We are the courageous ones, the questioners, the dreamers
the explorers, the challengers, the dropouts, the seekers.

To us status quo is Latin for slow death.
We will not settle for win-lose zero-sum games and power politics.
We will create safe places where hearts and dreams are welcome.

We will leave the noisy debates and well-worn paths
and follow our souls and imaginations to new possibilities.
We will make our own way into a place of mystery and unlimited potential.

We choose to live and lead with total engagement
respecting diversity, with gratitude and creativity
embracing the freshness and vitality of the current moment.

Our WOW doesn’t have to be loud or showy because
we realize how much difference one small candle can make.
Sometimes our difference is subtle, quiet, and unnoticed by the masses.

We will love our struggles and our triumphs.
We will love our successes and our defeats.
We will love the people and opportunities in our lives.

We will live in the moment with openness and anticipation
leaning into the emerging future with hope and optimism.
We will stay nimble. We will stay curious. We will keep it fresh

We are committed to a life-long quest.
For us there is no finish line since
we will live on in spirit, hope, and courage
ever expanding ripples on the surface of reality.

We are the Difference Makers.

- D. H. Lester, 2015

Well-chosen masks cover up how you feel,
Your words and handshakes are never quite real.

Life’s a big drama — exciting and fast
Each person you meet is part of your cast.

You play your role well, with costumes and poise,
You got the right moves — You got the right toys

Even on down days you’re super slick,
— a little more swagger and a smile does the trick.

You hug and you chat, with just the right tone,
You text and you tweet — you’re seldom alone,

You play the mystique so incredibly well,
All of your lovers are under your spell.

Yet something is shifting,
              something’s not right,
You feel it inside,
              you sense it at night.

A hunger is growing,
              an insatiable desire,
To move beyond glowing,
                    to living on fire.

You rush on, you prurient godly men
Striving, struggling, and all for what? -
Riches and fame and their mundane pleasures,
Hoping always that money will bring happiness.
Is that all that this mad life has become? -
A merry-go-round ride to oblivion?
Please stop the world I’d like to get off,
And God and I will watch with saddened eyes
As we wonder why He gave man free choice.
I’m tired of watching people as they seem
Searching blindly for some happiness
And they could find it too. It’s such a shame,
Those blinkers of money hide it from them.
What can I say to them? What can I do?
They’d never hear; they’re too busy figuring,
“If I take a course or two this summer
And a couple more next winter if I can
That would raise me up one category.
Why I’d make nearly three hundred more a year!
Man, oh man, with that kind of salary
A guy could just about be satisfied.”
Just about is right. They’ll never give up
Killing themselves for “just another buck.”
They have no time for God. “And anyway
How could He give us this happiness?”
I’d tell them, “by assuring more than this
Vain struggle which ends only at the grave.”
But already, again they interrupt.
“Love can’t bring you joy either, by itself.
You’ve gotta have money first; that the thing.
Once you’ve got it you don’t need to worry.”
I’d ask them why happiness can’t just be
Doing what you want to do, the best you can
And having enough money to get by,
With a wife and couple of kids to love.
And church on Sunday and God throughout the week,
Knowing always that you’re going “somewhere.”
But they’re not listening to me again.
They look instead for penny that fell.
So, I’ll go and let them live their lives, their way.

- D. H. Lester - age 19 (1965)

Don’t settle
For edicts from popes
And political schemes
Tired half-hopes—worn-out dreams

Don’t settle
For the latest hit song
And bright shiny things
Just going along—birds without wings

Don’t settle
There’s greatness within
You’re destined to lead
It’s time to begin—plan to succeed.

Open your eyes little one
There’s so much more for you to see
Open your life little one
There’s so much more for you to be
The Universe is calling you
To play a larger part
To live and lead intentionally
With body, mind and heart
The path you’ve travelled
Up to now has given you a key
Interpret well the treasure map
And find your destiny.

I’m not dead,
It’s just that my body has become redundant
Although I finally wore it out
It allowed me to laugh and hug,
To run and dance and explore.
To work and share and love.
It has served me well.

Send my body to the flames
To release the elements of life.

There is no need of clergy or funeral traditions,
What I need now can best be done by friends.
No need for talk of golden streets or resurrection life,
Or angel pins or sand crosses from an undertaker’s flask.
Seek comfort in the people still together
Not in hopes of a dreamland far away.

Please celebrate my life and our time together
With songs and stories, with laughter and with tears.
Eat a hearty meal with beverage, food, and music.
Sing and dance and celebrate my joy of living.

Although I have a stone to mark my time on earth
This is only a marker, not a place of repose.
I will not rest in peace, but mingle with the starlight,
And dance on the morning breeze.

I came from light and love,
And I have returned,
Stronger, brighter, thanks to all you
Who have shared my journey here on earth.

The slow night train
moves smoothly down
the long lean rails.
It rounds the bend,
and with a muffled moan
enters the sleeping village –
past the station,
past the stable and the blacksmith’s shop,
wheels grinding, sparks flying,
and suddenly disappears again
into the darkness of the night
with the clickety, clickety, click
of the cracks in the tracks
fading away,
fading slowly away.