Goodbye PITS

Well this will be my final send off to the PITs' (peacing it together) contribution to the blogosphere.

I moved out of the house Friday, the new house members: Andy and Benedikt moved in the same day. As the house transitions from one group to the next I can't help but look back over the past year to analyze the effect that the house has had on my life.

Over the past year, I've really enjoyed having the community as a place to grow, learn, enjoy life, have accountability, and share. My year in the house has left me with a great sense of appreciation of the wholeness of everyone. We are all imperfect creatures; in realizing this, it's perfect. We are all broken, we all have sadness, we all strive to accept ourselves and in so doing have others accept us to. I'm grateful for the true vulnerability we've had.

Community can be hard, but most of the time the rewards are worth it.

 I’ve often talked about my frequent travels to the East,  so I think it’s only appropriate to talk about Marie Benner-Rhoades– who has, throughout this year, been my hostess, housemate, roommate, travel buddy, retreat co-facilitator, co-worker, boss, friend, teacher, cook instructor and much more.  Her and her husband Eric have often generously hosted me at their organic vegetable farm on more than one occasion – which of course includes great vegetable meals and carrot cakes!!  For living across the country from each other – we have definitely seen a lot of each one another :) (which is of course a great thing) - we have been on a lot of road trips together-including travels to Ohio, Michigan, California, and Portland, have lead a good number of retreat together, and have definitely had a lot of good laughs! Marie and I met when I was a part of the Youth Peace Travel Team in 2009, and I'm so glad that we got to further work together this year! To share some of our year's adventures – here are a few pictures for you to enjoy. 
                                       ~ Chels

Picking peas in the greenhouse 

Rocking the Nerd and Grandma glasses!

Detour to Niagara Falls!

Planking Grandma G! lol

Time Alone

So what has been reconfirmed to me this year after living with 3 others and spending lots of time together (and don't get me wrong, that has been an extremely valuable experience) is that I need time alone to rejuvenate and reflect.  I feel refreshed and renewed when I take the opportunity to do my own thing, travel alone, or hike alone.  A hike out in nature becomes more of a spiritual experience when I'm by myself than when I'm with others, and I crave these experiences from time to time.  I'm forced to be alone in my own thoughts, the good and the not so good, and to learn to like myself enough that I'm not bored with just me for a few hours or a few days.  This is a good thing, I think!  Some photos from my last independent excursion...- Heather

Ahh, being in the woods. Being in the woods makes you realize the small, fleeting nature of life. It helps me rejoice in my place in the circle of life. Get off the internet, and go outside. See the Divine in every thing. See nature's perfectly imperfect garden. Breathe in the clean air. Feel the soft flowers, the cold water. Eat the fresh berries. Warm yourself in the afternoon sun. Live life in every moment.

I thought I’d write another short poem for the post

About our new housemate and a trip to the coast.

We have a new housemate – he’s name is Stephen

Now the numbers in the house are back to even.

He’s from Indiana, and got here this past Wednesday.

And  he seems to have  fit in right away

Stephen is volunteering at a dental clinic in Vancouver, Washington

And I’m sure you’ll hear much more about him before the year is done.

We took advantage of the Labor Day weekend

and went on a road trip out of Portland

We ventured to Saddle Mountain and the coast

The sights were beautiful – if I can boast.

 We had a good time with many good laughs

That’s it for the poem – but enjoy some photographs.

                ~ Chels

Oregon....A Great Place To Be

Near Cape Meares on the Oregon coast

 So, Jon was right....Summer in Oregon is pretty sweet.  Here are some photos from some recent excursions.  I'll let them speak for themselves.

Chelsea and I at McNeil Point with Mt. Hood behind us

The Green Lakes Basin area with the South Sister behind

Wildflowers are everywhere now!

Hiking in the Three Sisters Wilderness Area with Brokentop in the distance

The North Sister and Middle Sister from McKenzie Pass

Gardening

This week saw the departure of our omnipresent waterer-garden-tender-in-chief, Ben. We will miss his among other things his constant presence, his spontaneous outbursts of songs, humor, detailed cleanings, and knowledgeable gardening. Though Ben is off to his next adventure his presence remains, especially in our garden. We are thankful and wish you well, Ben.

As I was taking my turn watering today, it struck me about gardeners incessant giving away of produce. Please don't get me wrong, gardening is a lot of work. But really we are just helping the plants grow. The food they produce isn't something I made. We tended the beds, we watered, weeded, loved, but the food came from the plant. It is a magical, awesome gift. The produce though I worked for it, it's not mine. I wish we could view every thing from the earth as not our but a sacred gift from the Divine.

One last blog

Oh, irony: you're a jerk.

