Packing for a Month

This is a crazy summer.  All good things are happening but maybe just too many of them all packed into the same summer.

In light of that I reflected on packing for all of these trips.  We went to Star Island last week, and I usually reserve my Star t-shirts to wear for the week.  After Star we will primarily be staying at Coniston so rather than pack again for Vermont and Coniston, I am going to wear my Star t-shirts all summer up there.  EXCEPT, I will need a few collared shirts for golf if I want to play golf this summer up in Vermont.  OK, so when I go home this week for 3 days, I will have to remember my golf clubs and because I want to sew some quilts I will have to remember the correct fabric and all the right accessories for those quilts.  YIKES, this is getting very complicated.

I wonder how Mom used to pack for the summer when we went to stay most of the summer on Gardiner Island on Lake Champlain.  Did we just throw all of our clothes into a duffel bag? did we pack our own bag or did we pack with a sibling?  We always seemed to have enough clothes although we spent most of the summer in our bathing suits so maybe it did not matter.

For our first wedding of the summer we had to pack for a black tie wedding.  Evening gown and tux.  For our second wedding of the summer, just a regular dress sufficed, and a suit for Rodney.  For the 4th of July, I remembered to pack my red, white and blue hat.

So it will be a miracle if I remember everything, and if everything is in the right place, but when it comes down to it, as long as I have something to wear, I can rent golf clubs and sew something with the fabric already up at Coniston, or I could go buy more fabric.  These are all first world problems.  I carry the essentials in my backpack and everything else is just an add on.

This is it - Thich Nhat Hanh

This quote was one of those we saw on Saturday at ABC carpeting in NYC. The exhibit was of calligraphy that Thich Nhat Hanh made of some of his quotes. In a corner of this huge busy store was a sanctuary of altars surrounding quotes hung on the wall. It was very simple and quiet. Our visit to the ABC Thich Nhat Hanh exhibit was initiated by Karen, who three of us visited for our third annual Star Island Girls weekend.

Each of us focused on a particular quote and the one I latched onto was "This is it". It is another way of saying live in the moment. We repeated it to each other in the remaining time together, at opportune times. It is very freeing and soothing to hear and say.

I have a few books written by him and will definitely open them soon after I get back from this weekend. Since he was in Boston this weekend, I missed him locally but maybe will make an effort to see him soon and at the very least open those books.

What I love is that meditation and stopping to absorb the impact of quotes like this are nearly mainstream. ABC had a lot of floor space dedicated to this exhibit, right off of the first floor! In the busyness of NYC we spent 30 minutes in quiet reflection and absorption. We were moved by whichever one struck us at that moment and on that day.

Mine for now is "This is it". It says it all for me today.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Karen who we visited, reflecting.

It's not a terrible idea

We spent some time with Gary and Michelle on Tuesday, having been on Star Island with them at a Star Board retreat. We offered them a ride to the airport and we had a few hours to do some sightseeing before dropping them at Logan Airport.

While riding along in the car, and brainstorming, to one of Michelle's ideas, Gary said "That's not a terrible idea." I whipped my head around to see if my husband had replaced Gary in the back seat, because this same tenor of response is often his. All four of us repeated this at opportune times during the afternoon. Rod and I have repeated it 100 times in a week.

To Gary and Rod, every idea starts out terrible and after reflection might actually have some merit. Michelle and I love every idea until it proves to be terrible.

Rod claims that he would still say things like this but I have broken him of it with glares or looks of disgust.

So for translation and for the future conversation with Gary and Rod, a terrible idea is one with merit and is actually a good idea, or at least still in the hopper. As Michelle said, "Welcome to my world."

It is events like this that reinforce our differences, and help us to survive conversations by understanding ourself and others. We never stop learning about each other.




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Story Telling - Others' stories

I am a story teller and often it is not my story but some else's.

While on Star we sat at lunch with a man who had not been back to Star for 50 years. The last time on Star he was a Pelican (college age worker at Star). He talked about stepping back on the Island after 50 years and he had tears in his eyes as he tried to communicate that feeling. I noticed those tears and the level of conversation deepened. I of course had a million questions and in reporter mode I asked them. "Why did you take so long to come back?" "Have you thought of coming other years?" "What has changed?"

He answered them conversationally and I had his story near my heart. Later I talked to
other conferees, and staff about him. He was there for some of that and at one point called me his PR agent. His story touched me so much that I knew it had to be told and retold.

As a corporation, we are trying to get people back who love the Island and have wandered away for whatever reason.

Beautiful sunsets are icing on the cake

Rocks remembering those Shoalers we have lost

A result of me telling his story had an effect. There will probably be a newsletter article about his return in an upcoming Star Island newsletter, and he got the 50% past Pelican discount for coming back after an absence. BTW he his returning that discount around as an annual gift to the Island.

Lanterns in the Chapel

If you have been there you understand his tears when he told his story of stepping on the Pier. Some people tell their story, and others like me are so touched that we tell their story as well. This is one that stays and will stay close to my heart, and I will retell appropriately.

