One of the most moving days for me with Dawn and Children Singing Peace Around the World was on the Day of Memorial for all the thousands of soldiers and civilians who have lost their lives for the love of this land.  We had made an appointment to be in an Arab school in Dir Hana on Tuesday.  Things were so intense with  the many schools we were visiting that I had no idea what the date on Tuesday was. When I realized it was on the Day of Memorial, I found myself in a great dilemma. What do I do?!  Every year on this day I go to the cemetery, as do all Jews in this country, because everybody knows somebody who has been killed. For me it is my cousin. 

So what do I do now?!  Several days before I had made a committment in a healing session to break my cultural conditioning and here I was presented with an opportunity to do just that!  I meditated on it and realized, it is time to break the cycle - to do something different for the same cause...to move from mourning to morning.  And so I found myself driving to Dir Hana , an Arab village here in the Galilee, where there had been much unrest during October of 2000. This area was  one of the major flames of the present crisis where uprisings had taken place and 13 of their young men had been killed. Instead of going to the cemetery, I was on my way to sing a peace song with Arab children. 

I prayed all the way that we would be out of the school by 11:00 am, when the sirens go off for two minutes throughout the whole country.  Dawn and I contemplated  finishing by 10.30, but I decided that God has put me here today; he will take care of this too and I will find myself exactly where I need to be at 11. 

As we walked into the classroom, I saw a sea of beautiful faces; some in traditional dress and the rest in jeans just like my daughter. On the back of one of the chairs I noticed a swastika. My heart missed a beat as I realized this too was cultural conditioning.  I too once hated Arabs and Germans because this is what I was taught.  I found myself in great compassion for this young girl, headdress and all, who I suspected had been taught to hate me just because I am Jewish.  We had a beautiful morning; the song opening all of our hearts as I prayed inside that this would bring some healing to our wounded land.  At 10.35 the bell rang and by 10.50 we were in the car driving out of the village.  The siren sounded at 11:00 and we found ourselves between Araba and Dir Hana, exactly where the demonstrations had taken place, by an olive grove.  We stopped the car and got out.  As the sirens wailed, so did I... for this country... for this land...for all we have been taught...for all those who have fought...for all the pain that lies in the hearts of all of us.  Be we Jew, Arab, Moslem, Christian or any other faith, is it not time to weave a new dream?  ... a time to let go and let God be part of us all, for surely we are all equal in His eyes…with tears streaming down my face I looked into the skies, in a plea for help and hope, a new beginning and there I saw two storks hovering over our heads reminding me that God does hear our plea. As I looked down to the ground again, I saw many flowers with five petals, pentagrams…five, a number of change. 

 This is the time for a new beginning and I guess it starts with me.  As each one of us becomes more peaceful, lives our dream, fulfills our potential, the world will be a better place to live in. 

One afternoon in early spring my 6 year old daughter, Ali, announced she was going to teach the preschool-aged children of her old nursery school, "Children Singing Peace Around the World". She said “The idea came to me like a voice from my heart” and, while she was nervous about teaching the children, she felt compelled to do it.  As I listened to her plans to visit the preschool over spring break, I felt love and pride as I was reminded that being a peacemaker took courage and the understanding that desires, ideas and visions for peace on earth were not to be kept to oneself but rather needed to be shared. 

The source of Ali’s motivation began at her school in January 2002. The 75 students at the Woodlands Charter School in Ukiah, California began work on the Children’s Cloth of Many Colors, an international peace project that invites children around the world to express their feelings and thoughts for peace on earth, in a quilt form. 
In researching the project for the school, I found Dawn Ferguson’s web site and knew immediately Children Singing Peace Around the World had to be included. 
 I made contact with Dawn and was amazed to hear upcoming travel plans could include a stop in Ukiah. Dawn came to our 60 acre wooded campus and taught the children the song, not only in English but also Hawaiian, Hebrew and Arabic. Dawn’s beautiful voice and warm smile along with her words of encouragement made it seem effortless as they learned each version, including the hand movements. 

Dawn’s visit and Children Singing Peace made a lasting impression on the students. They have a reverence for the song that can be seen on their faces when they sing it. “It is not just a song, but more like a mantra” claimed Hanna a 6th grader at the Woodlands. The children have sung the song at community events like Cherishing Youth Day, Earth Day, Family Expo and Pastels on the Plaza. They also taught the song to school children from the Buddhist school and have performed the song together at some of these events. More school children in Ukiah have begun their own pieces of the Children’s Cloth of Many Colors as a result of students sharing their experience. 

