And the tears of the people ran together

http://www.washington.edu/alumni/learn/2012history.html

Great lecture tonight: Peace Versus Forgiveness in Northern Ireland Today. For me, so many flashbacks to South Africa/HFB (10-year celebration dinner last week) and to ROM (Tihomir was just here, although I did not go to his talk). And then he played, "There Were Roses" (which has been on my ipod a lot lately). I keep seeing Theron at these things. And Dr. Coutu is now involved in a conflict resolution program, too. I can't help but conclude that there must be some sort of connection between all of these and some reason all of these pieces of my past are colliding right now. Hoping...


Abstract:
Between 1969 and 1998, Northern Ireland, the only part of the island that remains part of Britain, suffered the loss of roughly 3,600 civilians in a vicious dispute over who rightfully "owns" its 1.5 million people. Everyone lost in this barbaric contest, from hard-line Protestant "loyalists," to equally fierce Catholic "republicans," to often perplexed British soldiers. The much-celebrated Good Friday Accord of April 1998 marked what some have called the beginning of the end of civil war in the North. Today, Northern Ireland is generally classified as a "post-conflict society." But what really happens when the shooting stops in a place that has known only mayhem for a generation? Can there be real peace without personal forgiveness? What is the way forward in the six counties of Northern Ireland? And what can the tortuous path toward peace in Ireland suggest about our expectations for healing in other fractured lands?

About Professor Behlmer
George Behlmer is a UW Professor of History and Director of Undergraduate Studies. Author of three books and several prize-winning articles, he has taught modern British and Irish history at Stanford, Yale, and the University of Washington since 1977. He holds a Ph.D. and M.A. from Stanford, and a B.A. from the University of California at Santa Barbara. His classroom contributions were recognized with the University of Washington's Distinguished Teaching Award in 1982.

Praise you through my circumstance

In the corners of mind
I just can't seem to find a reason to believe
That I can break free
Cause you see I have been down for so long
Feel like the hope is gone
But as I lift my hands, I understand
That I should praise you through my circumstance

Take the shackles off my feet so I can dance
I just wanna praise you
I just wanna praise you
You broke the chains now I can lift my hands
And I'm gonna praise you
I'm gonna praise you

Everything that could go wrong
All went wrong at one time
So much pressure fell on me
I thought I was gonna lose my mind
I know you wanna see
If I will hold on through these trials
But I need you to lift this load
Cause I can't take it anymore

- Shackles (Praise You), Mary Mary

Simply put your hope in Me

Take My Hand - The Kry

I know there are times
Your dreams turn to dust
You wonder as you cry
Why it has to hurt so much
Give Me all your sadness
Someday you will know the reason why
With a child-like heart,
simply put your hope in Me

Take My hand and walk where I lead
Keep your eyes on Me alone
Don't you say why were the old days better
Just because you're scared of the unknown
Take My hand and walk

Don't live in the past
'Cause yesterday's gone
Wishing memories would last,
You're afraid to carry on
You don't know what's comin'
But you know the One who holds tomorrow
I will be your guide,
Take you through the night
If you keep your eyes on Me

Take My hand and walk where I lead
Keep your eyes on me alone
Don't you say why were the old days better
Just because you're scared of the unknown
Take My hand and walk where I lead
You will never be alone
Faith is to be sure of what you hope for
In the evidence of things unseen
So take My hand and walk

Just like a child holding daddy's hand,
Don't let go of mine
You know you can't stand on your own

Take My hand and walk where I lead
Keep your eyes on Me alone
Don't you say why were the old days better
Just because you're scared of the unknown
Take My hand and walk where I lead
You will never be alone
Faith lives to be sure of what you hope for
in the evidence of things not seen
So take My hand and walk

Throw me a lifeline

Yesterday, I thought I had almost reached the ship. But it drifted away again today. Will I ever make it, God? Will you ever pull me onboard? Is it just a mirage? It feels like I will be treading water forever. I am tired. I am not sure how much longer I will last. I want to hope, but hope is very small right now.


Lifeline - Brooke Fraser

I have this sinking feeling
Something's weighing me down
I am completely saturated
The waves are crashing closer
My feet already drowned
Doing the thing I said I hated

They've been swimming in the wrong water
Now they're pulling me down
But I am clinging to you, never letting go
'Cos I know that you'll lift me out

Have your way here
Keep me afloat 'cos I know I'll sink without you
Take this ocean of pain that is mine
Throw me a lifeline

Wake up feeling convicted
I know something's not right
Re-acquaint my knees with the carpet
I have to get this out
'Cos it's obstructing you and I
Dry up the seas that keep us parted

'Cos they've been swimming in the wrong waters
And now they're pulling me down
But I am clinging to you, never letting go
'Cos I know that you are gonna pull me out

Have your way here
Keep me afloat 'cos I know I'll sink without you
Take this ocean of pain that is mine
Throw me a lifeline

They've been swimming in the wrong waters
And now they're pulling me down
But I am clinging to you, never letting go
'Cos I know, 'cos I know

Have your way here
Keep me afloat 'cos I know I'll sink without you
Take this ocean of pain that is mine
Throw me a lifeline

too close to home

We will not lose hope

In Like a Lion (Always Winter) - Relient K

It's always nice to look out the window
And see those very first few flakes of snow
And later on we can go outside
And create the impression of an angel that just fell from the sky

When February rolls around I'll roll my eyes
Turn a cold shoulder to these even colder skies
And by the fire my heart it heaves a sigh
For the green grass waiting on the other side

It's always winter but never Christmas
It seems this curse just can't be lifted
Yet in the midst of all this ice and snow
Our hearts stay warm cause they are filled with hope

It'd be so nice to look out the window
And see the leaves on the trees begin to show
The birds would congregate and sing
A song of birth a song of newer things

The wind would calm and the sun would shine
I'd go outside and I'd squint my eyes
But for now I will simply just withdraw
Sit here and wish for this world to thaw

And everything it changed overnight
This dying world you brought it back to life
And deep inside I felt things
Shifting everything was melting
Away oh away
And you gave us the most beautiful of days

Cause when it's always winter but never Christmas
Sometimes it feels like you're not with us
But deep inside our hearts we know
That you are here and we will not lose hope

Not just the parts I want to

No Sacrifice - Jason Upton

To you I give my life;
Not just the parts I want to.
To you I sacrifice
these dreams that I hold on to.

Your thoughts are higher than mine.
Your words are deeper than mine.
Your love is stronger than mine.
This is no sacrifice; here's my life.

To you I give the gifts
your love has given me.
How can I hoard the treasures
that you designed for free?

Your thoughts are higher than mine.
Your words are deeper than mine.
Your love is stronger than mine.
This is no sacrifice; here's my life.

To you I give my future,
as long as it may last.
To you I give my present,
to you I give my past.

Your thoughts are higher than mine.
Your words are deeper than mine.
Your love is stronger than mine.
Your thoughts are higher than mine.
Your words are deper than mine.
Your love is stronger than mine.
This is no sacrifice; here's my life.