[Oe List ...] REMEMBER WHEN THE MUSIC--one more song, one more story...

Thu Oct 21 10:33:32 CDT 2010

Dear Nancy--

Not a Harry Chapin song, but one that our younger daughter sang with a group in the 80's entitled "Don't Rubbish the Children".  This song has been echoing in my mind for the last 10 years as I have been part of several groups trying to address issues of chronic and severe lead and other heavy metal contamination affecting the lives of children, the most vulnerable, in Peru and the St. Louis area--caused by Doe Run lead smelters, companies held by The Renco Grp, Inc (NYC), solely owned by billiionaire Ira Rennert.  Since operating these smelters, Doe Run has not complied with the environmental laws of the US, let alone Peru.  It's negligence has polluted the air, water, soil, vegetation, people, and animals, destroying the ecosystems of the areas and, in affect, treating children like rubbish.

Thanks to Bruce Lanphear's work at Children's Hospital in Cincinnati, his research, expertise, and testimony regarding lead issues, particularly as they affect children, it is now understood that there are no "safe" blood lead levels; and the EPA, after 30+ years of neglecting to re-examine ambient air standards (based on updated scientific data) which hold companies accountable to the amount of allowable air pollution, finally tightened the ambient air standards last year, reducing considerably the amount of air pollution.  All of this has had implications not only for the health and well-being of children in our area and Peru, but nationally and globally.

So, many of us are indebted to the work Bruce did and shared in such a powerful way while distant from you and Fred, and we are equally grateful that he has been able to be closer to you these last 2 1/2 years while his research continues to be an instrument of restoring health justice for children and adults and communities at large.

Grace and peace,
Ellie Stock

-----Original Message-----
From: Nancy Lanphear <nancy at songaia.com>
To: Order Ecumenical Community <oe at wedgeblade.net>
Cc: Colleague Dialogue <dialogue at wedgeblade.net>
Sent: Wed, Oct 20, 2010 7:56 pm
Subject: Re: [Oe List ...] [Dialogue] REMEMBER WHEN THE MUSIC

Dear Ones, 

I have a story about one of the more famous pieces of Harry Chapin's music.  As you may know, our son Bruce and his family lived a long distance away from us for many years - 21 Years?  Early on, I often said to Bruce and Nancy that we would love to have them live closer, it may have come across even stronger than that.

One day we received a letter from Bruce following their participation in a concert of Chapin's.  He shared the words of the song, Cat's in the Cradle.  I was brokenhearted at the moment of reading the words.  Of course he was right.  Back in the 60's, Fred and I chose to "save the world" , join the Order and to leave our children behind - on their behalf, of course!  Bruce asked us to please understand that he and Nancy had their work to do and their choices to make.  He asked us to understand that they needed at least 5-10 years of career building before they could consider moving out of that medical circle of which they were a part.  

You all know that when Fred was diagnosed with ALS, Bruce and Nancy both received offers to change their work location.  One of their choices was Vancouver, BC in Canada.  They moved to Vancouver 2  1/2 years ago and joined our other son, Bob and daughter Sandra in caring for us during the very time we needed them most.  

With love, 

Nancy

2010/10/20 Janice Ulangca <aulangca at stny.rr.com>

Len Hockley, this is so wonderful!  Thank you, thank you!!  

This community is profoundly priviledged because we have lived the experiences in Harry Chapin's words.  But it's not just about the past.  I love these words from the next to last verse:  

        And I dream that something’s coming 
        And it is not just in the wind. 
        It’s more than just tomorrow. 
        It’s more than where we’ve been. 
        It offered me a promise 
        It’s telling me--Begin.  

Friends, do listen to both these versions.  What contemporary news clippings would you put up to illustrate Harry Chapin's singing?

(you can hear this sung by Harry Chapin at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJhQrZuXheg&NR=1 

or by Bruce Springsteen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEvimXwEGgs&feature=related) 

Then - do you want to sing along with Harry?  If you do, as I did, here are the words arranged close to how he sings the lines.  Janice Ulangca

Remember When The Music
by Harry Chapin

Remember when the music 

Came from wooden boxes strung with silver wire. 
And as we sang the words 
It would set our minds on fire. 
We believed in things, 
And so we’d sing 

Remember when the music 
Brought us all together 
To stand inside the rain, 
And as we joined our hands 
We’d meet in the refrain. 
We had dreams to live, 
And we had hopes to give 

Don’t you remember when the music 
Was the best of what we dreamed of  
For our children’s time, 
And as we sang we worked 
For we knew time was just a lie. 
A gift we say. 
A gift the future gave

Of all the times I listened, 
And all the times I heard. 
All the melodies are missing 
And all the magic words 
And all those potent voices 
And all the choices we had then. 
How I’d love to find 
We had that kind of choice again 

Remember when the music 
Was a glow on the horizon 
Of every newborn day, 
And as we sang the sun came up 
To chase the dark away. 
And life was good 
For we knew we could 

 Remember when the music 
Brought the night across the valley. 
As the day went down 
And as we’d hum the melody 
We’d be safe inside the sound 
And so we’d sleep 
For we had dreams to keep 

And I dream that something’s coming 
And it is not just in the wind. 
It’s more than just tomorrow. 
It’s more than where we’ve been. 
It offered me a promise 
It’s telling me--Begin.  
I know it’s that even something’s worth believing in 

Remember when the music 
Came from wooden boxes strung with silver wire 
And as we sang the words 
It would set our minds on fire 
We believed in things 
And so we’d sing 
And so we’d sing. 

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