Art and thoughts by Roger Vincent Jasaitis

This Speaks My Mind

  • Culture of Militarism

    I was speaking with college students recently about the culture of militarism in the United States. To quote Joseph Gainza of Marshfield, who led the American Friends Service Committee in Vermont for over 15 years and who founded Vermont Action for Peace, “(one way) of looking at other people, social problems, and even the planet itself,…

  • We are the Church

      Have you ever wondered why we don’t call our Friends Meeting a Church? George Fox, one of the founders of The Society of Friends (Quakers), used to call the Churches in England steeple houses. His idea, radical at the time, was that the Church is the people. There is a Zen Buddhist proverb that says;…

  • First Day Reflections on “The Bread of Life”

    I saw this message on a plaque recently; Grace isn’t a little prayer you say before a meal. It’s a way to live. Do you give thanks or say Grace before “breaking bread”? Where does this custom come from? This painting from Norman Rockwell speaks to the way that a lot of people feel about this…

  • Bread of Life

    I have a tradition of baking Polish Easter bread (babka) for Easter Sunday that I share with family and neighbors. This custom is carried on throughout Ukraine, Poland and Belorussia to celebrate the rising of Christ. My grandparents came from Lithuania and Poland so this tradition has been passed down in my family. Wikipedia states…

  • 3 Year Celebration Auction, “Peaceful Mooring”

    Auction Starts Today! Click here to go to auction site. To celebrate the 3rd anniversary of RVJart.com and This Speaks My Mind I am auctioning 3 original framed oil paintings. You can bid on 3 different paintings as gifts for yourself or a loved one. The auctions will last 3 days each with a different painting every day.…