noble, so Christ-like” that the author of the paper, in his “closing words,” wished to share them with his audience.
Yesterday a hike up a logging road above the Skookumchuck, last week a hike in surprising Lake Isabella State Park — there is nothing like a hike to make you feel tired and young at the same time. -gw
Bonita prepares for a walk in the woods…
He himself was meanwhile directing his steps towards Nayríz. Though unaccustomed to walking, he covered, that night, seven farsangs on foot. …
Vahíd … made his way through the mountains until he reached the district of Bavanat-i-Fárs. Most of its inhabitants, who were numbered among his fervent admirers, readily embraced the Cause, among whom was the well-known Ḥájí Siyyid Ismá’íl, the Shaykhu’l-Islám of Bavánat. A considerable number of these people accompanied him as far as the village of Fasa, where the inhabitants refused to respond to the Message which he invited them to follow. -gw
When our neighbor Renee came over for tea Sunday morning, she talked about her first impressions of Tacoma upon arrival. Visiting Wright Park, Tacoma's oldest, she noted the diversity of those enjoying its pleasures. -gw
Behold a beautiful garden full of flowers, shrubs, and trees. Each flower has a different charm, a peculiar beauty, its own delicious perfume and beautiful colour. The trees too, how varied are they in size, in growth, in foliage—and what different fruits they bear! Yet all these flowers, shrubs and trees spring from the self-same earth, the same sun shines upon them and the same clouds give them rain.
So it is with humanity. It is made up of many races, and its peoples are of different colour, white, black, yellow, brown and red—but they all come from the same God, and all are servants to Him. This diversity among the children of men has unhappily not the same effect as it has among the vegetable creation, where the spirit shown is more harmonious. Among men exists the diversity of animosity, and it is this that causes war and hatred among the different nations of the world.
Bill passed on these NYT items on poverty, toxic stress, and effective intervention with young children.
One successful example of early intervention is home visitation by childcare experts, like those from the Nurse-Family Partnership. This organization sends nurses to visit poor, vulnerable women who are pregnant for the first time. The nurse warns against smoking and alcohol and drug abuse, and later encourages breast-feeding and good nutrition, while coaxing mothers to cuddle their children and read to them. This program continues until the child is 2.
At age 6, studies have found, these children are only one-third as likely to have behavioral or intellectual problems as others who weren’t enrolled. At age 15, the children are less than half as likely to have been arrested.
Changing that social structure is going to require many kinds of changes, but the point of this latest research is that we have to start early. By the time a child reaches kindergarten, it’s not exactly too late. But it’s certainly harder.
The dancers at Melonlight stood on another shore. We gaze at them in wonder and awe. The human being has the capacity to create such beauty in life. We are all dancers. -gw
Bonita stood on the shore of Johnny's Sea the other day with me. Despite the overcast skies, downtown Tacoma's waterway looked inviting, die-hard canoers that we are. -gw
Bonita and I both love routines. I may not keep a personal calendar or be very good about planninng ahead, but I get things done by assigning a time and a day to an activity. My weekly routine has been worked out in consultation with my wife.
I work 40 hours a week, but have almost an hour commute each way. So take 50 hours a week out of my discretionary time to put food on the table.
Sunday is for taking pictures at the Tacoma Invaders football practice and for supporting the Tigers/Invaders junior youth group.
Monday night is reserved for either Assembly meetings or Area Teaching Committee meetings. Occasionally that is a free night.
Tuesday is our Ruhi Book 4 study circle on the Twin Manifestations.
Wednesday is reserved as our family night, just Bonita and me.
Thursday is the Tigers/Invaders Book 1 study circle on Reflections on the Life of the Spirit.
Friday is the Tigers/Invaders community devotional.
Saturday is our family day, for hiking, camping, canoeing, or projects for keeping “the nest” in order.
Last Saturday Bonita and I went canoeing for the first time in 2012. The day was perfect, the opportunities for taking a good photo exquisite. -gw
Strive, then, to abide, heart and soul, with each other as two doves in the nest, for this is to be blessed in both worlds.
(“Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá”, sec. 92, p. 122) [55]