Woodlands teacher, Mary Robson, said it best when she told the students “Like a pebble tossed in a pond, you have started a ripple that has become a wake, your responsibility is to keep it going.” With conscientious actions, careful words and love in their hearts even young children can make a difference in their lives, their community and the world. 

Marla and her family hosted Dawn's visit to the Woodland's Charter School in Ukiah, Ca.  They plan to join others in Washington, D.C. on September 11, 2002 for the event entitled, "Today's Children, Tomorrow's Future".  For more information on this event visit www.the mastersgroup.org. 
 

Thank you to all of the children and all of the adult children who have participated in the many programs and events over the past several months.  My life has been profoundly enriched by being touched by each and every one of you and walking for a time in your world on your land with you.  Thank you for your warm welcomes and your beautiful hearts.  May you all sing your hearts all ways!  Many blessings, Dawn. 

Below are poems written by children in San Fernando.

CSPAW-Hawaiian version performed by youth from Maui, Hi., Lei'ohu Ryder and Dawn Ferguson is now available as a single release

It was an extraordinary privilige for me to share this time with these children and all the adults who also volunteered their time and talent to create this opportunity for the youth.  In a nearby location, I had been touched profoundly by meetings with aboriginal Elders thirteen years before, many of whom were related to the children I was now working with. At that earlier meeting, I had become aware of a soul committment to contribute to bringing balance between all peoples and the Earth. It felt as though the circle was truly coming back around as One.  Indeed, now is a time of reconciliation in Australia and worldwide. 

As I witnessed  the youth learning their language for the first time, through the language translation of Children Singing Peace Around the World completed by their Elders, I realized how the song and project wanted to touch, to see and to acknowledge depths of human being on the planet that had been driven to near extinction.  "Listen, be quiet, stand still".....words from an endeared Elder passed on,  still oozed through the land encouraging deep listening and observation.... allowing action to emerge from the silence.  Edward, an initiated man pictured above right, points to the circle painted around the naval representing the power center from which clarity and right action spring.  He holds a nydaki(didgeridoo) which in his tradition is a man's instrument.  He accompanied the children singing while his sister, Cheryl accompanied with the clapsticks, an aboriginal percussion instrument and another sister, Carol helped the children with their dance.  I was impressed by the observational and perceptual skills of the children, their emotional sensitivity, their playfulness and their creativity.  My heart was touched by them, and in their presence I was reminded of the gift of being, of the life giving well of inner silence and of the blessings of a beautiful smile.  Mind you, I was also reminded of the fun of being on overnights with your peers, and the sleep deprivation that goes along with being a supervising  adult! 

On the last evening of our camp, a group of scouts set up tents near where our fire was burning.  After some discussion, we decided to share with the scout group about the sacred fire and to welcome them to join us to sing and share stories.  The initial tension disipated as we went through our introductions and shared with them about what our focus had been at the camp.  We had an opportunity to choose to include andto understand misconceptions that were reflected in a couple of off handed remarks rather than to react with defensiveness.  It turned out to be a fun evening and a perfect activity sharing the message of our time together with others. Our choices make such a difference one by one, potentially creating a more peaceful world starting with our own families, neighbors and communities. 

With  great purity and simplicity the words of CSPAW remind us, we are all children singing peace. Remembering our unity allows us to go beyond blaming to more beneficial responses like choosing to be love and exercising compassion in our thoughts and actions in each situation that presents in our lives.  It is not about forgetting, but rather it is about truthfully observing, acknowledging, forgiving and learning the effects of our living on others and the environment, awakening to the choices available  to us and ultimately, making choices that benefit  and honor all. 

While working with these youth, I had a dream guiding me to understand my maternal roots more thoroughly.  Shortly after returning to America, I learned that I have Native American heritage through my mother's family.  I am exploring this now.  And so  it is with Children Singing Peace Around the World, for each one touched by it there are layers upon layers, upon layers that come to awareness to be acknowledged, another part of the whole..... As we see and acknowledge each layer, we return to the ultimate state of innocence and essence where we know and experience we are One.