I knew from the time I got back to Portland that I wouldn't really get to see much of the harvests from the gardens here. However, as the leaves bushed out and the beginnings of fruits began to show I became a little hopeful. My last blog on the Cincinnati house's website had me woefully looking at almost-but-not-quite-yet-ripe tomatoes. Sure, we'd gotten a few early ones, but it wasn't the cornucopia that I'd desired. Likewise, the green beans are just beginning to show, we've had three tomatoes (out of an anticipated 1000+ for the season), and the bush peas probably will be ready for some picking in about two days. At least the zucchini cooperated.

So, just like last year, I'm reminded of the feelings that washed over me as I stood in our backyard watering a garden I'd never see again. There was the sense of accomplishment for having finished the year in the community house. There was sadness for not being able to remain physically present with the congregation that had supported me the past year. Mostly there was a presence of "It's okay." Life would continue on, somebody would get at least a little more from the garden, and many paths will cross again somewhere down the road.

I've been very grateful for the community that has welcomed all four of us this year. From the very beginning I have felt accepted into the congregation here. Even the bevy of fellow gardeners next door at the community garden has been more than willing to help out or give advice (English language not required) and spare produce. While I will certainly miss it when I leave, it's good to know that these people and those places exist, not only for me, but also for the others who will at some point in the future find themselves in the arms of such a loving and caring entity.

Thank you, Portland, for welcoming me as me and sending me as a better person. I certainly hope our paths do cross again. May the road rise with you and peace to you on your journeys.

Finally Crossing Paths in PDX

You would think that when you live with three other people, that you would see them all on a regular basis, but that has not been our case. After 140 days the Portland BVS house was finally reunited!  Since February 28^th, there hadn’t been one single day that we have all been in the house together until this past Tuesday. – Crazy!  Ben has returned from working in California, Heather hasn’t left on her crazy backpacking trip yet, Jon was in town before traveling to Arizona for a workcamp, and I had just got back after a 2 month stint on the East Coast.  But unfortunately, this one full day of reuniting – was also our last full day that we all had in the house together-ever!  : /  To celebrate all our paths crossing in Portland – we spent a lovely evening downtown and went out to eat. The four of us did all manage to make it to Family Camp at the beautiful Camp Myrtlewood  - which was a very restful weekend – with time to run, read, nap, and play ping pong.   We also learned what to do if disaster strikes - for example; what is the proper way to jump off a moving train, and what do you do if you are attacked by a mountain lion. It's not going to quite be the same without everyone here again - and I think it's hitting us all that we are getting close to that time of year when we all go our separate ways - and have to figure out what the next steps are on each of our paths. But no worries because we still have a couple months to fill you in on all our house adventures, thoughts, and shenanigans. 

Our last full day as a house

Side notes –                                                                                          

Our house has a 24 hour policy on desserts  - if we have desserts (cookies, cake, pie etc) it will be gone in 24 hours or less . Today we successfully demolished 12 donuts in about 10 min.

Jon likes to use words that the rest of the house wouldn’t use in our daily vocabulary  and we have started making a list of these -  flummoxed, posit, avocation, er, egregious, esoteric, and hyperbolic

A great surprise when I got back to the house – was that we actually had plants in our garden!!!! Lots of plants! Whooo hooo!!!

It has been nice to finally be back in Portland and to get to reconnect with the housemates and church, but it's only one more week until the next traveling adventure begins. So until next time. 

                       Chelsea

Tales from transit

I've been working my summer gig for a little over three weeks now.  The work has been good and I've enjoyed getting to know the kids that show up for the drop-in program.  It certainly is a program that I feel is a major asset for that community.  One of the slight drawbacks has been the commute four days each week to Vancouver.


No, not British Columbia - Vancouver, Washington.  Just like Covington was the little sister city to Cincinnati across the Ohio River, Vancouver is the equivalent for Portland.  While is doesn't have quite the feel and quirk of Portland it's still a nice town.  Unfortunately, it takes more than an hour just to get across the Columbia River into "The Couve".  All in all, the commute each way generally takes close to, if not more than, two hours.  This includes four transfers to five different vehicles - one Tri-Met bus, two MAX lines, and two more C-TRAN buses.

When I tell someone how long it takes for me to get to work there's generally some sort of sympathetic grimace involved.  Truth be told, I actually don't mind it that much.  It would be nice if I could get a few more things done in the morning before heading out or if I could be home an hour or two earlier for the sake of supper, but the time transporting myself on public transit isn't really all that bad.  I don't think I spend more than half an hour on any one segment of the trip so it's not like I'm sitting there getting bored.  I enjoy the people watching.  If you've ever ridden public transit you probably know that some of the best people watching ever exists on buses and light rail trains.