Star Island is our spirits home..........

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Coffee and Baths

The only two things missing on Star Island for me are good coffee and a nice bath.  However, I can last a really long time in Paradise without these two leisure activities.

Returning from Star yesterday, I was really cranky.  Some close to me would argue that this was caused by the lack of good coffee.  Maybe!

It gave me the opportunity to reflect on what I get and what is missing from my Island experience.  Yes, I miss good coffee and the showers, whereas they have been improved, are still not very good for their sole purpose of cleaning the body.  A pitcher of warm water and wash cloth only go so far to clean yourself.

Last summer, while volunteering, I made the coffee early one morning, so I know how the sausage is made of the coffee in this case.  When I get organized I bring my own coffee and filters and conduct a coffee ministry on Island.  This year I was not organized for any of my visits there.

So those two things are missing but what is present on Star is: natural beauty, good friends, spontaneous spirituality, rocking chairs and conversations you don't have in your normal day.

I was there for a Star Island Board meeting, so it was not my normal conference.  But other friends arrived on Island and unexpected greetings happened.  A friend from our July conference brought her new boy friend and we got to meet him and see her so happy.  We talked at dinner one night to a man who has not been back in 50 years, his last year working on the Island as a pelican (college age workers who run the Island).  He had tears in his eyes when he told us this.  You cannot described the experience of touching your foot down on the Pier, and being there again, even after 50 years, or a few weeks.

So I can do without the coffee and bath, for a pretty long time.  I am not sure however, that I can do without regular visits to Star in my life.

Lessons Learned from Chamber crew at Star Island

This past week, I volunteered with my friend Amy, on Star Island.  We were assigned to the Chamber crew.  This is where all of the entry level volunteers are assigned.  Bright and early on Sunday morning we reported to the Linen Closet, which is in the basement of the Oceanic hotel on Star Island.

I learned a lot this week and here are three of them:

1. If you say you "Can't" you probably can, with some practice.  At the beginning of the week, as we were occuping ourselves folding linens, I really resisted folding contour sheets.  My MOM taught me how to fold sheets as a young lass, so it is not that I DON'T know how to fold them.  They are just difficult for me.  Amy asked me what I do at home with contours, and being a path of least resistance kind of person, I strip the bed in the morning, wash the sheets during the day, and put them directly back on the bed.  No folding needed.  However, as the week wore on, and as I listened to the professional chamber workers, I realized that with lots of practice, and I mean folding sheets in the tens if not hundreds, that I actually learned to like folding contours.  Notice I did not say LOVE!  So whereas I resisted on Sunday, by Friday I was actually reaching into the never ending bin of folding opportunities, for a contour.
2. Bleach, is a really good disinfectant and cleaner, and it does whiten things.  Living on Star Island, which is 40 acres big, with 400 others, is tight quarters.  There are many procedures in place to make Star seem like it is 1900 still.  Part of the intrigue of the Island is that you can go back over 100 years, as you sit in a rocking chair on the front porch, look out across Gosport Harbor to Appledore and Smuttynose.  Things have changed, but very little in some ways.  One of our jobs, in our 3 times a day rounds, was to disinfect the common living areas and the guest quarters.  With a bucket of diluted bleach, a rag and rubber gloves, off we went to clean while the conferees were eating their meals in the 19th century dining room.  Because of our waste water treatment plant, and the regulatory discharge rules, we cannot let bleach get into the system.  The white towels, and wash clothes become stained, and dirty and we cannot use bleach out there.  One of the tasks is literally, with a tooth brush and a paste of cream of tartar and diluted bleach, to scrub stains out of the linens.  Believe me it was a thankless job, and one that we wondered aloud if there was any positive result.  However, we were sitting outside doing this, and talking with a few others while we scrubbed away, and we were looking out on White Island Light House, so the task was arduous but the scenery was fabulous.  AND, my favorite Star Island shirt is now covered with spots of white, from when I sprayed the bleach bottle in the wrong direction.
3. Our young adults are very wise, full of energy and dedicated and brave.  The job we had on Star is a difficult one, and keeping everyone clean and healthy was compounded by a virus among the community.  Working with the CDC, the management team has put procedures in place to minimize the impact of the virus, on the workers and the guests.  There were a few disgusting tasks that chamber has to do, that the young workers would not allow Amy and myself to do.  We are eternally grateful for this gesture.  As they put on their masks, and gloves, and other protective equipment to go clean up a bathroom, or guest room, I marvelled that they did not get on the next boat to the mainland.  We discussed in our three times a day meetings, what was being done across the teams on the Island, to ensure good hygiene and safety.  They had really good ideas, and alternate solutions to issues, and verbalized these.  Often times their suggestion was implemented.  This community makes it safe to be open and honest, and brave.  Let's hope that Star is a microcosm for the others communities that these young adults return to at the end of the summer

We returned home exhausted, and I wonder how the Pelicans (college age workers on the Island), do it day after day.  I do know in a way, why they work there.  The natural beauty, the lack of technology and the deep community that is built there year after year.

