We are Twinkle Lights

Hi friends,

The music in Shoppers Drug-mart tells me I need to get into the festive spirit...

Which makes me just as excited as it does anxious - but more than this, the reminders of the Light that we still need to keep a'shining are brought with the glow of twinkle lights.

The Holy Land is a place many of us think of this time of year, and often feel connected to for various reasons.  Images of Bethlehem, Jerusalem, etc. present themselves differently to each of our hearts and minds.

"People of Peace" is the book that I published this year from my own poetic and photographic lens while working with International Women's Peace Service in Palestine/Israel. It grapples with current realities and images of the Holy Land today - food, laughter, soldiers, farmers - beauty and brokenness that we can all learn from and connect to.  Bethlehem, where Jesus was born to bring news of peace, has an apartheid wall through it - and wonderful people one both sides are desperate for this wall to be torn down.

As we are reminded of our own walls this time of year, I am offering this work of mine for yourself or those in your life who may be interested in a little poetic reflection this season.

The full-colour books are normally $25.00 each, but I will wrap it in a Kufiya (traditional regional head covering, often worn as a scarf here out of solidarity) for the same price - a $35.00 value :).

Payment can come through email, cash in person, or cheque sent to :

Carolyn Gray

472 Timbercroft Cres, 

Waterloo ON,

N2T 2J2

(shipping 4.00 extra)

Memo: People of Peace :)

Thank you folks, stay warm - 

Much love,

C

Gray, Not Dull

Please refer to 

www.gray-not-dull.blogspot.com

for current photography and poetry

:)

Printed and Published

"People of Peace" Printed and Published!!

Wanted to say a massive thanks to all who supported me through the process of writing and working and wrestling before, during, and after my return to Palestine with International Women's Peace Service last year.

Art is needed both in its usefullness and its uselessness in our lives. Whether for therapy, telling important stories, enlightening us spiritually, making us laugh or feel something we didn't realize we needed to feel, or simply just being something pretty to look at - art is not easily quantifiable and it never should be. It is mysterious and enriches us as spiritual lifeblood poured into the world - it has to breathe, to release, in order to live and give life.

Some of the poems and photos shown on this blog have been compiled into a collection in print form. The irregularity of poetry became my only outlet as most of the time I struggled with linear thinking. It was my caretaker for a while, and though my camera was there to document human rights issues, it felt the need to capture the beauty of humans and their spaces as well.

If you'd like to purchase a copy of my book, that'd be amazing! No pressure though ;)

Following payment options are:

1. $25.00 Cash or Cheque and meet in person if in Kitchener/Waterloo Region

2. $28.00 Cheque sent to my address with your return address for mailing.

3. $25.00 E-mail money transfer to carolyn.the.gray@gmail.com

10% of the donations will go back to International Women's Peace Service or Sabeel.

Thanks y'all,

C

It isn't enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn't enough to believe in it. One must work at it.  Eleanor Roosevelt