Ponder these thoughts of peace while viewing an album of nature photographs taken by Inspiration House founder, Carol Hohle.

We’re coming up on a holiday celebration in the US honoring the independence of this country in 1776 from Great Britain. The holiday, the fourth of July, tends to be celebrated these days with backyard picnics and local gatherings of fireworks and in some cases military type fire arms ceremonies and fighter jet fly overs. Here are the lyrics to a song many know well … at least the first couple of verses. But read further and you’ll see the message of a “commonwealth” (a common good) that remains unachieved and continues to be a worthy goal for the citizens of the United States. May this song inspire you to consider afresh the ideal of freedom. …

“Speak the names of Rosa Parks or Nelson Mandela — or other names known nowhere but within your own grateful heart — and you catch a glimpse of the beauty that arises when people refuse to live divided lives …

I’m “hooked” on PBS’s television series, America Revealed. It deals with huge complex systems and explains them in simple terms … systems like the US food machine, transportation, energy, and manufacturing.

Did you know that Mother’s Day was originally a Mothers’ Peace Day Observance?

Connect the Dots is a project of 350.org and partner organizations taking place on May 5, 2012. It is designed to shine a spotlight on the connections between extreme weather and climate change.