I want to honor Pete Seeger who died at the age of 94 on Jan. 27, 2014.
I thank Pete for inviting us to sing along. Years ago, in Burlington, I had the chance to be in his physical presence at a Memorial Auditorium concert. Pete’s spirit lives forever, since we have the ability to reflect it, singing his songs and keeping our hearts open.
I thank Pete for having been a steady force behind the cleanup of the Hudson River.
I thank Pete for making me aware that a musical instrument can be “a machine that surrounds hate and forces it to surrender.” These words are written on the front of Pete’s banjo.
I am also grateful for Pete’s teachings: Realize that little things make a difference. They can lead to bigger things. That is what seeds are all about … Long live teachers of children. If children can learn that you can’t live without love, without fun, or without laughter; you can’t live without friends, then we can have hope. (“Democracy Now!” Jan. 28)
“To everything, turn, turn, turn. There is a season, turn, turn, turn, and a time for every purpose under heaven. A time to gain, a time to lose, a time to rend, a time to sew: a time to love, a time for hate, a time for peace. I swear it’s not too late.”
“One blue sky above us, one ocean lapping all our shores. One earth so green and round, who could ask for more? And because I love you, I’ll give it one more try, to show my rainbow race, it’s too soon to die.”
“If we could consider each other: a neighbor, a friend, or a brother, it could be a wonderful, wonderful world. It could be a wonderful world.”
“Well, I got a hammer and I got a bell, and I got a song to sing all over this land. It’s the hammer of justice. It’s the bell of freedom. It’s a song about the love between my brothers and my sisters all over this land.”
“We shall overcome.”
I vow to keep planting seeds.
Patricia Heather-Lea
Bristol