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A global music effort is underway by a diverse group of musicians and singers known as Playing For Change. Their videos, available on YouTube, are a wonderful collection of memorable songs played in very personal contributions from locations around the world.

The musicianship is outstanding, and the overall feeling is of shared truths and personal connection. Watching videos such as Redemption Song and Stand by Me made me feel connected and a part of the joy that music and community brings.

The amazing slide guitar work of Roberto Luti and olde tyme stylings of Grandpa Elliott are just a small slice of this delightful collection.

Redemption Song was the first music video I listened to by Playing For Change. I was struck by the careful and elegant combining of each musician, and by the words of Bob Marley's song.

The powerful lyrics can speak to almost everyone in North America and Europe, where instead of a slavery theme, the words can speak to a loss of minds and time to the wheels of commerce.

What will we forward to our next generation? Will it be a further focus on wealth and material goods? Will it be the joys of community, music and shared good works?  How will we redeem our generation and make the world better for the next?

Redemption Song lyrics

Old pirates, yes, they rob I
Sold I to the merchant ships
Minutes after they took I
From the bottomless pit
But my hand was made strong
By the hand of the almighty
We forward in this generation
Triumphantly
Won't you help to sing
These songs of freedom?
'Cause all I ever have
Redemption songs
Redemption songs
Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery
None but ourselves can free our minds
Have no fear for atomic energy
'Cause none of them can stop the time
How long shall they kill our prophets
While we stand aside and look? Ooh
Some say it's just a part of it
We've got to fullfil the book
Won't you help to sing
These songs of freedom?
'Cause all I ever have
Redemption songs
Redemption songs
Redemption songs
Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery
None but ourselves can free our mind
Woh, have no fear for atomic energy
'Cause none of them-a can-a stop-a the time
How long shall they kill our prophets
While we stand aside and look?
Yes, some say it's just a part of it
We've got to fullfill the book
Won't you help to sing
These songs of freedom?
'Cause all I ever had
Redemption songs
All I ever had
Redemption songs
These songs of freedom
Songs of freedom

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Thanksgiving weekend is one of my oldest and favorite memories. Occurring in the fall, its usual reason is the celebration of the harvest.

Thanksgiving arrives amidst fresh apples, orange leaves and and even more brightly orange pumpkins. The corn fields, tall from a busy summer of growing, are now laden and dense, ready for their harvest haircut. The fall is definitely a time of plenty.

So if you said that Thanksgiving is about turkey and pie you wouldn't find many people to argue with you, but you would definitely find people.

After a summer of going off on vacation, Thanksgiving is the time that brings us back together. No matter where we've gone, what we've done and what we've seen, Thanksgiving is a time to gather, and share.

Cousins, friends, parents, coworkers and siblings — people come to mind and come together for Thanksgiving.

We plan our get-togethers, and bring some food. Old friends, new friends — we invite and we gather.  We hug, we cook, we laugh and play — we're celebrating life together.

When the harvest comes there is lots to be thankful for — but not much more than what we can celebrate every day.

Share smiles, call people, get together and have a meal. The things we want are really the times we share. Be thankful for the people.

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Perhaps the most apparent feature of our society is our use of technology. Whether it is cell phones, high def TV, MRI scanners or air bags, technology surrounds us and is embedded into our lives. Everywhere you go you see people using devices — if there's a gizmo then people are using it.

There is, of course, money to be made creating and using technology, and jobs and benefits for many people.

There are busy and industrious people inventing devices, refining them, and bringing them to market. There are legions of truckers and sales people providing them to us, and people helping us figure out how to use our many gadgets and tools.

At the back-end, there is a service and support industry, and at the tail-end there are recyclers, dust bins, and growing piles in the corners of our basements and drawers.

It would be easy to imagine that our technology has a life of its own — being born, growing, fitting in, working with others, having occasional health problems, and finding that people don't call on them as often as they'd like.

Technology is vital to many aspects of every day, and we have threaded it deeply through our lives.

But at its core, our use of technology is about more than money and far more than our own individual use of gadgets.

Technology is about life and community. Our tools are the extra means we use to keep us safe, healthy, and together. Our tools are the means for sharing our lives and reducing the distances and risks. Our tools are how we, as family and friends, get to expand our reach beyond our fingertips and to widen our personal and shared horizons.

The purpose of technology is community.

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In celebration of Mother's Day:

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Each of us have birds native to their area of the world. The two birds that I love the most are the North American Robin and the Red Tailed Hawk.