Woefully, getting to and from work isn't always that simple.  With so many transfers it only takes one late or missed bus or train to put you back 20 minutes on your schedule.  Here are a few stories from what I've encountered in the first few weeks:

-  It's my first day of work and I'm going in to meet with Human Resources to fill out paperwork and that kind of fun stuff.  I leave with more than two hours for getting there.  On the very first bus, though, there's a detour right before the MAX station.  We can't get to the station because someone was decapitated by the train earlier that morning.  It turns out that some guy strung out on meth leaned back into the tracks while the train was coming up to the platform.  The train was still sitting at the boarding area.  A few people said they guy's head was still under there.  I had to walk a mile to the next MAX stop so I could take a bus to the closest transit center where the trains were still running.  I'm very glad Human Resources was so understanding.

-  The first week continued to impress later when I was waiting for the C-TRAN bus to take me into Vancouver from the MAX station.  The bus was late.  The bus, I have learned, is often late.  This time the bus was late because there had been a fight in the entry way of the bus.  We had to board through the back door because there was too much blood in the front.  Then we had to switch out buses so the first one could be cleaned.

-  I think it was the same day that on the way home I got another show while boarding my final bus.  The entire bus got to watch someone actively trying to run over another person.  In the gas station parking lot.  IN REVERSE.  I mean, we're talking pedal-to-the-metal, run-for-your-life kind of attempted run over.  Insane.

-  The second week one of the C-TRAN buses was delayed because of a fire.  No, it wasn't on the bus.  Someone hadn't put out their cigarette before leaving it on the ground and the mulch at the bus stop was beginning to smolder.  So, our 60-something year old bus driver narrated for us while she figured out how to use the fire extinguisher and doused the poo out of that itty bitty fire hazard.  I felt pretty sure that she got it put out.

-  This past week the first bus was a little bit late one day.  The reason: the Special Olympics Torch Run was going down good ol' 122nd Street.  Of COURSE it was.

There have been plenty of other fun/interesting/legally questionable stories I've encountered in the first three weeks but this will have to do for now.  So, next time you're frustrated with a long drive somewhere, count your blessings if your route doesn't include a draw bridge (guess whose does...).

Honest Thoughts

While the weather has been gorgeous here in Portland during the last week, there was a bit of a figurative cloud that hung over the first part of the week, and still lingers somewhat.   Most of you reading this will know that the Church of the Brethren’s Annual Conference was this past week, and that one of the issues being discussed was whether the language in the 1983 paper on Human Sexuality would continue to guide the church’s journey together (specifically the language that states that same-sex covenantal relationships are not acceptable).  I wasn’t at Conference, so I can’t speak to most things that transpired there, but it's my understanding that the delegates voted to reaffirm the 1983 paper on Human Sexuality in its entirety.  I guess I can’t say that I’m surprised…but I will say that I’m really disappointed. 

Disappointed for every person I know who is gay or lesbian who may not feel welcome in the Church of the Brethren because the larger church says that their “relationships are not acceptable”, disappointed that more people don’t see this as an issue of human justice and equality, and disappointed that there aren’t more churches in the denomination that follow the example of Peace Church, an open and affirming congregation that “celebrates and affirms the image of God in all people…every age, gender, race, ability, ethnicity, and sexual orientation.”

I have good friends who are gay, I have had teachers who are gay, and I know quite a few people that I greatly admire and respect who are gay, and I am a better person for having each one of these people in my life.  I don’t believe that being gay or lesbian is a sin, but rather just the way a person is made. And I don't see how being in a loving committed relationship with another person is a bad thing.  My God is greater and more dynamic than some verses that were written 2000 years ago that are often taken out of context.  The God that inspired men of long ago, may work in me in different ways, and that is ok.  I can’t ignore what God inspires in me, and that is that we are all created equal in the eyes of God, black and white, male and female, heterosexual and homosexual.  

I will close by saying that I am grateful for all of those people, although they may have been in the minority, who spoke as a more progressive voice in the Church of the Brethren calling for change.  I am grateful to be a part of a church congregation here at Peace Church where people are affirmed and welcomed just as they are.  And I am hopeful that the voices speaking out for justice and fairness don’t fade, but only grow stronger. 

-Heather

Sermon

Here is the sermon that I gave in church today.

Daniel 2 20-23

How do we know what we believe? Where do our beliefs come from? What is God like? Does God look like one of us? Does God take an active role with our lives? Where did we come from? Where did God come from? Why did God make us? Why are we here? Are we God’s ant farm, that God made so God could watch us grow and now we are relegated to the forgotten attic, because how could God sit idly by as the Holocaust happened? As we systematically destroy the planet, GOD’s Planet?

These are questions that I’ve found myself pondering for as long as I can remember. I’ve searched through various faith paradigms and been dissatisfied with their explanations for one reason or another.

