I haven't been making the time to write - instead, I've been mixing banana pineapple smoothies with a three foot hand-held blender in five gallon buckets, learning "One Voice" by the Wailin' Jennys on guitar, snowshoeing, skiing and snowboarding every chance I get, jamming on the djembe with an impromptu reggae band, eating an assortment of truffles, and attending Paul Hinderlie's culinary art classes - last night we had salmon fillet poached in white wine, dressed with a buttery fish sauce, and garnished with fresh parsley alongside a Napoleonic burger. Paul said if Napoleon would have actually eaten foods like Napoleonic burgers, he might not have died of stomach cancer.
I've got five more massages to gift, four more inches to knit on my woolen hat, three more shifts in the kitchen, two more yoga sessions to lead, and one partridge and a pear tree to find before I leave Holden a week from today. This is quite a full schedule for the next seven days, but I welcome with busyness with a peaceful heart.
On the 6th of January I fly to Nicaragua, and through the end of February I'll mostly be on my yoga mat moving in and out of bendy postures with other yogins enrolled in SchoolYoga Institute's teacher training course. During this time, I plan to intentionally stay away from the Internet as much as possible - and I'm also not quite sure what access we'll have either - so this will be my last entry until the beginning of March, when I'll return to Alaska and divulge all anecdotal instances which make life so incredibly interesting. Thanks for your readership, and wishing you a Happy New Year coming into 2010! This is Elise, signing out from Holden Village.
11 December 2009
Excerpts from Holden...
At Holden there is always something going on – a concert, workshop, presentation, discussion, documentary, coffeehouse live music night, talent show, dance party, and, on the schedule for tonight is hot chocolate and a village-wide cookie decorating extravaganza. Sweets have been on the docket everyday, actually, so we are full swing into spirited holiday mode. Yesterday I made pumpkin bars, and the day before that we had caramel rolls – with extra caramel sauce. But then, there were also the chocolate chip cookies thematically decked out with Christmas swedish fish, a panoply of blueberry, apple and rhubarb pies, oh, and I mustn't forget to mention Paul Hinderlie's homemade rum egg nog. That was a jolly good night – of sobriety, of course. The rum was only added to taste.
During December, David, a Luther College campus minister, and Karla, a professor at the same university, along with their two children – Dawit and Meheret – are visiting the Village on teaching staff. David is Guatemalan (and now an American too after marrying Karla – from Minnesota); he was raised Jewish, and then came to the States when he was 19 to attend seminary. His research interests focus on reading scripture – at the moment, the book of Esther – through the lens of an immigrant, and he's taking this year on sabbatical to travel to several communities in the U.S. with high Hispanic populations to study the ways in which immigrants understand the text, and how their belief systems impact their reactions to it. Most recently, David read Esther with a group of Hispanic women in Postville; you may remember hearing about this small town in Iowa which made national headlines for an immigration raid in May of 2008. Some of the undocumented women in David's study were affected by the raid. The Washington Post's full story is available online at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/17/AR2008051702474.html should you be interested.
This is my first time sifting through Esther – which David describes, is a parody of fictitious history. In other words, the story of King Ahasuerus and Esther may be more representative about a specific time and context versus an actual series of events. After two sessions with David, I find I'm surprised – first, by how much I'm enjoying the experience; I'm starting to read the Bible with enthusiasm for the first time. I don't believe it is an infallible source, but I'm starting to believe it is a literary masterpiece with many truths. Second, I'm surprised by how a story can meaningfully travel through time, where today we are still grappling with similar issues – power constructs, role expectations, and our own agency within these overarching institutions.
Then, Karla was born blue-eyed, blond-haired and from a Finnish background. She grew up in Moorhead, Minnesota just blocks away from where my Grandpa and Grandma Lyseng lived, and her research passions concentrate on the increasingly complex and pluralistic forms of identity we are seeing within society as well as within ourselves. She sights her family as one example, with her Midwest background, David's upbringing in Guatemala, and their two adopted children – Dawit and Meheret – from Ethiopia.
Karla is most interested in religious pluralism; she observes, people today are less likely to fit into a religious category – e. g. Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu. Rather, people are gravitating towards meaningful customs and traditions which draw from a span of spiritualities. This is reflected within my own spiritual path. I grew up Catholic, having a close connection with the Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls. In college, I was a soul searching irregular church-goer, and when I moved to Japan I became more interested in Buddhism and Shinto. During graduate studies in England, I found myself in Catholic, Methodist and Protestant circles, and now, here I am at Holden Village – a liberal Lutheran retreat center in Washington State's Cascade mountains.
