In the words of the well known carol, the hopes and fears of all the years meet here in this storied town, in a storied land ~ a land that is full of trouble and beauty ~ full of fear and faith, violence and vitality, poverty and potential, despair and determination ~ and while fears abound, hope is in short supply in these dark days …
Yet somehow we must believe that somewhere, somehow hope will overcome fear, that light will dispel darkness, that a way will be found where there seems no way… If a picture is worth a thousand words, I share with you a few thousand. For sometimes pictures can convey what words cannot …
May our waiting this advent not be passive but active ~ May we light a candle against whatever darkness ~ May we put our energy and effort into creating the peace we seek and that this land and our world so desperately need ~ I think the kin-dom dream of the first-century teacher from Nazareth whose birth is remembered in this season is mirrored in the words of John Lennon …
Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace…
You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will live as one
Note: I commend to you my blogs from December 2012 and 2013. Sadly, they are as relevant now as they were then ~ perhaps even more so…
December 6, 2012 ~ Advent in a Storied Town ~ Waiting ~ Yet Again
December 21, 2012 ~ The Longest Night ~ And Still We Wait
December 2,2013 ~ Advent in Palestine ~ Waiting is Given New Meaning
December 23, 2013 ~ Christmas Reflections from a Storied Land
4justpeace 
Safe journey home, Dawn! And time and space to reflect on all the good you do there and here, and hope and plans for all the good left to be done.
Thanks so much Dawn. I do enjoy reading your reflections. Hope certainly is shared through your words and pictures. For me they are a reminder of shared times and a reminder to build peace in my ‘now’. Thanks Anne
Such powerful ‘words’, Dawn — thank you! “To exist is to resist” also really resonated this morning. You have acknowledged the existence of the Palestinian people by your EAPPI presence — what a gift! See you soon!
Safe travels home Dawn…. the wine is waiting….
Gosh, Dawn. I am awed by your words…..in all your blog posts. Disheartened on one hand. But trying to live in hope for some change on the other. You are such a powerful communicator…in words and photos. Thank you for sharing your experience.