There’s a Hole in the Water

Published: February 25th, 2001

By David Berry~

There’s a hole in the water. You can feel it.

It’s been said “To know how much difference you make in the world, put your finger in a bowl of water and look at the imprint you leave when you pull out your finger”.

There is a hole in the water. Dana withdrew her finger and we all feel a hole. She changed the shape of the flow as she touched us all. People I tell who never met her are stunned by the news. Dana reached many many people all over this world.

Aru, thank you for the list of actions we can take in support of Dana’s vision and to honor her memory. I suggest is that as a memorial, we create a written invitation for each of us to declare specific next actions we will take to move ourselves, our families, communities, organizations and nations toward sustainability. Dana sought expressions of sustainability in her writing, her support of others, the design of her home, her car, her reduced travel, her community, her food production, and many more areas. This invitation could be part of a Balaton Website memorial. Dana will smile somewhere, if her passing serves to remind each of us to take a next step. This last two weeks has brought an even deeper sense of community to the Balaton Group. That also is a parting gift from Dana. With the twinkle in her eye and her sometimes impish sense of humor it should not be a surprise if the gifts keep on coming. Maybe the hole in the water is because her finger is still in it.

Condolences and love to everyone who loves Dana.

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About The Donella Meadows Project

The mission of the Donella Meadows Project is to preserve Donella (Dana) H. Meadows’s legacy as an inspiring leader, scholar, writer, and teacher; to manage the intellectual property rights related to Dana’s published work; to provide and maintain a comprehensive and easily accessible archive of her work online, including articles, columns, and letters; to develop new resources and programs that apply her ideas to current issues and make them available to an ever-larger network of students, practitioners, and leaders in social change.  Read More

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