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South Route at 40 Acres 2-23-08 |
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February 23 was a special day to walk with Maggie, my daughter, who
intends to go the entire distance from San Francisco to Washington,
DC. She was thrilled I could join her for the day.
A storm had been predicted, but the rain held off until we were
settling down for the night. Instead the weather was pleasant for
brisk walking to the drumming by Buddhist monks and chanting in Native
American languages.
Many walkers introduced themselves. I felt welcome. The wonderful
people that I met had stories to share. When we rested, I heard more
stories -- stories about where we were and where we were going. I
learned we were walking east of Tulare Lake, a sacred place that was
drained to grow cotton. When we stopped to rest, a young girl found
shells from the lake by the side of the road. In the late afternoon,
we heard about Csar Chvez from friendly people who invited us for
dinner and to spend the night at UFW's 40 Acres. What an honor to have
this experience!
Now that I am back home, I keep thinking about the stories that I
heard on Saturday. At the same time, I think about my own family's
story about lost land and lost inheritance. My family has passed down
our story from generation to generation for almost 400 years. This
pattern of loss was repeated in my grandfather, my father, myself, and
now even in my children's lives. This is painful to observe because
this pattern has kept us from achieving our rights and realizing our
potential.
In order to heal myself, I am learning to change the stories that
limit me. They change when I see them from a different, wiser
perspective. And I am learning to tell new stories that heal.
Hopefully, my efforts at healing myself are also contributing to
healing in those around me -- and to the healing our earth.
The story of Greatest Walk 1 (and now Greatest Walk 2) are also
healing stories. While Greatest Walk 2 is about healing the earth and
preserving sacred spaces, it also brings healing to those who walk and
to those who support the walkers. The stories about these Greatest
Walks will continue to heal as long as they are told.
A special thanks to everyone who is contributing to this healing
journey -- and to the making a powerful, new story!
Sincerely,
Kathleen Epperson
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