September 1, 2002

Dear ones, This letter will be FULL of links. I am writing it on August 28, trembling as I read the headlines. These links will take you back to earlier letters as I introduce the new idea. The September, 2001 Letter described my initial response to 9/11. In it I urged each of us to begin a new piece of Ribbon. Last week when the president said the decision to attack Iraq is his, I sent out many emails urging you to send him a picture postcard decrying such a plan as soon as possible.             George W. Bush             1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW             Washington, DC 20050 Feeling that the we may not be given time to divert such a disaster with stitches and looms and paint brushes, the NEW idea is to flood the White House with small rectangles of thin cardboard with images of what we cannot bear to think of as lost forever in such a war, what the EARTH and ALL its peoples cannot bear to lose. If each of you sent an email to each person in your email address book, the trickle of postcards could swell to a flood of images to remind George W. Bush of what could be lost forever. He may not see any postcards but someone will and the seed is sown. In 1982 I used a scripture passage from Isaiah as my Christmas greeting to everyone on my Christmas card list: Isaiah 45: 18             For thus says Yahweh,             the Creator of the heavens_             he is God, who shaped the earth and made it,             who set it firm;             he did not create it to be a chaos,             he formed it to be lived in. In 1982, in the face of such fears, we created Ribbons of fabric 18"x36". Babies were born, friends died lingering deaths. We celebrated marriages and witnessed divorce as we created our pieces to the Peace. This time there may not be time to create such works of heart, of art. It is easy to mail a postcard, into the slot. When you turn from such a simple task, I believe you will fell better, less despairing, with another glimpse of Hope. Don't let apathy and rage drain you of energy. Send your postcard. Be part of the new idea. Remember, also, that if you only have a picture postcard of a motel you stayed in years ago, it holds that building, those grounds, the parking area. The poem "20,000,000" helps us recall how vital each life is. No new embroideries this month. If you have time to scroll my stitches can be a kind of meditation on Creation - not just the blossoms, but the nursery, the kitchen, the living room. with Love, Justine