philipstorer

We don’t get over life.. nor should we.. we exist in it.. we laugh at it.. we weep. We carry our sorrows.. and we share them with each other. Refuse to let any of it go.. Refuse to let the past slip away.. it make us.. forms us. informs us. At the begining we stand up and commit that whatever may come.. we will continue to stand beside. Then we do it.

One of the greatest accomplishments of my life is to achieve friendship so deep with folks to be able to stand beside them. To support and afirm them in their joy and sorrow, their love and loss, commitment and fatigue.

On this day, two years ago, one of those “standing with” moments would allow me to say I am living well. Standing Happy. Honored. Content.

Today that standing means a sympathetic dripping eye.. and will end at a table in celebration of life worth living

Amy.. your love, commitment, joy and sorrow are shared by us all.. may you live well.

peace sister.

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so much dancing.. so sleepy. worth it.

oh yeah.. and dylan owns this city.

These are beginning to get frequent. It’s time to organize. Here’s the rules:
1. Some people don’t get to dance. Maybe they don’t have legs. So show up excited to be here. Like Jeremy.
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2. Don’t ask questions. Dance.
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3.Out of sweet moves? Watch Micah. Do what he does. Unless it would be very very embarrassing.
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be awesome. like micah.
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Play at least a few songs that everyone knows.. so you can grab something to sing into. Sing as loud as you can. But don’t stop dancing. You bastard.
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chastise those who don’t sing. make them feel small.
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Take frequent smoke breaks. because smoking makes you look cool. No it dosen’t. Yes it does.
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All the pix can be found here..

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sandrawensley/sets/72157594359646704/

70% chance of inspiration. 30%, new beginnings.

Currently:
Cold

Feels Like:
Spring. Plant Sequoias.

planting sequoias is an exercise
in trust. Trusting that despite
overwhelming evidence to the contrary
we will someday see our labor
come to fruition.

Practice Resurrection.

take your time. don’t miss a syllable.. don’t miss a word.

“In celebration of All Saint’s Day, I was going to offer some quotes from those who have gone before, giving us an example of how to live well in the Story. But I quickly realized that the quotes were to random, meaningful to me for a certain time and a certain place, but probably not meaningful to you. So instead, I will just encourage you with this…chase after the stories of those saints who have gone before us. They offer us so much, and too often their lives have been ignored or dismissed, mostly out of indifference, sometimes out of disdain. But if we do not learn from those who have gone before, who then do we learn from?

So read the stories and the writings of the men and women who have lived the life of discipleship to Jesus over the last 2,000 years. Allow their stories to transform your story. You will be all the better for your effort.”

-Mark Palmer

last night we read aloud the stories of so many who have gone before us… bonhoffer, oscer romero, thomas merton, c.s. lewis, etc. etc. etc. it was a lot of reading.. a lot of listening.. a lot of remembering..

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sleep in peace my friend.

I keep ending up at the craziest places.

last night it was front row for the kiss show.

i’ve decided dancing to rock n’ roll is the easiest of all dancing. cheap but fun.

Oh wait.. did i mention their were only 7 people at the kiss show? and that we were in the back of skullys watching it on the big screen? No matter.. we still fist pumped and danced around like it was 1974.

and this.. another night of good conversation with jeremy and eric.

listen to this if you know what is good for you:

a callow blast from the past

or this:

or are you a robot?

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what an absolutely nutty day yesterday. started pretty normal hanging out jeremy.. talkin the talks. moved from there to the visible peace planning meeting.. interesting ideas come out.. move from there to conversations on being a “freegan” while dumpster diving into wildoats, subway, cammilla’s, and then the mother load.. paneras. after dividing up the bread and watching some of the hotest music videos ever made… we move to see what the dumpsters at northstar contain (nothing).. but on the way we meet our neighbors..

our neighbors sleep on benches.. our neighbors are cold.. our neighbors have diabetes and are dying in front of us due to malnutrition. its only 3 blocks away.

I wanted to invite big moma into my house to sleep for the night to get her out of the cold. but then I realized that I didn’t want her to steal my shit.

harder for a rich man… yeah.. no kidding.

as i walked away from big moma she said.. “don’t forget bout me” .. don’t worry big moma.. i won’t. I can’t. things are going to have to change… soon. Everytime I think I’m radically following Jesus, something like this comes along to show me how full of shit I really am.

mike redcay says inappropriate things at inappropriate times and it makes me laugh. but more importantly he says good things at the most necessary times and it makes me smile.

the other night eric stetler said that he is constantly amazed by the people he is surrounded by. yeah… me too.

did anyone else sit around outside yesterday all day and do nothing? i think i’m beginning to understand why old people talk about the weather.

long late night conversations currently going on with eric and jeremy over bourbon.. we read this together and laughed. good times.

“Who are the unmotivated? Are they losers who just don’t get it, who refuse to hold a job, or join the human rat race? The unmotivated are, in fact, people who do get it, who know it’s all a scam, who refuse to be led by corporate and religious wranglers to the slaughter.

It takes great will and integrity to remain unmotivated in the face of society’s constant motivational assault: Work hard, follow the rules, fulfill your potential, keep up with the Jones or the Patels, believe in this deity or that deity. Success for the vast majority of us would be achieving less than 1% of what the people behind the scams already have and want to keep us from ever having. The haves promote delayed gratification to the have-nots. You’ll go to heaven when you die. You’ll be able to do everything you always wanted to when you retire. The more gratification we delay the more gratification the haves enjoy today.

There is no greater struggle for the human race than to remain unmotivated. Only through lack of motivation can we crush this evil scheme that keeps us chained to our jobs, mortgages and fears. Fear is a big motivator – fear of failure, fear of being different, fear of being alone. Fear keeps us in bondage. Society provides comfort and structure, but it’s a shell game, a carrot on a stick, the old bait-and-switch.

The rebellion is already taking place. It’s happening with the gal in the next cubicle who is always on break, the pizza guy who never delivers a hot pie, and the customer service rep who doesn’t bother acting like he cares. There will be no shot heard around the world, only the quiet but willful voices of those saying, “No thank you,” to buying into the lie. These people are our heroes, not the overhyped celebrities, athletes and “stars” created by the media. Knock them off their pedestals! Better yet stop building pedestals. Why is the ability to look beautiful on TV and push hair conditioner more valuable than the ability to shovel manure from a stall? When push comes to shovel, it’s all just different manure. Freedom is only an unproductive day away.”

sometimes, when you are confused… thinking of nothing but sleep and failing… it’s good to take a walk on a brisk autumn evening. When you walk to the high five, sometimes you should turn around and and just enjoy your cold walk home, enjoy every note of the music… listen.

miles and miles of telephone poles and i can’t talk anymore. tonight i’ll spend time with songs that make no sense.