When I spent my year and a half at Camp Myrtlewood I got involved with the local native american community. They followed, and I was fortunate enough to share in, traditional Lakota ceremonies. The Lakota refer to the divine as Wakan Tanka, The Great Mystery. The Great Mystery. I like that a lot. To me referring to God that way really resonates. We can’t possibly begin to fathom God. So instead of trying to make God fit inside our feeble heads, we stand in awe.

Actually thats what God is to me: Standing in awe. Feeling completely and utterly incapable of describing; completely away from rationality, logic, and thinking and being entirely present. Listening with my heart, instead of thinking about God. Feeling that ever present Great Mystery. This is what the divine is for me.

I also like the Quaker belief that we all have that still small voice of God deep within us. The Lakota take that belief one step further: They believe that everything has that divine spark in it. Everything has that essence of the divine in it; the soul and essence that is in me is no different from that which is in you, that’s in the trees, the birds, the streams, and the rocks. Therefore everything is my brother, my sister. Mitakuye oyasin: All of my relations. Our hope is to recognize that and to walk in balance with everything.

The Lakota beliefs that I’ve learned of resonate profoundly with me. But that’s me, we’re all different. There’s an analogy that describes different religions trying to make sense of God. Imagine each religion as a blind person feeling a different part of an elephant. One grabs a tusk and says, “God is strong, firm, beautiful, yet potentially dangerous.” Another holds on to the tail and says, “I know God. God is like a rope: practical, yet pliable.” A third has the a leg, “Ahh God is strong and steadfast,” she says. Maybe this is not just applicable to religions but to each of us. We all cling steadfastly to the God that we’ve come to know; with whom we’ve cultivated a relationship; and that relationship is based on Truth. And all of our experiences are equally as valid, though potentially extremely different.

One of the biggest gifts that being at Peace church has offered me is a church that welcomes difficult questions. Furthermore, it’s accepting of answers that differ from the norm. Answers that may be uncomfortable for some. Peace Church not only encourages questions but gives you the permission to find that answer that resonates most with you.

I haven’t had a close relationship with a church for a long time. For me faith is an extremely intimate and personal interaction. I have found and cultivated a relationship with my God that works for me and nurtures my soul. I’ve found other churches pretty stifling. My relationship with God comes from within. Not from someone telling me what I SHOULD believe. Yet I really have found value in having this faith community. Faith communities help to keep us accountable. They give us feedback as to how we’re living our lives. They help us to continue to grow in our relationships with God, because we all are always growing, learning and changing and so should our relationship with God.

Our opening words came from Thich Nhat Hanh, a vietnamese Buddist monk who has worked to bridge ecumenical understandings between east and west. I’m going to read them again: “To have a good [spiritual community], the members must live in a way that helps them generate more understanding and more love. If a [spiritual community] is having difficulties, the way to transform it is to begin by transforming yourself, to go back to your island of self and become more refreshed and more understanding. You will be like the first candle that lights the second that lights the third, fourth, and fifth.”

I hope that we all can continue to give ourselves permission to seek and find God on our own terms. I hope that we can trust the answers that we find. I hope that we all can have the courage to transform ourselves, to return to our island of self and become more refreshed and more understanding. I hope that we can be willing to share that light and understanding with people we encounter daily.

I’m going to close with a story about an encounter I had in the woods with the divine that inspired awe. Our frequent blog followers might remember this story. Last month, I took Heather to a half marathon trail run at Timothy Lake near Mt. Hood. While she was running I went for a solo hike in the woods. For me, time in the woods usually turns into a sacred time.

This has been an extremely long winter, as y’all know. As recently as two weeks before I hiked this trail it got 2 feet of snow. Within 10 minutes of hiking I had to ford a snow melt stream that was 3 feet deep. I was extremely grateful for this, because it would hopefully deter other would be hikers and I relish my alone time in the woods. As I crossed the stream I ran into 2-3 day old elk sign. Then I noticed some cougar sign with about the same age. I imagined a cougar quietly stalking the noisy elk herd as it forged along it's way. The cougar watching for the right moment to strike a calf elk. I continued to walk along the trail trying to be observant and present to the great outdoors.

I came to a part of the forest that closed in. Instead of the open woods with tall older trees and a few rhododendron bushes with a good view, it became younger denser forest with a hallway cut out through it. With my visibility reduced, I focused on my other senses. I got the feeling of being watched. No sooner did I feel this, I walked around a corner and in the middle of the trail was fresh cougar scat, not just kinda fresh, but still glistening in a sunbeam fresh. The hairs raised on the back of my neck and I had a strong surge of adrenaline. My instinct was to get out of there, fast yet calm like.