In our first session with Karla, The Life of Pi by Yann Martel entered discussion. The main character, “Pi”, has many questions – and many about religion. At one point his mother says to him: “Listen, my darling, if you're going to be religious, you must either be a Hindu, a Christian or a Muslim”. And Pi responds with: “I don't see why I can't be all three...Mamaji has two passports. He's Indian and French. Why can't I be a Hindu, a Christian, and a Muslim?” I've often wondered this myself.
Right now I'm reading Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thick Nhat Hanh's Living Buddha, Living Christ, and I think he presents a similar philosophy to Pi's. Here's a short section called "More Than One Root"...
“If a Buddhist woman wants to marry a Christian man (or vice versa), should we encourage them? The woman will have to learn and practice her husband's tradition, and the man will have to learn and practice his wife's tradition. Then, instead of having just one spiritual root, they will have two. But can a person have two spiritual roots at the same time? Can both of them learn Christianity and Buddhism and practice both traditions? We know that when someone does not have any root, he or she will suffer tremendously. But what about the question of having more than one root?
Before I met Christianity, my only spiritual ancestor was the Buddha. But when I met beautiful men and women who were Christians, I came to know Jesus as a great teacher. Since that day, Jesus Christ has become one of my spiritual ancestors. As I have mentioned, on the altar of my hermitage in France, I have statues of Buddhas and bodhisattvas and also an image of Jesus Christ. I do not feel any conflict within me. Instead I feel stronger because I have more than one root.
Can we allow young people of different traditions to marry each other freely, with our benediction? Can we encourage them to practice both traditions and enrich each other?”
This is Elise, signing out from Holden Village.
During December, David, a Luther College campus minister, and Karla, a professor at the same university, along with their two children – Dawit and Meheret – are visiting the Village on teaching staff. David is Guatemalan (and now an American too after marrying Karla – from Minnesota); he was raised Jewish, and then came to the States when he was 19 to attend seminary. His research interests focus on reading scripture – at the moment, the book of Esther – through the lens of an immigrant, and he's taking this year on sabbatical to travel to several communities in the U.S. with high Hispanic populations to study the ways in which immigrants understand the text, and how their belief systems impact their reactions to it. Most recently, David read Esther with a group of Hispanic women in Postville; you may remember hearing about this small town in Iowa which made national headlines for an immigration raid in May of 2008. Some of the undocumented women in David's study were affected by the raid. The Washington Post's full story is available online at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/17/AR2008051702474.html should you be interested.
This is my first time sifting through Esther – which David describes, is a parody of fictitious history. In other words, the story of King Ahasuerus and Esther may be more representative about a specific time and context versus an actual series of events. After two sessions with David, I find I'm surprised – first, by how much I'm enjoying the experience; I'm starting to read the Bible with enthusiasm for the first time. I don't believe it is an infallible source, but I'm starting to believe it is a literary masterpiece with many truths. Second, I'm surprised by how a story can meaningfully travel through time, where today we are still grappling with similar issues – power constructs, role expectations, and our own agency within these overarching institutions.
Then, Karla was born blue-eyed, blond-haired and from a Finnish background. She grew up in Moorhead, Minnesota just blocks away from where my Grandpa and Grandma Lyseng lived, and her research passions concentrate on the increasingly complex and pluralistic forms of identity we are seeing within society as well as within ourselves. She sights her family as one example, with her Midwest background, David's upbringing in Guatemala, and their two adopted children – Dawit and Meheret – from Ethiopia.
Karla is most interested in religious pluralism; she observes, people today are less likely to fit into a religious category – e. g. Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu. Rather, people are gravitating towards meaningful customs and traditions which draw from a span of spiritualities. This is reflected within my own spiritual path. I grew up Catholic, having a close connection with the Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls. In college, I was a soul searching irregular church-goer, and when I moved to Japan I became more interested in Buddhism and Shinto. During graduate studies in England, I found myself in Catholic, Methodist and Protestant circles, and now, here I am at Holden Village – a liberal Lutheran retreat center in Washington State's Cascade mountains.
In our first session with Karla, The Life of Pi by Yann Martel entered discussion. The main character, “Pi”, has many questions – and many about religion. At one point his mother says to him: “Listen, my darling, if you're going to be religious, you must either be a Hindu, a Christian or a Muslim”. And Pi responds with: “I don't see why I can't be all three...Mamaji has two passports. He's Indian and French. Why can't I be a Hindu, a Christian, and a Muslim?” I've often wondered this myself.
