Tara
and Daniel’s twin boys, Linus and Micah, sleep the peace of enjoyment.
After a long weekend of playing with new friends, sleeping in new rooms, being
with new caregivers, and all the new people they've met, this is the sleep
that you would wish for them.
This
weekend there were two reunions taking place at the same time, and we had to split our time to get to both of these important events.
One was the 40th reunion of the Farm. People from all over the world coming in for this reunion. The tradition started 40 years ago when three friends, one of whom used his student loan funds to pay for his share of the three way split for some land on a mountain top. Not much there at the time, and not much there even now. A house, a barn and the woods. It didn’t matter what wasn’t there. It mattered more who was there. And so each year for those early years, friends would gather each summer for a reunion. Then as the years went by, they would meet every few years, then every four years for a while. And now, it’s been five years since they gathered round. The old bands and musicians joined back together to play again, and there were so many, they got started early in the day.
One was the 40th reunion of the Farm. People from all over the world coming in for this reunion. The tradition started 40 years ago when three friends, one of whom used his student loan funds to pay for his share of the three way split for some land on a mountain top. Not much there at the time, and not much there even now. A house, a barn and the woods. It didn’t matter what wasn’t there. It mattered more who was there. And so each year for those early years, friends would gather each summer for a reunion. Then as the years went by, they would meet every few years, then every four years for a while. And now, it’s been five years since they gathered round. The old bands and musicians joined back together to play again, and there were so many, they got started early in the day.
The
other reunion was the ten year reunion for the students, now alumni, who
traveled to Central America in the 2002 spring semester study program.
These students studied Spanish, worked on community service projects,
interviewed their home stay families, met coffee workers, politicians, local
leaders, and were always followed by their local village children and so many more.
They were surprised, overwhelmed, engaged, and enriched by their
experiences. In the processå they learned more about the issues and concerns
of each of the countries of Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and El
Salvador. They learned about themselves and each other and their
lives were changed and forever transformed. The lives they now lead are shaped by their service, passion and commitment to making this world a better place.
Amazing
things have happened no doubt for all these individuals in these interim
years. The joy of coming together was no different for either
group. What mattered was that we could reconnect, renew and revitalize by
being together. And many of us will look ahead and look forward when we
can join back again. We realize that the love, the understanding, and the
interest and caring for each other is what makes the fabric of each of these communities so rich and so rewarding.
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| Photo: Jerry McCollum, The Morning After |
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