Dear Friends,
We hope that you are safe and well.
Today's Meditation features a song by Ed McCurdy: "Last night I had the strangest dream." It was sent to us by my sister Mary with the accompanying article about their dear friends, Dean and Bette Premo singing this song and others at a concert to raise money for Ukrainian Refugees. The lyrics are below as well as two renditions of it one by Johnny Cash another by John Denver. Before singing the song, John Denver recites The Peace Poem in which he says "there still is time to make all hatred cease and give another name to living and call it peace."
We invite you to join us as we commit ourselves to working tirelessly to end systemic and structural racism in our society, in the church, in healthcare, in the workplace--wherever it shows up so that everyone may come to have more abundant life. May this meditation nourish our contemplative-active hearts and sustain all of us in action.
In the spirit of our philosophy of co-creating community and our awareness that the Spirit speaks through each of us, we invite you to share your meditations with us as well. We truly believe that it is God's economy of abundance: when we share our blessings, our thoughts, our feelings, we are all made richer.
We hope and pray that you find peace, healing, hope and the infusion of joy in your life!
With our love and care,
Ron and Jean
MEDITATION 705: "Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream" by Ed McCurdy
https://youtu.be/C98OAhoAN3U (Johnny Cash)
https://youtu.be/ea9U3E58HC8 (John Denver)
Lyrics
Last night I had the strangest dream
I ever dreamed before
I dreamed the world had all agreed
To put an end to war
I dreamed I saw a mighty room
The room was filled with men
And the paper they were signing said
They'd never fight again
And when the papers all were signed
And a million copies made
They all joined hands and bowed their heads
And grateful prayers were prayed
And the people in the streets below
Were dancing round and round
And guns and swords and uniforms
Were scattered on the ground
Last night I had the strangest dream
I ever dreamed before
I dreamed the world had all agreed
To put an end to war
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C98OAhoAN3U&ab_channel=JohnnyCashLyrics
Dean and Bette Premo are wonderful musicians and they recently performed in a concert in Houghton to benefit Ukrainian Refugees and here is a little story about them and also the lyrics to one of the songs they sang (and a link to Johnny Cash singing it).
Concert for Ukrainian Refugees
Dean and Bette Premo of White Water perform at a concert for Ukrainian refugees at Trinity Episcopal Church in Houghton Saturday. Garrett Neese photo
Headliners Dean and Bette Premo of White Water played a 25-minute set, closing with Ed McCurdy’s “Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream,” about a world where all countries declared an end to war.
White Water also donated all money from CDs sold at the concert. The Premos have Ukrainian friends in Iron County who traveled back to Kiev last December to help one of their mothers.
“They brought back with them, in Alex’s pocket, a different kind of refugee — a handful of heirloom tomato seeds, and cabbage seeds from his mom,” Dean Premo said. “They’re now taking root here and will thrive.”