Instead I took it as a lesson the forest was trying to show me: It was a good reminder that this not my forest. I was a merely a visitor in the cougar's woods -- and not just their woods, but the trees', the elk's, the rhody bush's. I said an audible prayer -- "Brother cougar, I mean you no harm. I humbly ask for safe passage as a visitor through your forest. I come in good will. I respect and honor you."

As soon as I said this I felt deeply at ease with the rest of my hike. It hit me that this is how I should always view the world. This is not my world, or humanities'. We share this small blue sphere with every creature, tree, stream, rock, and spring. This is a shared planet. This is not mine. I wish humanity could collectively say a similar prayer: "Dear grandfather fish, brother bird, sister forest, and mother creek, We ask humbly for your blessing as we tread softly through your land. We mean you no harm. We will leave only footprints and take only what we need." I hope that we can find this humility as a race, and quickly. I hope that we can see God in every creature, every tree, and every stream, and sit in wondrous respectful awe.

Back in town

Hola, y'all.  The rumors are true; I have returned to Portland, and not a moment too late.  After being out in the SoCal mountains for 10 weeks I had gotten accustomed to living in an area where not much grows beyond what's native to the region.  That is not the case in Portland.  If you ever want to meet some of the happiest spinach on earth you should come meet ours.  I mean, it's, like, WHOA!  HAPPY!  SPINACH!  The kale and Swiss chard are equally elated.  Plants grow so well around here that I'm fairly certain that we would be laughed at if we actually bought strawberry plants.  They're so prolific in the Willamette Valley that even I am beginning to look at them as almost a weed.

In other news, I got a part-time job for the summer.  After all those months of dozens of applications and a handful of unfruitful interviews I managed to snag a summer gig after applying for, at most, two summer jobs.  Seriously, there's some incredible irony here.  So yeah, I started yesterday (Monday) working with the Vancouver Housing Authority across the river in Washington.  I'll be their Youth Activities Assistant for the next six and a half weeks.  Yesterday was just paperwork stuff with Human Resources so I don't know exactly what I'm in store for yet.  The preliminary vibe is that I'll be helping to run a summer drop-in facility similar to a Boys & Girls Club.  The commute to work may prove to be the biggest challenge associated with the job.  Yesterday took three hours to get there.  Now, granted, I'm still learning some of the odds and ends of C-TRAN (Vancouver's version of Tri-Met).  Mostly it was due to the MAX not being in service at 122nd Street because some guy that was strung out on meth leaned into the tracks while the train was coming and got decapitated.  Crazy, I know.  But I digress...  I think I'll figure out something that will keep the commute under two hours; it may involve some biking, which is fine by me.  The job is in the afternoons, Monday through Thursday, so I'll still have Fridays to do whatever as well as the weekends.

The summer job will also be ending just in time for me to head back to California.  That's right, I'm going back.  The ranch hired me back on for the coming year - woot!  I really enjoyed my time down there and I'll be interested to see if I still enjoy it after a full year (and a winter season) down there.  It's nice to finally feel like there's some direction with what's going on in my life as well as some financial stability.  If I save my pennies and dimes, I might even be able to finish paying off my college loans by this time next year.  That would be fan-TAS-tic.  I'll miss being here with the super cool community (in the house and beyond) I've found and connected with here in Portland.  At the same time, though, I'm really looking forward to what the coming year brings my way.

Well, I'm sure I could write a small novel about all the stuff that's gone on since I left and even with the almost-three weeks I've been back.  Instead, though, I think I'm going to take some homemade jam over to the couple that is letting me play in their community garden plot.  Ah, Portland, it's good to be back.


P.S.  Sorry for not posting any pictures with this post.  My computer is on the fritz so I'm using Jon's 'cause he's super nice like that.

P.P.S.  Everything Heather said about how sweet the race was is completely true.  It was such a cool endeavor; I'm glad we were crazy enough to go for it!

6 Runners, 178 Miles, and 22 Hours, and 36 Minutes

Those numbers may not mean anything to most of you….but they sum up the weekend that our house just experienced.  This was the weekend of the Portland to Eugene relay that Ben and I first signed up for way back in November!  Unfortunately the other dedicated runner in our house, Chelsea, was going to be at Jr. High Conference on this particular weekend, so she couldn’t take part in this crazy adventure. Ben and I “pieced together” a team of six runners, which we appropriately named “Peacing It Together” over the last six months that included: ourselves of course, my sister Andrea, Tory- our good friend and a previous BVSer, and two folks that Jon went to Juniata with who now live in Portland- Chris and Kristen.  And our additional team member was Jon- who played a pretty vital role by doing most of the driving.  Most of the relay teams we were competing against consisted of 12 runners, where each runner would run 3 legs each of 3-8 miles, but we decided to take on a bigger challenge and have only 6 team members, meaning we would run 6 legs each of 3-8 miles.  Partially this was because we wanted a challenge, but even more so because we didn’t know 12 people who would be crazy enough to do this sort of thing.  So having only 6 runners classified us as an “Ultra” team.

