

PO Box 175

Wisdom, MT 59761

(406) 689-3225

Fax (406) 689-3439

wdm3225@smtel.com Big Hole PetroleumPO Box 175Wisdom, MT 59761(406) 689-3225Fax (406) 689-3439

To those who don't know me, I was pretty indifferent about going to the gathering this year. A lot has happened in my life in the last year and I was sorely tempted to sit this one out, use the time to get caught up on sleep, yard work and dissertation writing. But I had already made plans and the path of least resistance was to go home and go I did. As always, I learned a lot about my family, my self and how to create peace and love in any situation. Every year teaches me a new lesson (or ten like this year) or reminds me about things I've learned and forgotten over the years. As always, I am honored to be part of this family and have so much love and thanks to everyone who was on the land in Montana and to all the family who couldn't make it but provided support from afar.To sum up this year's gathering, I felt like we had been pushing against a shut door for so long, that when the door opened, we all exploded through the door, landed on our faces and were a bit confused about what to do next. But once we realized that no one was going to try to kick us out, we picked ourselves up, wiped the mud off our faces and started relearning how to gather.All in all it was a loving, happy, wonderful gathering full of circles, councils, workshops and people sharing with each other. The sight of a thousand flashlights in the meadow searching for a lost child reminded us of how much we really love each other. When a special needs adult went missing, we rallied together, united our brain and muscle power, and took care of what needed to be done. For those who answered my call for help, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I know people had other plans, but until each of us is safe, we can't council effectively. Our missing brother was in the hospital, is now getting the help he needs, and has reconnected with his family.There are so many amazing people in this family, I feel like one of the luckiest people alive to count you all as my brothers and sisters. So to start a few shout outs to folks who went above and beyond.My brother P who did fire watch all night long, night after night, mostly by himself and whose goal was to leave every situation with the folks around the fire thanking him for showing up. I lagged on getting you help but you dedicated yourself to educating family on fire safety in a loving way. If I hugged you from now to eternity, I could not convey my love and respect for you. Hopefully, next year we can make fire watch announcements at dinner circle nightly and provide a meet up spot so there are more folks involved.To my young sister D who took it upon herself to bridge communication gaps around the gathering and did so in spite of some pretty intense issues of her own, I feel honored to have spent time with you this gathering. I apologize for not creating the circle that was brought up in our conversation. So next year, in Nevada or Utah, let's get our grandmothers and grandfathers together and have a heart song circle in the home turf of the dirty kids where older people listen to what the younger family have to say. We all need each other and this business of pretending otherwise has got to stop.To my Sister S (B), your vision is true and your heart is stronger than your back. Please share the vision all year long so we can reclaim what we once all knew to be true. This gathering is full of folks who want to learn (and some who think they know it all). What ever happened before I got there, doesn't matter. I will walk with you anywhere anytime.To my other brother P, thank you for the wonderful Shanti Sena workshops. I've done it by the seat of my pants for years (which is how I do most things in life), but you were able to teach me some great new ways to frame problems and to help resolve them. You were focused and calm and created a space where people of different ages and skills could come together and share what we know with each other.To my brother J who pulled the night shift at CALM. Thank you for your quiet service. In a part of the gathering where egos fly, you care for this family and help us heal with no drama. And you're fun to have along on horse wrangling missions.To my brother DJ, you are strong and gentle and bring out the best in all of us. I am honored to be your friend and hope that next time around, I'm up for those more challenging missions. Your quiet and calm, but strong, presence is a lesson to us all that raised voices and hysterics don't help us keep the peace. I promise next year to make sure I'm up to those missions that require an abundance of love and nerves of steel.To my family at TP camp, I love you and hope to learn better communication skills so we can talk more effectively.To my brother DE who brought back breakfast circle and created a calm, grounded space in the meadow each day, thank you for your clarity of vision and your ability to get things done. Breakfast circle was awesome and I met a lot of wonderful family eager to learn more and plug into this crazy experiment in peace we call the Rainbow Gathering.To ND who hooked me up with all the right people when ever I needed it, thank you. Thanks for working on bring both sides of the gathering together. You are a peace creator!To be neighbor A, thank you for sharing your singing and chanting. You increased the peace where ever you went.To every gatherer who took the time to help somone in need by carrying something, sharing