From Michael Meade's website:
Voices of Veterans
A Ceremony for Veterans
Saturday, September 6th, 2008 ~ 7 PM
First Congregational United Church
1126 SW Park Ave, Portland, OR
~ Donation Suggested ~ Everyone Welcome ~
Healing only happens where and when the burdens of war can be shared by the greater community. A public gathering allows citizens to become compassionate witnesses to the stories of war and the necessity of a conscious and genuine return.
Mosaic wishes to announce a community centered welcome home program for veterans of foreign wars and their family members, in particular those from Iraq and Afghanistan. Join author Michael Meade, veterans, and their families for an evening of original poetry, stories, and commentary.
A public gathering will bring together veterans and the community in an attempt to heal the distance between the warriors and those they protect and bridge the gaps between war and peace, trauma and renewal, pain and understanding. This conversation requires courage and is too-often avoided. It begins with tragedy and loss, the aftermath of any war, and requires the language of poetry, theater, and art as well as the dignity of ceremony.
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For more information on this event, Michael Meade, and Mosaic Multicultural Foundation, please go here: http://www.mosaicvoices.org/.
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I am very excited about this event. It will be nearly 20 years since I first met Michael Meade - and it was at this same church. Over these past many years, Michael Meade is someone for whom I have grown to have deep respect, affection, and gratitude for. What an amazing human being he is - Vietnam War veteran with an incredible story of his own, mythologist and storyteller, author and poet, and tireless and passionate advocate for so many - especially those who are hurting, who are seeking their own deeper stories, and who may be struggling to find their voices and to make sense of these incredible times in which we find ourselves. I've been touched in my deepest being by the poetry, by the Sudanese refugees he brought dancing to the stage, by the youth he never gives up on. And the stories, ah, the stories... Sometimes they are hundreds or thousands of years old. And whether the story is one of today, or long, long ago, there is this thread connecting them to the timelessness of the larger story behind the ones we see in the present. These threads connect us with ourselves, with one another, and with all of our ancestors throughout all of eternity. What I am saying here is simply that, for me, it is an amazing experience to see and know Michael Meade. There is something that flows through Michael that is much larger than this one human being. And it has changed me.
And now he brings the voices of veterans for all of us to listen to and to hear with our hearts. Which suddenly touches my heart in writing these words and brings tears to my eyes, ... tears as I think of the young people I know, and those I don't, who are touched by war. Yet, that is only part of what touches me so deeply about this coming event. We need to hear these voices. And we need to be changed by them. Bless Michael Meade for bringing the voices of veterans to us all.
I hope to see you there. And if you are not in this area, please check out the website for the location of other events, to hear clips of Michael speaking, and for books and CD's and more. Please also consider sharing about this event and about Michael Meade and Mosaic Foundation with others. Thank you so much.
Peace,
Molly
Michael Meade is a master-storyteller and story-teacher of the soul's unfolding. He addresses the mess we're in and helps us each discover the unique threads, the poetic DNA we must live out. As interpreter and mythic guide, he is the best there is. ~ Coleman Barks
Michael Meade is magic. Unlike anyone else one is likely to encounter, Michael Meade is one of the greatest living teachers of our time." ~ Alice Walker
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