Feeding Community
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“Pray for the dead, and fight like hell for the living.”
— Mary “Mother” Harris Jones
Hello friends, It’s a rainy day in Portland, Oregon. Outside my window, cars shush by on slick dark streets. Autumn leaves catch the moisture from the sky as fluffy squirrels dart about, preparing for the coming cold. Last night, we made dinner, setting out a plate for the ancestors. We lit up a giant Jack O’Lantern on the porch, to beckon any spirits wandering by, ready to appease them with treats, should they knock upon the door. Unlike the last few years, we got quite a lot of costumed wanderers, and happily gave out fists full of candy, spider rings, and small notebooks decorated with pumpkins and ghosts. While in years past, I’ve had to leave a mostly full bowl out near the sidewalk, for anyone wandering by, this year, there was hardly anything left in the bowl when we called it a night. It felt good to feed both the living and the dead. Handing out cheap candy to happy children and teens lifted my heart. Yesterday, we also made a lot of extra donations to local cafés and grassroots groups who will be feeding people this month. That would have happened anyway, but it all felt like part of the same process. Community knits itself together in the sharing of food and other resources. We all make offerings to one another. We honor the dead and fight for the living. As the seasons change, and time cycles, I wish you a warm, soft place to be. I wish you enough food to share. And I wish us all some measure of joy, and peace. Best wishes — Thorn
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T. Thorn Coyle
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