“In the hearts of the children a pure love still grows.” That phrase from John Denver’s “The Flower that Shattered the Stone,” came to mind when an acquaintance told me about a recent visit with her son Emery to a county fair. At county fairs ethical disconnect reigns. Of course, children love to go because they love to see the animals. Most of them have no idea that all the animals they see are destined to be eaten by human beings.

Five year old Emery was thrilled to pet and interact with the baby chicks. “But where is their Mommy,” he asked his mother. After hearing that their mom had been taken away, he exclaimed wisely, “but they need their mommy.” As they visited other areas of the fair, he was also able to pet some adult chickens. For dinner that evening, Emery was to make his first discovery that meat comes from animals. Emery’s father barbecued chickens cut in half on the grill. Emery was able to see the legs and body and asked what it was. When told it was a chicken, he asked why it looked like that. It certainly didn’t look much like the chickens he had seen earlier in the day at the fair. His father told him flatly, “Well, you have to kill them so you can eat them.” Emery’s pure heart comment was, “That’s not nice.”

This week let us focus some of our thoughts and prayers on the children of earth who have not lost their sense of kinship with their animal brothers and sisters. May they find adults who can help them develop their innate sense of connectedness with all life, adults who can help them learn to live nonviolently and resist the temptation to dominate and exploit others in order to fit into society. And may all the children who have been seduced into caring for 4H animals only to have them torn away from them at county fairs to be sold and slaughtered—may they find the courage to protect the animals they have raised and find sanctuaries for them. May our prayers be flowers that grow through stony hearts and awaken all human beings to the nonviolent, compassionate and “nice” people we are in truth.

Thank you for your faithful prayers and visionary thoughts. Thanks to all of you, compassion is encircling the earth for all beings. Thank you for your devotion to truth, love, liberation and peace for all beings.

With Love, peace, and gratitude from Judy, and Will, Madeleine, and the Circle of Compassion team.

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