Right now I'm reading Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thick Nhat Hanh's Living Buddha, Living Christ, and I think he presents a similar philosophy to Pi's. Here's a short section called "More Than One Root"...
“If a Buddhist woman wants to marry a Christian man (or vice versa), should we encourage them? The woman will have to learn and practice her husband's tradition, and the man will have to learn and practice his wife's tradition. Then, instead of having just one spiritual root, they will have two. But can a person have two spiritual roots at the same time? Can both of them learn Christianity and Buddhism and practice both traditions? We know that when someone does not have any root, he or she will suffer tremendously. But what about the question of having more than one root?
Before I met Christianity, my only spiritual ancestor was the Buddha. But when I met beautiful men and women who were Christians, I came to know Jesus as a great teacher. Since that day, Jesus Christ has become one of my spiritual ancestors. As I have mentioned, on the altar of my hermitage in France, I have statues of Buddhas and bodhisattvas and also an image of Jesus Christ. I do not feel any conflict within me. Instead I feel stronger because I have more than one root.
Can we allow young people of different traditions to marry each other freely, with our benediction? Can we encourage them to practice both traditions and enrich each other?”
This is Elise, signing out from Holden Village.
30 November 2009
The Lord's Prayer - from the New Zealand Book of Common Prayer
Eternal Spirit,
Earth-Maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver,
Source of all that is and that shall be,
Father and Mother of us all.
Loving God, in whom is heaven.
The hallowing of your name echoes through the universe!
The way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the earth!
Your heavenly will be done by all created beings!
Your commonwealth of peace and freedom sustain our hope and come on earth.
With the bread we need for today, feed us.
In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us.
In times of temptation and test, spare us.
from the grip of all that is evil, free us.
For you reign in the glory of the power that is love, now and forever.
Amen.
Earth-Maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver,
Source of all that is and that shall be,
Father and Mother of us all.
Loving God, in whom is heaven.
The hallowing of your name echoes through the universe!
The way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the earth!
Your heavenly will be done by all created beings!
Your commonwealth of peace and freedom sustain our hope and come on earth.
With the bread we need for today, feed us.
In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us.
In times of temptation and test, spare us.
from the grip of all that is evil, free us.
For you reign in the glory of the power that is love, now and forever.
Amen.
26 November 2009
Giving Thanks...
A close friend, Lisa, recently gave me a card with the Confucius quote: "Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart." And at this morning's Bible study, verses 16-18 in 1 Thessalonions chapter 5 especially resonated with my heart - "Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God for you."
I've been walking around Holden today with an exuberance of gratitude - for loving relationships, my good health, a wealth of opportunities allowing me to further grow and develop, and for all that I'm encountering here in the Village. My first week has been full of impromptu delights - involving an invitation to build a dulcimer; a mysterious apricot pit found in Trevor's Indian pea and Paneer cheese curry; a discovery about my favorite childhood television show, Little House On The Prairie; and the chance to join a choir.
Noah asked me about the dulcimer, but after we opened up the box and realized just how extensive the process would be, we decided to play ping pong instead. Upon inquiring about the bamboozling pit, we unanimously came to the conclusion that the harvester had eaten an apricot and spit the seed in his or her pea pods. Because of its size, it didn't sift through the strainer; hence, we find "the little treasure" in our food.
Then, through a conversation with Tom, I found out the General Store that Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote about is the exact same location Holden directors Paul and Carol Hinderlie opened their restaurant - The Harbor View Cafe in Pepin, Wisconsin. And here is an interesting extension to the story...apparently, there are bullet holes in the ceiling of the cafe; it was also once a bar, where a traveling man who cheated in a card game met an unlucky fate. The town sheriff did nothing; he figured the guy had it coming. And finally, for the first time in a long time I joined a chorale for Thanksgiving. We sang John Rutter's rendition of For The Beauty Of The Earth this evening after dinner. It was lovely, and I think I hit most of the alto harmonies. Thank you, Momma, for always harmonizing! I've learned so much from you.
Still, with all of this joyful abundance I must also admit I'm a bit homesick tonight. Perhaps this is why I'm listening to Alan Jackson's Remember When; country music has a way of bringing me back to Little Falls, Minnesota in a heart beat. Ooh, pumpkin pie was served twelve minutes ago, and so I must scamper off to secure a piece before it vanishes. It is, after all, my highlight in a Thanksgiving meal. Blessings to you and your families. This is Elise, signing out from Holden Village.