Chris, Kristen, Andrea, Tory, Heather, and Ben...ready to run!

Ed Groff kindly allowed us to borrow his 1969 Chevy Suburban for the weekend, as we needed a vehicle that would hold at least 6 people.   And what a sight it was!  I think we had about as much fun riding around in this sweet vehicle as we did running!  When we pulled into the starting area, it was pretty clear that there would be no other vehicle quite like ours!

Here's Tory decorating our awesome vehicle

We were placed in the 7^th starting wave with two other teams: “the Rock” and “Heck Yeah”.  We knew we were off to a good start when my sister finished the first leg ahead of the two guys that she was running against….the competition was on!   

Ben's truckin' it down the road.

A hand off between Kristen and Chris on
Saturday morning during the final legs.

The whole event was an experience that really was beyond words, but some of the highlights and memories included…gorgeous sunshine and views of Mt. Hood and Jefferson on Friday evening, Ben kicking butt on a long stretch of hills as nightfall approached, watching the full moon rise, giving friendly honks to all of the runners we passed in the car, running in the dark with only a headlamp to guide the way, total exhaustion on Saturday morning after getting only 20 minutes of sleep the night before, sustaining ourselves with power bars, trail mix, and granola, and realizing that we were actually making pretty good time in this race and that we were passing a large number of the teams.  When our final runner, Tory, crossed the finish line in Eugene, we were elated to discover that we were the first "ultra" team to finish, and the 3^rd team overall to finish out of 40 teams!  Not bad for a team that was “peacing it together”.

At the finish line in Eugene!

And despite the sore muscles and exhaustion that we still felt the next day, I think all of us agreed that we’d be up for running another relay sometime in the future!

-Heather

From the Other Side of the Country.

      Since I haven’t been in the Portland house for about a month, I thought I’d give a shout out to everyone and let people know what I was up to. 

     I’ve been traveling the East Coast for work – as of now, spending most of my time in Ohio, PA, or Virginia. I attended the Church of the Brethren Young Adult Conference – where it is always inspiring to meet up with other CoB young adults – many of whom I only see once a year at this event.  Had a retreat in Columbus, Ohio for Agape Satyagraha – that went anything but smoothly.  Lead workshops at the National Junior High Conference – where I realized how old I was and that Junior Highers eat more ice cream than anyone I’ve ever seen (7 cones in one day is even a little much for me lol).  And camped out in the backyard at Maire’s Farm (she’s my supervisor), where we worked on upcoming retreats and events, including next week’s Annual Conference.  

     I had my transitional periods in between events all figured out, but then a big kink got thrown in my summer plans, so old plans were thrown out the window and new plans now come day to day – so I often don’t know where I’ll find myself between events – Most of my time thus far has been spent at Bridgewater, Marie’s, Camp, or Richmond. It’s been tiring to be in a new place every couple days, but I’ve gotten to catch up with a lot of friends who I wouldn’t have seen before, and I’ve had other crazy adventures like having to kill my first rattlesnake, learning how to use a transplanter on the farm- to plant tomatoes, and helping to break up a fist fight.

  

      I’ll be out this way for about another month, but then will be heading back to Portland mid July – which will mean that everyone in the house will be there at the same time!!! Which I believe will be the first time since the end of February that that has happened.  I’m signing off from Bridgewater right now, but who knows where I’ll be tomorrow. 

Chelsea

Ben's back!

This week we welcomed Ben back home! It's great to have his wonderful enthusiasm and wisdom back in the garden! Our garden ambitions have more than doubled in the last week.

This weekend is the crazy 128 mile race that Ben and Heather will be competing in. More details to come afterwards.

Here is a good article to read about the meaning of work, security, creativity, and life:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jon-foreman/meaning-of-life_b_874934.html

Not our woods

Yesterday I took Heather to 1/2 marathon trail run. While she was running I went for a solo hike in the woods. As I've said, for me time in the woods usually turns into a sacred time.

This has been an extremely long winter. As recently as two weeks ago the trail I was on got 2 feet of snow. Within 10 minutes of hiking I had to ford a snow melt stream that was 3 feet deep. I was extremely grateful for this, because it would hopefully deter other would be hikers and I relish my alone time in the woods. As I crossed the stream I ran into 2-3 day old elk sign. Then I noticed some cougar sign with about the same age. I imagined a cougar quietly stalking the noisy elk herd as it forged along it's way. The cougar watching for the right moment to strike a calf elk. I continued to walk along the trail trying to be observant and present to the great outdoors.

