I have been married to Kerri Lynn Stetler for well over 8yrs now. In ways we are still the same people we were when we met. She still fits right under my arm and has the most beautiful eyes. I still have crooked toes and facial hair (yet not as much hair on my head)... and these things may never change. Yet so many other things about us have changed over these years. I'm not quite as muscular, and her hair isn't red anymore. I dress funnier and she wears nursing bras. And then there is our values. Just ask anyone who knew us before we moved to Columbus, honestly, we saw the world through a completely different lens. We keep growing and changing. And somehow we keep doing it together. And today, I feel as if my heart is filled with more love for her than ever before! Maybe it is the way she smiles at me that big beautiful smile that so many people love, or it may be the way she hangs laundry on the clothes line day after day with no complaint, or the way she serves her children from the time they wake up till the moment their head hits the pillow. Maybe it is the way she listens patiently to my abstract random thoughts and then systematically filters them through her concrete sequential head. It could be the way that she works late into the evening after the kids have gone to bed so that we can pay our bills, or it might have something to do with the way she kisses me (right through my moustache without complaint!) Or it could be all of these things... but there are other reasons she is a great wife-
- She still sits down with me each week to talk about anything we want to at Staufs
- She washes more diapers out than me and never complains or keeps a tally
- She is frugal with finances and jumps at the opportunity to help someone in need
- I come home just about everyday to a meal prepared for our family + anyone else who may join us
- She is diligent about writing notes and cards of appreciation to anyone who shows us kindness
- Every day is a new day with Kerri. She will stay up late to straighten the house, do dishes, fold laundry, or make a shopping list so that the next day can be a peaceful one for everyone under this roof.
- She never holds grudges overnight and would make sure that we never lay our heads on the pillow with dissension between us.
Most of all, she is committed to me with an unending love and promise of faithfulness and will continue to dream dreams and chase after them until we at last depart.
I love her and she is my friend.
8.27.2006
8.24.2006
8.18.2006
8.13.2006
Not yet having a liturgy of our own, many of us at Landing Place use Celtic Daily Prayers as a "borrowed" liturgy from the Northumbria Community. Reading Alan Creech's blog about a recent conversation at his place with Dave Nixon re: litugy;praying the psalms/divine hours... one of his bullet points from the conversation : We can pray AS the community even when we are alone physically...
This seems important to our community because of the way we are spread all over the city. Many of us long for a way to share space, yet space seems to be so hard to aquire in a growing urban Columbus. So for now, those of us who pray these prayers will pray them "together" in each others physical absence.
This seems important to our community because of the way we are spread all over the city. Many of us long for a way to share space, yet space seems to be so hard to aquire in a growing urban Columbus. So for now, those of us who pray these prayers will pray them "together" in each others physical absence.
8.09.2006
The Future of Food party was a sucess... good to see Chris Bean in attendance, as well as the new director for the ACGA. There is so much information in this documentary that is so very important that I would be willing to travel to your lands and lead a viewing/dialoge in your space!
The big word that resonated with me this time I viewed the documentary was "compassion." Who ever thought that what you buy at the grocery could have ramifications globally? We need to begin asking ourselves "are the decisions I'm making to save a few dollars marginalizing the poor?" We make choices everyday in ignorance that have a long lasting impact on our world systems and ultimately people. The question is: Are we willing to challenge our status quo? -or is our comfort simply more convenient than asking hard questions?
this article seems to be a good start:
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/GlobalWarming/story?id=2277893
or even something like this:
Wendell Berry writes
A typical example of the conduct of industrial heroism is to be found in the present rush of experts to "solve the problem of world hunger"--which is rarely defined except as a "world problem" known, in industrial jargon, as "the world food problematique." As is characteristic of industrial heroism, the professed intention here is entirely salutary: nobody should starve. The trouble is that "world hunger" is not a problem that can be solved by a "world solution." Except in a very limited sense, it is not an industrial problem, and industrial attempts to solve it--such as the "Green Revolution" and "Food for Peace"--have often had grotesque and destructive results. "The problem of world hunger" cannot be solved until it is understood and dealt with by local people as a multitude of local problems of ecology, agriculture, and culture.
The big word that resonated with me this time I viewed the documentary was "compassion." Who ever thought that what you buy at the grocery could have ramifications globally? We need to begin asking ourselves "are the decisions I'm making to save a few dollars marginalizing the poor?" We make choices everyday in ignorance that have a long lasting impact on our world systems and ultimately people. The question is: Are we willing to challenge our status quo? -or is our comfort simply more convenient than asking hard questions?
this article seems to be a good start:
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/GlobalWarming/story?id=2277893
or even something like this:
Wendell Berry writes
A typical example of the conduct of industrial heroism is to be found in the present rush of experts to "solve the problem of world hunger"--which is rarely defined except as a "world problem" known, in industrial jargon, as "the world food problematique." As is characteristic of industrial heroism, the professed intention here is entirely salutary: nobody should starve. The trouble is that "world hunger" is not a problem that can be solved by a "world solution." Except in a very limited sense, it is not an industrial problem, and industrial attempts to solve it--such as the "Green Revolution" and "Food for Peace"--have often had grotesque and destructive results. "The problem of world hunger" cannot be solved until it is understood and dealt with by local people as a multitude of local problems of ecology, agriculture, and culture.
8.01.2006
What life looks like these days...
Every morning I have been jumping out of bed eager to get to the farm... I love the hot days and hard work. I think I'm becoming somewhat addicted to manual labor. The farm I work at now is an organic farm located just outside the city. Kevin, the farmer, is pretty excellent. He has taken me under his wing and taught be so much about simple living, organic farming, the history of agriculture, composting, environmentalism, energy efficiency (he built his own house to be energy efficient), Tao chi, and so much more.
Today we picked blackberries the size of small plums, ate plums and peaches right off the tree, tied up tomato plants, and seeded broccoli, lettuce, cilantro, zucchini, basil, and coriander...and finished the day off by collecting eggs. Tomorrow we will harvest for a special market on Thursday for low income families. I am excited that he is taking me with him as this will be my first market experience with Kevin.
I come home at night to find my apartment littered with friends and family... and we share stories a little too late... so now I am tired and will retire for the eve.
Today we picked blackberries the size of small plums, ate plums and peaches right off the tree, tied up tomato plants, and seeded broccoli, lettuce, cilantro, zucchini, basil, and coriander...and finished the day off by collecting eggs. Tomorrow we will harvest for a special market on Thursday for low income families. I am excited that he is taking me with him as this will be my first market experience with Kevin.
I come home at night to find my apartment littered with friends and family... and we share stories a little too late... so now I am tired and will retire for the eve.
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