Welcome

WELCOME TO THE GREEN PEN!

It's my personal soapbox, a place for me to express thoughts and feelings, musings and rants, reflections and recollections; to have fun with words -- about things spiritual, environmental, social, political, economic, and, from time to time, personal. And of course about peace. Soapboxes are in public places (as London's legendary Hyde Park) on purpose, and so I invite conversations with you, for it is through civil discourse that we can gain some perspective on the seeming chaos of these changing times and learn together how to shape a positive future for ourselves, our communities, and the generations to come.

Saturday, November 17, 2018

Unity, Duality, Reality


It still feels a bit strange talking about spirituality at all much less my own. “Strange” because I used to consider myself to be agnostic. It wasn’t that I believed or didn’t believe in God or a god; it was just that I didn’t think or care about such things. And I certainly didn’t wonder what the difference was between spirituality and religion or even God. It was all sort of the same. It just wasn’t part of my life.

Thursday, November 8, 2018

Russia Reflections

The Russia I saw is not the Russia you read or hear about. Not by a long shot.


I traveled to Russia in September 2018 as part of a group of about 25 self-appointed U.S. citizen diplomats. Our ages ranged from teens to eighties, and we came from all four corners of the country and places in between. Our professional backgrounds included engineering, law, medicine, healthcare administration, real estate development, journalism, education, public administration, and more. Even a couple of high school students. Organized by Sharon Tennison and her Center for Citizen Initiatives (CCI), our mission was four-fold.