Our Gathering

Just returned home after four days with my beloved "Gathering" community, forming many new friendships and connecting more deeply with old friends. 

Today, as I heated up my tea water in our electric kettle inside our home, the memory of preparing tea at the gathering arose within and brought a sharp pang of longing.  Each morning, I would head down from my tent to the central campfire, and join at least a couple of elders and several others of our community who would be sitting around it.  I'd share of the hot water in one of the kettles sitting over the fire, then fill up the container for the next folks if it was running low. 

I feel a well of longing and sadness within me, for the deep-rooted companionship we all shared there, living in the open air, the safety and encouragement to be as weird and fantastic as we all are, the easy joviality and silliness, the shared treasuring of the village we create together.

Hello!
Okay, I have to break the seal on writing again...here goes!  We were talking with the kids about stop-action animation the other day, and my husband found a free program to make them online.  Here is the result of our first foray into stop-action!  (We decided it's Gus the Friendly Ghost eating our quesadilla, and then he give the leftovers to his friend Mouse.)
(The upload is quite jumpy; keep in mind this is just my in to start writing again!)

Warmth & Mud

A flag for a windy day!  My boy drew it with fabric markers (and a little help from me) on leftover scraps from a  wrap I carried him in as a baby.  Tied it to a stick and strapped it to our deck:

Today's warm weather had the kids outside for hours, he in pjs, she in her "twirly" dress.  Here he works on his first mud ball of the year:

Her little feet, and her little footprints:

Spent last night with some new friends, supporting one in her courageous, laughing, crying healing.  I was moved today to let down my usual guard of not getting myself "too dirty," and played full-on with the kids in the mud.  They both made good use of my changed attitude, smearing mud all over my clothes, delighted to have me squelching my toes along with them in the frigid "ponds" they had dug in the soggy earth.  Felt like the mom I always want to be.

Spirit

Feeling grateful tonight for the rich communities I've been welcomed into over the past few months. 

Many barren years have come and gone without revealing this honest, deep connectedness with other people outside my family.  Now I look around and find that I am suddenly holding hands with many people of like mind, many people walking the same paths I am.  Moving in unison toward the same distant drumbeat, working with the same vision in their hearts. 

I give thanks for the turning of this wheel, for this new era of my life.  I give thanks for each person sharing their truth, their tenderness, their fire, their willingness to be known.