The robin is a gentle bird — happy to co-exist with people on the lawns of Eastern North America. This year, I saw my first robin in my own backyard, on March 9th, amidst the melting snow piles. It was sharing space with a black squirrel, with both of them probing the early Spring lawn for something to eat. At one point the robin and squirrel were within 2 feet of each other, and neither was troubled in the least. In fact, I have never seen a squirrel and robin interact, let alone quarrel.

By the time summer fully arrives there will be thousands of robins across our city, using their hopping motion to move around the yard in search of worms to pry up, either for themselves or their little ones. That robins also lay beautiful, light-blue eggs is another reason I like them.

Robins are independent. Unlike other "city" birds like pigeons and geese, they won’t badger you for a snack. They can get their own, thank you very much!

The robin will happily co-exist with humans. Cars don’t startle them (unless you drive onto the lawn) and walking by a robin gets you only a brief glance — you have to be closer than 10 feet to get what I would call a wary glance from a robin. This makes the robin a wonderful companion, and a great way for children to enjoy nature up close and at its most peaceful.

The joy of robins is that they are calm. In that way they are a role model for all of us.

They know there is food to be had. They know most people ignore them. They know they have few enemies, and rarely have to flee. They are good fliers, and can move to a fresh lawn any time they wish. They also have fun: flying like acrobats, standing on tree branches, and singing.

Robins are also unique in their community styles. They are often on their own, and seem quite content with that. When they find a mate they are dutiful in building a nest and finding food for the young ones. And they can also be seen in larger groups, particularly in the autumn when they are getting ready to migrate south to find warmer worms.

I love robins. They are calm, close, and beautiful singers.

Robins make me feel that nature loves me too.

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I went for a walk at twilight, in the early spring, and came
upon the lamps at our neighborhood school.

Red Lamps at Twilight

In day ignored as children play.
At night aglow but colours fade.
At twilight lights stand crisp and red.
They wait to shine from upraised head.

Rob Hueniken

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As the 2010 Winter Olympics come to a close, wonderful memories and a sense of encouragement remain from our shared experience of Vancouver and Whistler, BC.  Athletes and administrators, volunteers and fans, families and global friends — we all came together to honour excellence and commitment.

While I enjoyed the excitement of the competitions, it was the determined spirit of the people that brought joy to my heart. While even the best teams come and go, the most beautiful and steadfast human traits remain: compassion and community.

When I see people trying hard to do something good together I feel true joy. I know that joy is shared with many, including Joyce Hunnam, a Scottish woman who has volunteered at 6 Olympics, and who is pictured with the flame above.

Photo by Dave Chidley

There are many images and moments in each Olympics, but none as primal and symbolic as the Olympic flame. From humankind’s earliest days, fire has been a symbol of our ability to tame enough of nature to help us survive. The Olympic torch, topped with flame and carried with pride by a legion of runners, represents our shared determination to overcome obstacles, weather and geographic barriers — to share the good news of global fellowship and good will.

Photo by 2010 Olympic Volunteer

Designed by the famed Canadian company, Bombardier (of Ski-Doo fame), the Olympic torch was passed from hand to hand across the country, traveling 45,000 kilometers through snow, rain, hail, wind and sub-zero temperatures.

A combination of engineering, organizing and human spirit, the carrying of the Olympic torch is one of my favourite human endeavors – working together and celebrating great achievements and community.

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I started going Paleo a month ago, on the advice of my fitness trainer. He loaned me a good book, called “The Paleo Diet: Lose Weight and Get Healthy by Eating the Food You Were Designed to Eat“. The key words in that title are “Eating the Food You Were Designed to Eat“. It’s a phrase the sugar/salt/fat merchants will never be able to claim.

It’s a refreshing change that has me feeling good, and appreciating good food.

Over the past month I’ve had a lot of successes:

• I’ve learned there are lots of tasty and satisfying ways to serve meat and veggies.
• I’ve discovered it is easier than I thought to leave the blandness of potatoes, bread and rice behind.
• I’ve found that not only salad bars but sandwich shops are fun places. Ask for a bowl instead of bread!
• I’ve rediscovered how delicious fruit is, all by itself.

And without even trying I’ve lost 6 of the many extra pounds I’ve been carrying around.

Yes, I am happy to be going Paleo !

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Winter sky

The winter sky looks on and dreams
of warmer times of grass and streams.

It scowls along from here to there
and broods about the goods it bears.

A snowflake here, or sleeting rain:
its harvest leads us to complain.

But there’s a secret that it knows:
just past the edge of winter grows
a bright new face to give us joy
when spring does winter sky deploy.

By Rob Hueniken

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