I came to a part of the forest that closed in. Instead of the open woods with tall older trees and a few rhododendron bushes with a good view, it became younger denser forest with a hallway cut out through the forest. With my visibility reduced, I focused on my other senses. I got the feeling of being watched. No sooner did I feel this, I walked around a corner and in the middle of the trail was fresh cougar scat, not just kinda fresh, but still glistening in a sunbeam fresh. The hairs raised on the back of my neck and I had a strong surge of adrenaline. My instinct was to get out of there, fast yet calm like. Instead I took it as a lesson the forest was trying to show me: It was a good reminder that this not my forest. I was a merely a visitor in the cougar's woods -- and not just their woods, but the trees', the elk's, the rhody bush's. I said an audible prayer -- "Brother cougar, I mean you no harm. I humbly ask for safe passage as a visitor through your forest. I come in good will. I respect and honor you." As soon as I said this I felt deeply at ease with the rest of my hike. It hit me that this is how I should always view the world. This is not my world, or humanities'. We share this small blue sphere with every creature, tree, stream, rock, and spring. This is a shared planet. This is not mine. I wish humanity could collectively say a similar prayer: "Dear grandfather fish, bird, forest, and creek, We ask humbly for your blessing as we tread softly through your land. We mean you no harm. We will leave only footprints and take only what we need." I hope that we can find this humility as a race, and quickly.

Weekend in the Woods!

After some really busy days at SnowCap last week, I was pretty psyched for a three day weekend!  About 2 weeks ago, Jon and I decided it would be fun to plan a little camping trip for Memorial Day weekend.  In Virginia, you can almost be guaranteed decent weather for camping by the end of May....here in Oregon it's a different story.  Despite the forecast of rain and possible snow for our campground, Jon and I headed in the direction of Mt. Hood on Friday evening anyway.  As expected, we had the pleasure of setting up camp in the rain, which made for a bit of sopping up to do, once we each crawled inside our respective tents.  A rain fly doesn't do much good until the tent is up and it's over the tent! 

On Saturday we got our hiking fix, by walking the Salmon River Trail, a pretty amazing walk that took us through old growth forest and up the Salmon River Canyon.  Twelve miles gave us plenty of time to talk about quite a few topics....Where do thoughts come from?  How important is it to have a job that's mentally stimulating and challenging?  Do dreams really mean anything?  Does God have emotions?  What exactly is God? and on and on.  

Jon and I both agreed that we should make this camping thing a more regular event.  There is just something nice about being away from the house and Portland proper for longer than 12 hours, and I've come to believe that it's good for my soul.  Rain and all!

And on another note...we have spinach, kale, and chard all growing strong in the garden now!  And our new arrivals include three tomato plants and two pepper plants (gifts from some good friends).  I'm looking forward to showing it all off to Ben when he arrives back in just a week!  I think he'll be impressed!

-Heather

Being a grown up sucks

Hello blogosphere.

I've been coming to this realization steadily since I graduated college in 2007: being an adult sucks. It seems like my life revolves around work. But work for what? Everyday rolls into the next. There is the occasional distraction from work: hiking, dinner with friends, a run, phone calls to loved ones, etc. By and large work and, by extension life, is a grind. Maybe it's different when you have a family -- people that depend on your paycheck for their existence. I acknowledge and appreciate that having the ability to ask and think about this is a huge privilege.

I have a job that is good: I enjoy most days; it's work that I find important and meaningful; I don't dread going to work. Nevertheless I feel a huge pit in my stomach about what I'm doing with my life. I work because I need money to live. I wish there was a better way where I could have more flexibility; work when I want to to and sleep in when I want. Instead I feel that work becomes a prison. I have money but not time to travel. During my time in college and afterwords, I was blessed to be able to travel and see various parts of the world. It scares me to think that I have precisely 80hrs of vacation over the course of the next year. Which is enough for a few long weekends and major holidays, but that's it. No two weeks to gallivant around.

In high school, adults critique us for having jobs in high school saying, "you have a job so you can have a car, and you have a car so you can go to work." I feel like that now. I have a car, cell phone, and a place to sleep so I can work and I work so I can have those things. Is this what the rest of my life is? A never ending cycles of bills, obligations, and paychecks? It's frightening.

On a brighter note: the longer and sunnier days are much appreciated.

30 for 34 - Poem

For this blog, I’d like to tell you a tale 

Of two crazy girls who walked a 30 mile trail.

Their hope was to finish 30 miles in one go 

And what made them want to do this, we’ll never know.

Many people thought they were insane

 And their thought was, “Oh we hope it doesn’t rain.”

They got up bright and early one Saturday morn 

With the ride on the Max being slightly forlorn.

They started their hike at 7 on the dot.