food, opening your heart or sharing a hug, one by one we are creating the peace, love and compassion we wish to see on this planet.To the USFS, you rock. Thank you for telling the folks at the town hall in Wisdom that we have a first amendment right to gather. Thank you for sitting in council with us and continuing to be part of the circle. You all are family. Welcome home!Finally, a bit shout out to the Beaverhead County Sheriff's department. When we needed you, someone came and was polite and respectful and helpful. You all are truly "peace officers."Now to a couple of things we could do better next time.........Having a regular, daily (but short) circle from day one on the site until July 1, would help us all stay in better communication about issues, concerns, problems, and solutions and I believe would help us respond more quickly to problems in our gathering. Maybe a daily check in at the Cooperations Space by INFO at Sunset (when most of the day's work is done) with people from each camp and kitchen stopping by and doing a quick one time pass the feather so each person can make a BRIEF announcement about logistical issues, problems starting to develop, or general camp news might help us all stay on top of the problems more effectively.Making sure to keep all family included in what's going on no matter how many or how few gatherings they have been too will help us all to be united in solving problems and creating the peace and love we want.As many have heard, a few people at the gathering have issues with violence and theavery. This situation was especially bad in dirty kid alley and too many of our young family were victims. More would have been except for prompt Shanti Sena response. But it's not enough, we need to make sure all our family have safe places to camp and hang out. We need to give all our family a place to let their guard down from the cruel world and be as children again, playing with each other and creating positive loving energy. We need to make sure that a few people don't prey on the rest of our family.As to the violence, there was too much violence and not enough kind, loving and appropriate Shanti Sena response -- especially during seed camp. My heart bleeds for the victims of senseless violence. My heart also hurts for family who were so scared they called the cops on other family. Next time one gatherer wants to press charges against another gatherer for legitimate reasons, please let's take the person out ourselves - that's the way we've been doing it for decades. Calling the cops and sending them in just diverts energy away from resolving the problem.If you're not familiar with Shanti Sena, there are a collections of great raps in this year's All Ways Free. If you didn't get a copy at the gathering, it's available on line. Being a good Rainbow means being kind and respectful to family no matter where you find them. Unfortunately, some of our family treated the town folks poorly. Some clueless family shoplifted at the grocery store in Wisdom. When they were caught, asked to put the stuff down and leave, one person got angry and broke a window. Not cool family! Shoplifting sucks and breaking windows is just plain mean. Thankfully, some conscious family paid for the window.The all-volunteer ambulance in Wisdom went on three runs without any financial compensation and on one run people cussed out the EMTs. WTF! I'm not sure how we deal with this family, but Ed Stede who owns the gas station is on the volunteer ambulance crew. If folks wanted to make cash donations to cover the out-of-pocket expenses the ambulance incurred taking care of gathering participants, one could send a check or money order with a memo of "for Rainbow ambulance costs" toAnd another thing folks, if you go to a small town and the shops are closed, DO NOT F&XN wake up the proprietors to serve you. When you're in town, be nice, polite and treat people with respect. Just cause folks look and dress different from you don't mean anything. When we are in very small towns, we have the ability to cause a huge negative impact. I love this family so much and am so saddened when my family can't treat other people with respect just cause they wear cowboy boots. We all got belly buttons and we all are family, iffen we know it or not. Be the change you want to see in this world. And if you're in town and some of our family isn't behaving properly, please take the time to address the issue to the best of your ability. Be a peace keeper everywhere you go.I've heard a lot of bitching and moaning from more experienced gatherers that not enough people are plugging in across the gathering. Well as far as I can see, people are ready and willing to help, they just need a bit of direction. So come out to dinner circle and announce where help is needed and how to plug in. Post meet up places on the message board at INFO. We need to be better about making sure folks in camp know where their energy is needed and once they get there to help, we need people on hand to get them started. I've haven't met so many first and second time gatherers wanting to learn and plug in at a gathering since before the times of the worst of the gathering/USFS strife.Peace ain't easy people. We are all learning how to do this. The stakes are high. If we can't learn to do it, what hope do we have for creating peace across the planet."The future is not some place we are going to, but one we are creating. The paths are not to be found, but made, and the activity of making them, changes both the maker and the destination."~ John Schaar