I've been walking around Holden today with an exuberance of gratitude - for loving relationships, my good health, a wealth of opportunities allowing me to further grow and develop, and for all that I'm encountering here in the Village. My first week has been full of impromptu delights - involving an invitation to build a dulcimer; a mysterious apricot pit found in Trevor's Indian pea and Paneer cheese curry; a discovery about my favorite childhood television show, Little House On The Prairie; and the chance to join a choir.
Noah asked me about the dulcimer, but after we opened up the box and realized just how extensive the process would be, we decided to play ping pong instead. Upon inquiring about the bamboozling pit, we unanimously came to the conclusion that the harvester had eaten an apricot and spit the seed in his or her pea pods. Because of its size, it didn't sift through the strainer; hence, we find "the little treasure" in our food.
Then, through a conversation with Tom, I found out the General Store that Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote about is the exact same location Holden directors Paul and Carol Hinderlie opened their restaurant - The Harbor View Cafe in Pepin, Wisconsin. And here is an interesting extension to the story...apparently, there are bullet holes in the ceiling of the cafe; it was also once a bar, where a traveling man who cheated in a card game met an unlucky fate. The town sheriff did nothing; he figured the guy had it coming. And finally, for the first time in a long time I joined a chorale for Thanksgiving. We sang John Rutter's rendition of For The Beauty Of The Earth this evening after dinner. It was lovely, and I think I hit most of the alto harmonies. Thank you, Momma, for always harmonizing! I've learned so much from you.
Still, with all of this joyful abundance I must also admit I'm a bit homesick tonight. Perhaps this is why I'm listening to Alan Jackson's Remember When; country music has a way of bringing me back to Little Falls, Minnesota in a heart beat. Ooh, pumpkin pie was served twelve minutes ago, and so I must scamper off to secure a piece before it vanishes. It is, after all, my highlight in a Thanksgiving meal. Blessings to you and your families. This is Elise, signing out from Holden Village.
21 November 2009
Holden...
is white! I rode up the mountain in yellow school bus Jubilee yesterday, and by the time we got to the Village some of the banks were almost six feet high. During the month of November Holden has been inundated with snow - another 32 inches to the 72 that are already on the ground would set a record! Glancing out a window pane, it's looking quite possible. Yesterday the mavericks were shoveling snow off of the rooftops, cross country skiers were tracking trails, and I figured I'd best gear up for this winter wonderland. I rummaged through gaiters in the Hike Haus but only managed to find a mismatched pair - which will definitely suffice. (Note: I didn't have time to pick up some of my own in Vancouver at MEC.)
Holden is full of tradition, and Friday evenings are open mic nights. Anyone with a talent or non-talent is welcome to take the stage for a captive and encouraging audience! Highlights from last night's performances were Kate and Anna's harp and flute duet, Noah's rhythmical typewriter composition, Tom's makeover to the tune of Wicked's "Popular", and the bottle band who played "Mary Had A Little Lamb". I was lucky enough to play a part in the last act with Suz and Johanna, and we're thinking about trying out two bottles each for next Friday's gig! That way we'd have almost at octave to work with - oh, and I'd really like to play "chopsticks". Though I guess we'd need to find yet another bottle and pair of lips to make that happen.
A Saturday custom at Holden is homemade pizza, and I've just spent the last two hours whirling basil and oregano dough in the air for hand-tossed crusts. Most of mine were lopsided versus round - but, I didn't drop a single one! My stomach is now growling, and well, it's only 3:54 so I've got another hour and six minutes to wait. This is Elise, signing out from Holden Village.
Holden is full of tradition, and Friday evenings are open mic nights. Anyone with a talent or non-talent is welcome to take the stage for a captive and encouraging audience! Highlights from last night's performances were Kate and Anna's harp and flute duet, Noah's rhythmical typewriter composition, Tom's makeover to the tune of Wicked's "Popular", and the bottle band who played "Mary Had A Little Lamb". I was lucky enough to play a part in the last act with Suz and Johanna, and we're thinking about trying out two bottles each for next Friday's gig! That way we'd have almost at octave to work with - oh, and I'd really like to play "chopsticks". Though I guess we'd need to find yet another bottle and pair of lips to make that happen.
A Saturday custom at Holden is homemade pizza, and I've just spent the last two hours whirling basil and oregano dough in the air for hand-tossed crusts. Most of mine were lopsided versus round - but, I didn't drop a single one! My stomach is now growling, and well, it's only 3:54 so I've got another hour and six minutes to wait. This is Elise, signing out from Holden Village.
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