Michele Shields

YouTube video by CNN How a MN group resists ICE through song

youtube.com/shorts/tp3AB...
This is inspiring.

Hauʻoli Aloha Pōʻalima!
Happy Aloha Friday!

Quaker Lobby Urges Diplomatic Action Following Expiration of New START Treaty | Friends Committee On National Legislation Today, the world crosses a dangerous threshold. The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) has been allowed to lapse. This was the last remaining bilateral agreement between Russia and the Un...

Today, the world crosses a dangerous threshold. The last remaining nuclear arms control agreement between the U.S. and Russia has been allowed to lapse.

The expiration of New START does not make a new nuclear arms race inevitable — but it makes the path toward one far easier and more dangerous.

Kailua Bay!

Every accusation is a confession.

“Truth will not lose ground by being tried.” Isaac Penington wrote these words in a letter to a friend in 1670, encouraging her that truth will always prevail, saying, “Darkness is afraid of the light, because it has a secret sense that it cannot stand before it.”
- DailyQuaker.com

We saw whales and dolphins when we were paddling a Hawaiian outrigger canoe yesterday! I took a photo of the dolphins.

Sunrise today on the water. See the canoe of paddlers on the left?

There is “that of God” in everyone.

There is that near you which will guide you. O! Hearken unto it, and be sure ye keep to it.
— Isaac Penington, 1678
Quaker mystic

Three coffins wrapped in Danish flags are carried by 4-6 soldiers each; a cargo aircraft is in the background

I think a good strategy for your non-leftist social media presence (ie everywhere but here) is to give this photo - the remains of Danish soldiers returning in coffins after being killed in America's war in Afghanistan - as wide an audience as possible. Remind people who we're betraying

We must learn to live together as brothers (and sisters) or perish together as fools.
- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where Nature may heal and cheer and give strength to body and soul alike.
- John Muir

French lamb shank, cheese polenta and asparagus! Very satisfying.

Kailua Beach this morning! In a couple of hours, we went out canoe paddling at Lanikai. It became a huge squall with rain, high winds and serious current/waves. “If you don’t like the weather here, just wait a few hours.” The weather can be like a yo-yo.

Mar-a-Lago, not a secure facility. These are not real professionals.

However quietly we speak, the Light is so near that the Light will hear us: we need no wings to go in search of the Light, but only to find a place where we can be alone and look upon the Light present within us. (Adapted)
- Teresa of Avila

The image includes the quotation below on a light green background, along with a picture of "The Quaker Faith" book cover: …in the early Quaker understanding of the true faith, all authentic knowledge of God comes directly by revelation rather than via human authorities or secondary sources. The Holy Spirit is universally available, enabling everyone to enjoy an intimate and inward relationship with God, where the divine law is written upon the heart, and Christ teaches his people himself. Communal worship and personal spiritual practice are therefore rooted in a discipline of listening for and hearing God’s voice and obeying the divine command. The Quaker Faith: Friends of Love and Truth, p.27.

...in the early Quaker understanding of the true faith, all authentic knowledge of God comes directly by revelation rather than via human authorities or secondary sources. The Holy Spirit is universally available, enabling everyone to enjoy an intimate and inward relationship with God...

Beautiful calm day on the ocean for a gorgeous paddle!

Took a long walk around Waikiki and up around Monserrat. Sunshine felt good.

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness.
- Isaiah 5:20

Hauʻoli Aloha Pōʻalima!
Happy Aloha Friday!

About rest:

Opinion | How the lessons of Jan. 6 are relevant this election year Mary McCord: We cannot ignore the false narratives that this administration seeks to rely on to suppress voting rights and public protest.

A reminder:

www.ms.now/opinion/jan-...

Their steps are making a statement. Don’t you believe in free speech? I do.

Every stage of our lives offers fresh opportunities. Responding to divine guidance, try to discern the right time to undertake or relinquish responsibilities without undue pride or guilt. Attend to what love requires of you, which may not be great busyness. — Britain Yearly Meeting Advices #28

Aloha kakou! One of the most enjoyable things which I did in 2025, was to read all these books with book clubs on Substack! Some were slow reads spread out and discussed over the entire year and some took only a month or more. Each was led by literary experts or enthusiasts. I recommend Substack!

Radical left scum enjoying her birthday!

Do you recognise the needs and gifts of each member of your family and household, not forgetting your own? Try to make your home a place of loving friendship and enjoyment, where all who live or visit may find the peace and refreshment of God’s presence. — Britain Yearly Meeting Advices #26

Sumac chicken with polenta, pine nuts and Parmesan!

Mele Kalikimaka from our Christmas crew of paddlers today!