Dear John,

Thank you to all those who joined us for the Local Peace Economy meeting on Wednesday!

We absolutely loved hearing what you've been learning along your local peace economy journey, as well as your reflections on the role of joy and celebration in your life. If you want to revisit the content, or if you weren’t able to join us, you can watch the recording of Wednesday's call.

During the call, we discussed creating a listserve so people can stay in touch with each other between our bi-weekly meetings. Please join the listserve here!

Our next meeting will be Wednesday, May 8th at 5:00pm PT/8:00pm ET.

The conversation was so rich this past week that we ran out of time to share our reflections on joy and celebration after the breakout sessions! But we'd love to hear what came up for you next time: What are the memories you have about joy and celebration in your life? What has lasted about that memory? Where have you brought it into your life?  How can you bring it to your community? 

Links shared during the call:

• Joy and Sorrow (from The Prophet)
• Tears of the World (dominique mazeaud's Earth Day art piece)
• Pivots to Peace

Other supportive resources:

• Download The Local Peace Economy Workbook (free digital version)
• Purchase The Local Peace Economy Workbook (physical copy)
• Video introduction to the workbook
• Resources for the Cycle of (Re)connection
• Local Peace Economy Ecosystem
• Local Peace Economy Wiki
• CODEPINK Radio Ep. 242: The Local Peace Economy

If you have any questions, please email Emily at [email protected]. We look forward to seeing you on May 8th!

With joy,

Jodie and Emily

Joy and Sorrow (Chapter VIII)
From The Prophet by Khalil Gibran

Then a woman said, "Speak to us of Joy and Sorrow."

And he answered:

Your joy is your sorrow unmasked.

And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears.

And how else can it be?

The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.

Is not the cup that hold your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter's oven?

And is not the lute that soothes your spirit, the very wood that was hollowed with knives?

When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy.

When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.

Some of you say, "Joy is greater than sorrow," and others say, "Nay, sorrow is the greater."

But I say unto you, they are inseparable.

Together they come, and when one sits alone with you at your board, remember that the other is asleep upon your bed.

Verily you are suspended like scales between your sorrow and your joy.

Only when you are empty are you at standstill and balanced.

When the treasure-keeper lifts you to weigh his gold and his silver, needs must your joy or your sorrow rise or fall.