This has been a summer of travel, work, and high altitude dreams. From the Sleeping Giant Volcano in Hawaii, to Porter's Cabin 10,000 feet up in Idaho, to the shrine on the mountain in Ajijic, Mexico, I have felt my mind full of hope and dreams. I wanted to share a few of the images and thoughts with you...
Kauai, Hawaii in June
St. John's church
Loved being with my husband Marcus and our sons, getting to work in two beautiful churches and beginning to write a mystery called Murder in the Kalahari.
Marcus, Levi, Caney, Moses and his friend, Ry
Idaho Rocky Mountain Range, July 15-20
With Tara Armistead and Frannie Kieschnick at Porter's Cabin
The Idado Ridge
Walking along a high ridge,
the sky is big enough
to watch a storm roll in and out,
the mountain is vast enough
to be its own shadow,
the wildflowers are tall enough
to look you in the eye,
and the path is long enough
to leave you alone with your thoughts.
Passing through that ridge where you
are no more significant than the
ants crawling at your feet,
or no less worthy than the Western Tanager
flitting among the ancient Pine Boughs.
You breath the same air as Star Lilies
that decide to dance in winds
that pick up on their own accord.
Stepping over small borders
you feel the story of rocky
times when things were not so settled
and eons pass in a moment.
There alongside Hyssop and Lupinen that
are simply going to seed for a moment,
or maybe an eternity you feel free.
Ajijic, Mexico
The Global Team in Mexico
Thistle Farms Global went down to Mexico to help with strategic planning for our Shared Trade Partners, the Moringa Madres. Helping start justice initiatives is hard and slow work. It takes a community not easily discouraged and willing to be humbled by small scale. We had that team, and so it was possible to dream.
Notes from the strategic planning with the Moringa Madres
Thistle Farms
While I have been away Thistle Farms has been flourishing. I got some updates this week including that the national network has grown 23% over the past six months and now has 27 homes serving women survivors in 19 different states.
I also learned that sales of The Welcome Project mats woven by Syrian refugees (#lovewelcomes) remain strong. They came in at #5 on Thislte Farms best selling products for July.
...I am now off to the plateau of Sewanee to speak at the Monteagle Sunday School Assembly and then on to a retreat center in Massachusetts. I will be teaching for 4 days at the Society of Companions Conference about "How Love Is the Most Powerful Force for Change in the World."
Thank you for helping make so many of our midsummer daydreams come to life.
Love, Becca