First let me start with the baby announcement. I had the enormous blessing of being able to be with my sister, Jackie, as she endured the process of labor and gave birth to a little girl whose name is Marli Jae. It was the most beautiful process. She was composed as ever, through the entire pregnancy, and now she is handling motherhood with natural instinct and care, and gladly receiving help from Devan and Mom and friends, I'm sure.
Then after a lovely week-long visit with family in Oregon, I returned to Tierra Nueva. Things have been going so well. A grand blessing it has been to live here in the TN building with Amanda, Hannah Joy, and Larry. It is like college with very much freedom, very much fun, and very little homework. I've just been getting to know some really incredible people as they open themselves and their stories to share and explore reality, and idealism, and practices of living and playing.. God set up this living situation for sure.
Goodness, and although I'm missing Hannah Mae and Laura (and family, of course), new faces and stories are here and there is so much to learn every day. What a rich life. Talking with Heather, who is also in an 'alternate reality' it seems as she is living on the East Coast with people who were strangers to her just a few weeks ago, she agrees that life is rich and exciting in these communities who are choosing to live outside the mainstream. It has just been so interesting to me to see how these adults work and play, and I think a lot of their enjoyment comes in their work, because it is a serving and fulfilling work- much of it is ministry. And this gets me thinking, I think I want my life to look like this. I want to be doing necessary 'work' that is helping people and the rest of creation and enjoying being in relationship with the people I work with, and therefore, live life with. It seems that many people focus their feel-good energies outside of their work, and try to live life between 5pm and 9am. But really, for one thing, God pleas with us from the beginning to give rest to ourselves, our souls, our bodies, and even the land. He knows we get so caught up in our productivity and work and that we will push our bodies and emotions and the land to the limit before we let it rest. He knows what is best for us, and I have a feeling that resting our bodies and minds one day a week is really healthy and restoring for us. Someone said recently, taking a Sabbath means that first, you practice 'being' instead of 'doing'. God created us as human beings not human doings. Second, you do something that feeds your soul. Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from Him... He is my fortress; I will never be shaken. *Psalm 62*
Oh, the power of YES. Dave has been teaching us all these improv games and speaking about the power of saying "Yes". When you say "Yes" you are accepting someone's offer. Saying "yes" is affirming, encouraging, empowering to both parties. We say, "Yes, and.." and then having given affirmation of an idea to someone, you can be vulnerable to their response as you ask something. It is just something I've been thinking about recently, and as such I've been being careful in giving negative responses. It is hard to give negative responses because you can see how it can discourage the other person.
Transitioning now to the farm- things have been getting busier as God is causing the fruits of the plants to ripen. We have been weeding and harvesting like crazy. I wish I had pictures for you, pero mi camera no sirve ahora. Today, Grace (a new intern from the Dakotas and Wisconsin) and I harvested chicharro (peas) from 9am-12:30pm, and still didn't make it through all the vines. We also have been spending ample time communing with the raspberry bushes, eating as we go, and these have given us two scrumptious pies and goodness, just today, a woman named Kristen made a chocolate cake with raspberries all up en su negocios / in it. That was incredible. And we have plump rows of various kale, huge bunches of lettuce that I hear will soon expire (Ah no!), beautiful heads of green and purple cabbage, tasty flowers of brocolli, and turnips ready for creaming.
Goodness, and although I'm missing Hannah Mae and Laura (and family, of course), new faces and stories are here and there is so much to learn every day. What a rich life. Talking with Heather, who is also in an 'alternate reality' it seems as she is living on the East Coast with people who were strangers to her just a few weeks ago, she agrees that life is rich and exciting in these communities who are choosing to live outside the mainstream. It has just been so interesting to me to see how these adults work and play, and I think a lot of their enjoyment comes in their work, because it is a serving and fulfilling work- much of it is ministry. And this gets me thinking, I think I want my life to look like this. I want to be doing necessary 'work' that is helping people and the rest of creation and enjoying being in relationship with the people I work with, and therefore, live life with. It seems that many people focus their feel-good energies outside of their work, and try to live life between 5pm and 9am. But really, for one thing, God pleas with us from the beginning to give rest to ourselves, our souls, our bodies, and even the land. He knows we get so caught up in our productivity and work and that we will push our bodies and emotions and the land to the limit before we let it rest. He knows what is best for us, and I have a feeling that resting our bodies and minds one day a week is really healthy and restoring for us. Someone said recently, taking a Sabbath means that first, you practice 'being' instead of 'doing'. God created us as human beings not human doings. Second, you do something that feeds your soul. Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from Him... He is my fortress; I will never be shaken. *Psalm 62*
Oh, the power of YES. Dave has been teaching us all these improv games and speaking about the power of saying "Yes". When you say "Yes" you are accepting someone's offer. Saying "yes" is affirming, encouraging, empowering to both parties. We say, "Yes, and.." and then having given affirmation of an idea to someone, you can be vulnerable to their response as you ask something. It is just something I've been thinking about recently, and as such I've been being careful in giving negative responses. It is hard to give negative responses because you can see how it can discourage the other person.
Transitioning now to the farm- things have been getting busier as God is causing the fruits of the plants to ripen. We have been weeding and harvesting like crazy. I wish I had pictures for you, pero mi camera no sirve ahora. Today, Grace (a new intern from the Dakotas and Wisconsin) and I harvested chicharro (peas) from 9am-12:30pm, and still didn't make it through all the vines. We also have been spending ample time communing with the raspberry bushes, eating as we go, and these have given us two scrumptious pies and goodness, just today, a woman named Kristen made a chocolate cake with raspberries all up en su negocios / in it. That was incredible. And we have plump rows of various kale, huge bunches of lettuce that I hear will soon expire (Ah no!), beautiful heads of green and purple cabbage, tasty flowers of brocolli, and turnips ready for creaming.