Walking fairly quickly, I’d even say a brisk trot.

The hike was in Forest Park on Wildwood trail 

With hopes that the rain wouldn’t make them ail.

Now, don’t get me wrong their sprits were very high 

They even counted every person as they walked by. 

And cheered whenever there were sun and blue in the sky.

The first 10 miles went by fairly quick.

And look here, we even have a pic.

They kept up a good pace of under a 20 min mile. 

And were thinking to themselves, this is very worthwhile 

But with all the mud and sweat starting to smell rather vile                                                             

At the 15 mile mark – they had a lunch on their break

And their muscles were starting to ache.

They were excited to be half way done 

and thankful that it had not rained a ton

Mile 15-20 they had an unexpected energy boost 

And their hiking speed they would not be reduce.

They enjoyed the hiking with many stories and laughs

And came to mile marker 20, as seen in the photograph

The mile markers, oh, I forgot about those

They were marked every ¼ of a mile – and kept them on their toes

Because they were high in the trees and hard to disclose

These mile markers kept them right on track

So extra time resting is not what they lacked.

On the trail there was mud galore 

And they got a little muddy, you can assure

One of them was very keen on her map 

and as you can see by other pictures she had a pink cap                                        

They had quite an eventful day, you can be sure, 

with many questions of “how many miles more."

And by the end their legs were so sore.

But you see, these girls didn’t care

Because in the end, 30 miles they did bear.

In 10 hours and 20 minutes they came to the end

 Being glad to finish, I won’t pretend

The number of people they saw was 95

 and Beth was picking them up – and her car had arrived  

So when the day was all said and done,

Without any blisters and without very much sun.

These girls will remember that one day. 

And they’ll be able to tell and say

That they hiked 30 miles for Heather’s 34^th birthday!  

~ Chelsea

             

When the Rain Ceases

            Finally! We have SUN!!! I have come to the conclusion that you have to be a special kind of person to live in Portland, one who can endure rainy days and grey skies months on end. I however, have been constantly reminded, by the weather, that I am not a true Portlander and have struggled through the long, dreary, rainy winter- withhopes that the tales of blue summer skies are actually true. I have found this tale hard to believe when Portland has had the coldest and one of the wettest years on record. But, alas, the last two weekends we have had real sun and I've finally been able to get some much needed Vitamin D. Now, I say ‘real sun’ because a true Portlander might argue that we have had sun before this point, which may be true, but in many cases I’m finding that our Portland “sunny days” are what in Virginia we call “Mostly Cloudy”And although I give much respect for all those who live in Portland for many years, these “sunny days” just weren’t quite cutting it for me.

         The one positive thing that I have found amidst our Noah like weather is that after much rain comes much beauty, and I can see why Portlanders stick out the winter.  This beauty we have found in the newly grown spouts, that shoot up every day in our garden, to the great outdoors of Oregon, which we have recently gotten to enjoy on a couple occasions. This past Saturday was one of those occasions when Jon, Heather and I, ventured out to the Columbia River Gorge to find the Eagle Creek trail. We hiked about twelve miles, with every turn being another scenic view of the mountains, river or waterfall. Our destination was Tunnel Falls, a waterfall that you could walk behind. (as seen a pictures below) Sunday, was yet another one of those occasions.  I was invited to go to the Tulip Farm, which I was thrilled about, hence the many pictures of tulips. (I couldn't decide which to post) Although there are still rainy days in the near forecast, I have hope that we will soon see a more consistent amount of days with real sun, and I look forward to the many adventures that are yet to come.

In other news-  In the mist of getting pictures uploading for this blog, I stumbled over newly posted status on facebook that Osama Bin Laden had been killed. You can tell you are semi-disconnected with the world, when you get current events from the Newsfeed on facebook, but     nevertheless, after quickly telling my hosuemates we found the best place for internet in the house and watched the live news and Obama’s speech that followed. While continuing to work on my blog and to check what friends were writing on facebook about this event, I was very disheartened at the immense celebration that was going on, at the expense of Bin Laden’s life.  I don’t see how anyone can celebrate someone’s death, even Bin Laden’s. Can’t we see the humanity that lies inside each of us?  What happened to loving our enemies? Or to not rejoice when your enemy falls? I will celebrate when we walk in the way of peace, and have love for all. But by the looks of it, we have a ways to go.  

 

In the words of ‎Martin Luther King, Jr.

"The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral,begetting 

the very thing it seeks to destroy. 

Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. 
Darkness cannot drive out darkness: 
only light can do that. 
Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.

In fact, violence merely increases hate. Through violence you may murder the liar, 
but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth. 
Through violence you may murder the hater, 
but you do not murder hate. 

Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, 
adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. 
Darkness cannot drive out darkness: 
only light can do that. 
Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that."