July 2023
Just one of our community’s many winged treasures
Friends,
Grace and Peace to you. I wish to share with you a few thoughts, a few moments from our life together here in Community of Peace.
A moment. This morning after sung prayer with the community I walked outside and spotted a little bird, maybe very young, perched on the wooden railing of the deck. I approached slowly. Little bird remained, I got very close within a foot. Little bird looked at me. I looked at little bird. I extended my hand. Little bird noticed eyes widening. We remained looking at each other for about 10 minutes. I then moved my hand and gently rubbed little bird's back. Little bird tweeted. Another few minutes passed. We seemed to have established an understanding. Little bird flew off and was greeted by a larger bird in the tree. It was a moment.
Another...
Sometimes you just gotta let it out. The other day a friend came to visit. We sat together outside on the grass. My friend cried, wept and wailed. My friend is grieving. Voicing our pain, sometimes called keening in the Irish tradition, is a vital part of being a human being. It can be terrifying. It is also beautiful. Sometimes you just gotta let it out.
Today I walked into the barn where we are putting down a new floor. The new floor will serve, along with other renovations, as an inviting place to hold dances, concerts, drumming circles, poetry events, storytelling and much more! The expression of the human heart and the building of community takes many forms. Sometimes it appears in the form of a lovely barn where humans and all creatures may meet.
We've begun a new practice of reading the Psalms in morning prayer. Each person reads aloud a whole psalm from Nan Merrill's Psalms for Praying, a paraphrase of the entire Book of Psalms. It's amazing how powerful and personal it is. Sometimes reading the Psalms together in this way brings the gift of tears. It is a revelation of the human heart among friends. Highly recommend this.
I am grateful for everyone here at Community of Peace. Together we are learning what it means to follow the Jesus of the Gospels. Day by day we gather. We meet each other. We see each other. We listen to each other. We sometimes struggle with each other. We laugh and cry together. We continue to respect each other and learn from one another. Honestly, I believe that's as good as it gets.
Peace in the midst of everything,
Br. Stefan
Queen Ann's Lace. Just a weed? How many tiny flowers on each little rosette. Amazing!
The Journalist and the Monk
A western journalist traveled to observe and interview a respected Buddhist monk at the monastery in the East where he resides. The journalist watched as all the monks assembled. They chanted, sang, and rang bells. Then they all sat in absolute silence for a while. Eventually, each one got up and walked away without a word.
The journalist said to the monk “I watched you praying. What did you experience?”
The monk smiled. “You didn’t watch us praying. You watched us preparing for prayer with our rituals. How we live the rest of the day – is the prayer.”
story shared by Tim
Fruits (two kinds of peppers) are already appearing in our first year permaculture garden
While nature showers us with her abundance of herbs (yarrow) and wild blackberries
A Curious Cow Tale
Curly took MightyMouse under his wing. They were behind the barn eating grass. I walked around with them and talked to them while they devoured the delicious grass that had grown tall since they were last penned near the barn in early Spring. As I watched and talked to them both, MightyMouse blessed me with a short affectionate head rub and she licked my hand. I followed them back to the woods and curious about how they found their way to the barn from where I had fenced the others in way on the opposite side of the field, I hiked to the cows. There I found Athena, Faith and Mouse happily lying under the trees keeping cool in the hot and humid day.
Curly chased MightyMouse back from their excursion. It was the most wonderful thing to watch. Through the woods I heard the sound of something running and then a mighty big crashing and a huffing sound. When I looked in that direction I saw two black and white creatures, one big and one small. I watched standing near the end of a long tree that had fallen but was held off the ground a couple of feet.
I heard a small mooing sound from MightyMouse who came to a standstill at the tree with a fast halt. She could see her momma on the other side and then she looked at me. She stood frozen for a moment but heard Curley rumbling from behind her at a full gallop.
MightyMouse ran under the tree because she could, quite easily. Curley came to a sudden stop and let out a loud huff. He stood there caught. We looked at each other for a long while. I smiled and laughed. He looked back at MightyMouse and Mouse, turned back the way he came and put his head down to graze. I love these beautiful creatures!
Claire
EVENTS
“A Pilgrimage of Peace” is scheduled beginning July 15, (see flyer below-left)
“The Wisdom of Wilderness” is happening this summer - Come and camp with us for the entire summer or part of it, (see flyer below-right)
“Contemplative Nature Walks for all ages” - during the summer we are offering Contemplative nature walks led by Tim every Saturday at 11:00 am followed by lunch at noon and Sung Prayer at 1:00 pm. 2 - 4 pm is free time to walk, explore . . .(Cont’d. below)
We are looking forward to our first BARN DANCE - coming soon.
A full day Contemplative offering facilitated by Barb and Tim - dates and times TBD
More outdoor experiences like Evenings around the fire circle are being planned. We will let you know as they are scheduled.
Monthly drum circles continue on the third Saturday and you are always invited to share our daily sung prayer morning (8 weekdays, 9 weekends), midday (1) and evening (7).
Opportunities to visit us for a retreat or camp in or near our beautiful forest await you. Please call Br. Stefan to plan your unique experience. If you are unable to visit us or wish to share your experience with a group, call to schedule a time for Br. Stefan to visit you (flyer below).
We hope to see you soon.
(Contemplative Nature Walks Cont’d.) A contemplative walk helps us relax into an awareness of nature; developing a deeper sense of connection to the Source of the Creation we live and walk in. It is not a study of names and facts, but a way the senses can observe the beauty and amazing things that nature has to offer. Children often do this naturally. The walks are a kind of practice that can enhance our experience and can be deeply felt in a uniquely personal way.
Tim has thirty years experience facilitating spiritual awareness groups and using basic mindfulness practices to be present here and now, see where internally we can choose peace, and learn how our innate feelings of awe, love and appreciation can grow within us. These basics are often best learned ‘in a moment’ of experience for each person. Contemplative nature walks are perfect for helping us realize our inner desire for peace, joy, love and beauty and begin to let those qualities expand within us to become a permanent part of our lives.
