51 Nightingales

A Year of Peaceful Activities

51 Nightingales Peacemakers

1. My friend and colleague Michele Paris is the first person to pledge that she will perform 51 Acts of Peace, so she has the first deck of 51 Nightingales Peace Passes! Michele writes:

"My decision to devote my life to raising consciousness was sealed after September 11, 2001. On October 19, 2001, I officially dedicated my life to service and was ordained as a spiritual interfaith minister. My practice includes spiritual services of all kinds, ceremonies for animals and private spiritual process sessions.
---The PEACE Process: Transforming the inner war.
Laura Sue has inspired me to offer a FREE PEACE PROCESS SESSION to each of the first 52 people who contact me and express a sincere interest in personal spiritual growth with regards to creating more peace in their world.

PEACE and LOVE! Michele Paris

2. Reverend Kathy Bishop of Independent Unity is the second person to join in. Rev. Kathy writes:

"Fabulous! I would like to be a member of the 51 Nightingales...my first job was my talk on peace last Sunday, my second will be to give out your web site and this information at church this Sunday to help others get involved and find peace within. I put your web site on our power point presentation for people to see each Sunday before the service. I made the announcement in church on Sunday asking for people to be a part of the project. Blessings to you for making this a much better planet on which to live...
Love and Light KB :-)"

1/31/03 - Here's the latest from Kathy, I love it and will be participating!

"Will be handing this out at my peace lesson on Sunday. My job for your campaign this week...blessings KB :-)"

Food Not Bombs!

There is a grassroots campaign underway to protest war in Iraq in a simple, but potentially powerful way.

Place 1/2 c. uncooked rice in a small plastic bag (a snack-sized bag or sandwich bag work fine). Squeeze out excess air and seal the bag. Wrap it in a piece of paper on which you have written:
"If your enemies are hungry, feed them. - Romans 12:20"
Please send this rice to the people of Iraq; do not attack them.
(If you are of a different faith than Christian, substitute a statement from your own faith tradition.)

Place the note and bag of rice in an envelope (either a letter-sized or small padded mailing envelope -- both are the same cost to mail) and address them to:
President George Bush
White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20500
Attach $1.06 in postage. (Three 37 cent stamps equal $1.11.)

Drop this in the mail TODAY. It is important to act NOW so that President Bush gets the letters as soon as possible.

In order for this protest to be effective, there must be hundreds of thousands of such rice deliveries to the White House. We can do this if we all forward this message to our friends and family. People in Mennonite and Church of the Brethren are involved in the campaign and it is spreading far beyond these churches.

This protest technique has a wonderful historical precedent:

"In the mid 1950s, the pacifist Fellowship of Reconciliation, learning of famine in the Chinese mainland, launched a "Feed Thine Enemy" campaign. Members and friends mailed thousands of little bags of rice to the White House with a tag quoting the Bible, 'If thine enemy hunger, feed him.' As far as anyone knew for more than ten years, the campaign was an abject failure. The President did not acknowledge receipt of the bags publicly; certainly no rice was ever sent to China.

"What nonviolent activists only learned a decade later was that the campaign played a significant, perhaps even determining role in preventing nuclear war. Twice while the campaign was on, President Eisenhower met with the Joint Chiefs of Staff to consider US options in the conflict with China over two islands, Quemoy and Matsu. The generals twice recommended the use of nuclear weapons. President Eisenhower each time turned to his aide and asked how many little bags of rice had come in. When told they numbered in the tens of thousands, Eisenhower told the generals that as long as so many Americans were expressing active interest in having the US feed the Chinese, he certainly wasn't going to consider using nuclear weapons against them."

(from PEOPLE POWER: APPLYING NONVIOLENCE THEORY by David H. Albert, p. 43, New Society)

Thank you for being people of hope, people of faith.

Pastor Susan Ortman Goering, Boulder Mennonite

3. Nancy Wuerzburger - Folk fan, Feminist activist, Songwriter and Friend

4. Could be you!

"Love cures people, the ones who receive love, and the ones who give it too." - Karl A. Menninger

More 51 Nightingales Responses

Hi Laura Sue,

You are truly an angel on this earth. Thank you for what you contribute to peace, love and music in our world.

Heartprints,

Marsha Brody, Artist

Laura,

I saw you at the Festival, deep in a hug, and thought I'd say hello later. Didn't happen......

Just want to laud your peace mission. I can so identify with your feeling but it's absolutely true that what we do as miniscule individuals helps define the world we live in. An since that is true, let us do good works and live in the benefits.

Thank you.

Bill Jeffers

Good for you and Happy Birthday. All of your giving will come back to you in millions.

Love,

Wilma Bulkin Siegel, Artist

Laura Sue,

I think what you are doing is incredible. I wanted to tell you that I am moving to Sacramento California. I would love to stay in contact with you and the things that you are doing. I would also love for you to come out there and visit and we create some wonderful peace and love out there.

Anyway I wish you the best and truly going to miss you, but I see you are doing great things.

Pamela Douglas :o) Healer and Music Biz Bigwig

good initiative, Laura Sue!

could you send this to the antiwarbroward list?

Paul Lefrak, Activist

Lovely, Laura Sue...your mission is very beautiful.

Happy new year and peace to you, you wonderful woman.

Love,

Barbara Perrucci

In honor of your 51 nightingales, I shall try to sing John Lennon's "Imagine" once a night on every gig. I will announce to the audience that I am singing this song as a prayer for peace. I am so proud of you for coming up with your idea.

Spread the idea of peace and love,

Sally Townes, Musician Extraordinaire

wow!!! i'm feeling a little verklempt......this is sooooooo nice......thanx for sharing......

Namaste,

Haris Lender, Herb'n Yoga, St. Petersburg

Pay it Forward!

Peace be with you!

Looooove your peace plan. Happy Birthday!!!!

YOU ARE MAGIC!

Love, Marianna Musengo, Healer

Happy Birthday and peace! Good work Laura Sue!!!

Thank you.

Liora, Artist

Dear Laura Sue,

I, too, will be turning 51 soon, and I thoroughly enjoyed your email and will look forward to following your timely and meaningful example. Hope to see you soon! - Diana Centorino

Laura Sue,

Quite Ambitious. Let's talk about it on the radio.

Michael Stock, Folk & Acoustic DJ, WLRN

Bless you for your openness in sharing your idea. Bless lovely ideas, and may those like you who bring them to blossom, drink from the potent nectar of actualization.

Love,

Raven, Teacher and Healer

what a great vibe...i'm all pumped up on PEACE...thanks, i'll be sure to share

...theresa blauch-mitchell, Queen of MFM Catering

I love it, Laura Sue!!! Will post my "Peace" acts on your site... I'll email my web designer and ask her to link up yours. More people can then get into the act and make Peace Happen!

Blessings, Stella White, Artist

Dear Laura Sue - 51 Nightingales Rocks! I did one this week, risked life & limb stopping on the 826 to help a stranded motorist. I was successful in getting him off the road & on the way to a new tire. It feels good to do a Nightingale, this time next year, you'll feel so high you'll fly away!

Peace - Tuck (Kentucky Parkis, Musician)

I love this idea--cool!

Greg Tamblyn, Saving the World From Whiny Victim Love Songs!

I'm logging my 51 Nightingales Acts of Peace here on my website, as well as the acts that other people perform as part of 51 Nightingales. Please e-mail me your experiences with 51 Nightingales and I will post them here! Check in frequently to see what everyone is doing!

If you'd like to become a 51 Nightingales peacemaker and pledge to perform a small act of peace every week for 51 weeks, please e-mail me. Click right here or e-mail LauraSue@SilverNightingale.com!

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