Avilokitesvara– god(dess) of compassion had one head and two arms. Zhe didn’t have enough ears to listen to all the stories of suffering, so one of the buddhas busted one head into eleven. Avilokitesvara’s two arms broke from the weight of helping, but instead of two arms broken and worn out, two arms broke into a thousand arms.
When I was walking to work yesterday, I was delighting in watching a pair of red-headed finches cavorting at the very top of a newly blooming cherry tree just outside the Friends Committee on National Legislation’s building, which is across the street from the Hart Senate building. An impeccably suited man in a suit who was walking towards the Hart building said to me, “it is wonderful to see everything starting to bloom, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is indeed,” I replied, and pointed out the finches.
“I hadn’t noticed them; good eye,” the man said, “look, they’re eating the blossoms.” The finches were tearing blossoms off the tree and singing with great enthusiasm.
“You can see them even better from the other side of the tree, because the sun is lighting them up instead of shadowing them,” I added.
“I’ll have to go back and take a look,” he said and walked back to the other side of the tree to watch the birds as I headed on to work, with my day brightened by this interchange.
I often get caught looking at the birds or the trees or the sky when walking around town. When there is an opening, I talk to others about what I am seeing to invite them to pause and delight along with me. It is a rare day, though, to hear from someone who is clearly busy and has important work to say, “I’ll have to take a better look.” It is so important to me, and for all of us, to pause and wonder, to remember and recognize the beauty as we go about our day.
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On the remote chance that you (dear reader) did not already receive it directly below is a letter from Move-On about President Obama’s statement that all troops will be withdrawn from Iraq by year’s end. My post on FB was as follows:
“I wish my reaction wasn’t ‘I’ll believe it when I see it,’ immediately followed by, ‘and what about Afghanistan?” Still, it is hopeful news.”
Dear MoveOn member,
Today, President Obama formally announced the end of the war in Iraq, as the remaining 48,000 American troops in Iraq will be brought home by year’s end.1
After almost nine years, the loss of more than 4,400 American troops and countless Iraqi civilian lives, and a cost of $800 billion that was badly needed at home, a war that should have never begun is finally coming to an end.2 It’s bittersweet relief from an ongoing tragedy—and for MoveOn members who lost loved ones, a very personal tragedy.
While it’s long overdue, it’s important to remember that even up until today, conservatives and military advisers have been pressing to keep tens of thousands of troops in Iraq indefinitely.3
So there is no doubt that we would not be here without the dedicated work of millions of Americans nationwide who struggled tirelessly to bring this war to an end and our troops home. From small vigils to massive marches, from phone calls to our leaders to letters to the media, you and many others helped make this day possible.
Yet, it’s also true that the struggle to bring our troops home continues, as long as tens of thousands of troops remain in Afghanistan. The future of Iraq will now be left to the Iraqi people, and it’s long past time to leave the future of Afghanistan to its people as well.
And though the war is ending, tens of thousands of troops will continue to struggle with the physical and psychological wounds from their service in Iraq. We encourage you to visit the Wounded Warrior Project to learn more and to donate to support those who served: http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org.
We can’t rest until all troops are safely out of harm’s way—and our veterans and families are given the support and care they deserve.
Thanks for all you did to fight for this day and for all you do to fight for a safer, more peaceful world.
–Justin, Carrie, Elena, Sarah, and the rest of the team
P.S. You can see photos from years of MoveOn member work to prevent and end the war here: http://www.moveon.org/r?r=90208&id=32202-1983776-lxe54Jx&t=2
Sources:
1. “Obama announces full withdrawal from Iraq,” USA Today, October 21, 2011
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=265907&id=32202-1983776-lxe54Jx&t=3
2. “After Nearly Nine Years of War and Occupation, America to Withdraw All Troops from Iraq,” The Nation, October 19, 2011
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=265893&id=32202-1983776-lxe54Jx&t=4
3. Ibid.
“Conservatives launch pre-emptive strike against Obama’s Iraq plan,” Foreign Policy, September 15, 2011
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=265896&id=32202-1983776-lxe54Jx&t=5
“A troop drawdown that would fail Iraq,” The Washington Post, September 16, 2011
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=265897&id=32202-1983776-lxe54Jx&t=6
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PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee. This email was sent to Elizabeth Goodman on October 21, 2011. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here. 
