One of the basic tenets of Nonviolent Communications is that everything we do is for the purpose of getting a need met. And among the many core needs that are universal to all people is the need to matter. We all want to know that we are valued by someone and that what we do makes a difference. It is hard to get that need met by ourselves alone. We need each other.

We live in challenging times ... uncertainty, loss of jobs, troubled young people, conflict and wars. The “Occupy Wall Street” movement that is sweeping the country and the world is further evidence that many people today are feeling cut off, alienated, betrayed by institutions they thought would protect them. The people who “sit” and “march” hope that what they are doing will make a difference, and there is some evidence that change is happening. I spent a day at “Occupy Seattle” and I was inspired by the peaceful, yet powerful nature of the protest and the energy that was generated by people who took a stand for something they believed in, without knowing what the outcome of their actions would be.

Freedom Project is no stranger to discouragement and being in a place of not knowing what the next step should be. National and personal budget cuts have impacted our donors’ ability to support us, resulting in a need to re-think our priorities. The way ahead for Freedom Project has not yet been determined. We do not know what our future will look like, but what I do know is that when we do not lose faith, when we stay in community and pay attention to guidance that comes from those “whisperings” from within,” it will unfold in a way that benefits us all. That does not imply sitting back and waiting. It requires hard work and commitment ... not necessarily to keeping everything as it is, but being open to new possibilities and following our hearts and our heads.

Flying by the seat of our pants is sometimes exciting, but can also be scary. Most of us do better with a plan. Your Board and Staff have been working diligently for several weeks creating a Strategic Plan for Freedom Project for the next year, 3 years, and 5 years. Each one of you reading this can find a place in the implementation of this plan where you can contribute, matter, make a difference.. We need you to help further our mission of creating a more peaceful world that so often seems troubled, lost, and full of violence. We need you to become a volunteer in the prison, to be part of Community Circle, become a member of the Board of Directors, to financially contribute generously on a regular basis.

You need to stay connected ... to yourself and to others, seeing the beauty in both, knowing that all people have worth no matter what they have done. And that when we lift one person we lift ourselves. When we all do our part, I think we will be amazed at what we can accomplish.

What drives us is a powerful force for good that resides in each of us. Many call this force Love. Alexander Smith said it so well when he wrote: “Love is but the discovery of ourselves in others, and the delight in that recognition.” So, Yes! We all need to keep Love alive. And Yes! You do make a difference!

I like the Community Circles because what I hear there affirms my faith in humankind.

I like the Community Circles because they start with five minutes of mindfulness and silence -and somehow those five minutes create an atmosphere of connection and open-heartedness.

I like the Community Circles because it’s the only event I attend that has more men than women (!) And the men, I’m referring to the returnees now, talk about things I don’t usually hear men talk about - like what happiness means to them and how joyful they feel in spite of the challenges they face, and how they can sometimes be scared, and sad. Men talking about their emotions. Wow!

The female returnees who attend the Circle also inspire me with their courage and strength. In a society which has only relatively recently begun to acknowledge the equality of women, these women have had to overcome enormous obstacles just to end up sitting there, sharing stories from their lives with us, twice a month.

What is discussed there is deeper than skin. People talk about the things they are forced to do and the things they are forbidden to do, all the prejudice they face as former prisoners, and I stop taking my many freedoms for granted. I appreciate what I have: how I can go to sleep when I want to, eat anything for breakfast, walk around Green Lake whenever I’m want to commune with nature’s beauty. And I don’t have to get permission for any of it.

I like the Community Circles because everyone seems to listen to everyone else. That’s pretty rare. When it’s my turn to talk, I have the feeling that everyone is listening to me, really listening. I don’t feel any judgment coming my way. I have never felt a speck of judgment in a Community Circle. That means there is lots of room for love and appreciation. Community Circles help me to feel connected to other people who are just like me. I feel calmer and less lonely after the Circle is over. And very proud to be human.