My Summer Service at First Parish today - July 15, 2012

Below is the text of my summer service given at First Parish Lexington on July 15, 2012.  My altar looked like this:

Opening words

I knew this would happen that I would change my sermon slightly or hugely on Star.  I signed up for this summer sermon slot for this very reason.  We just spent a wonderful week on our beloved Star Island, where I first discovered that I have spirituality and where I have returned for the last 18 summers, to renew myself, to dive deeper into my spirituality and to spend time contemplating what is important in my life, our lives.  Please join me today on this journey during our time together.

Sally holds up picture that Joni Lipton gave them and Reads:

If once you have slept on an island

You'll never be quite the same

You may look as you looked the

Day before & go by the same old name

You may bustle about the street or shop

You may sit at home and ponder

But you'll see blue water & wheeling gulls

Wherever you may wander

You may chat with your neighbors of this and that

And close to your fire keep

But you'll hear ship whistle & lighthouse bell

And tides beat through your sleep

Oh you won't know why & can't say how

Such change upon you came

But once you have slept

On an island

You will never be

Quite the same.

Rodney Reads:

What I loved in the beginning, I think, was mostly myself.

Never mind that I had to, since somebody had to.

That was many years ago.

Since then I have gone out from my confinements,

through with difficulty.

I mean the ones that thought to rule my heart.

I cast them out, I put them on the mush pile.

They will be nourishment somehow (everything is nourishment

somehow or another).

And I have become the child of the clouds, and of hope.

I have become the friend of the enemy, whoever that is.

I have become older and, cherishing what I have learned,

I have become younger.

And what do I risk to tell you this, which is all I know?

Love yourself.  Then forget it.  Then, love the world.

~ Mary Oliver ~

Grey Hymnal 298

Wake now my senses

Wake now my senses and hear the earth call

feel the deep power of being in all

Keep with the web of creation your vow

giving, receiving as love shows us how

Wake now my reason reach out to the new

join with each pilgrim who quests for the true

Honor the beauty and wisdom of time

suffer thy limit and praise the sublime

Wake now compassion, give heed to the cry

voices of suffering fill the wide sky

Take as your neighbor both stranger and friend

praying and striving their hardship to end

Wake now my conscience with justice thy guide

join with all people whose rights are denied

Take not for granted a privileged place

God's love embraces the whole human race

Start of Homily

When I was asked by Peter to do a summer service I immediately replied yes, and when he asked me to pick one of the themes from this year I jumped on stewardship.  You might not know but our chalice circles here at First Parish follow the monthly sermon topics and I found that as an individual I grew the most during our chalice circle's stewardship session.  That is why I chose to tackle it.  Before I tell you my thoughts I would be interested in how you would complete this sentence in 10 words or less, Stewardship is ...

I had drafted my homily 2 weeks ago, however, an incident which happened 10 days ago caused my sermon to take a 90 degree turn.  My personality type is one which allows me to connect disparate thoughts and make a casserole out of these disparate thoughts, and a pretty good casserole.  What it means for this morning is that I will loosely connect this experience of 10 days ago with the title of stewardship.  Hang with me, this will be a circuitous journey and we will get to the end and you might understand a bit about how I view stewardship.

A brief bit of history, while at General Assembly this year, I attended the vigil at Sheriff Joe Arpaio's tent city which is a tent city, a detention center for undocumented immigrants in Maricopa County in Phoenix, Arizona.  Me and 3000 other yellow-shirted Unitarian Universalists stood on the side of love, witnessed with the immigrant rights partners and became allies. For those of you who do not know about Joe Arpaio, google him, ARPAIO.   He prides himself on being the toughest sheriff in the US.  Conditions for the undocumented immigrants in his tent city are inhumane at best.  120 degrees in the middle of the desert, in a tent because the cells are full, 2 meals a day, no free access to water, pink underwear and socks, (so they don't sell them on the outside).  The most distressing testimonial I heard at one of our plenary sessions, was from a woman who had been detained in the tent city, and was handcuffed to the bed as she gave birth to her child.  She was talking to us while holding that child.  The vigil was very moving! You can read more details about it in my blog, sally-alwaysaskingwhy.blogspot.com which is listed at the bottom of your order of service.

Last Friday, Friday the 6th of July, before I left for Star Island I went to Waltham to tutor my learner who is a 40 year old woman from Guatemala with a husband and 2 children.  I tutor her through an agency in Waltham called WATCH, which provides education and support for immigrant families in Waltham.  A handful of First Parishioners tutor at WATCH.  I am referring to her as a learner and not using her name to protect her. 

She had been distant for a few weeks and did not want to meet.   She finally agreed to meet.  I asked "How are you?"  and with tears in her eyes she said "ICE agents took my brother 3 weeks ago.".  ICE stands for immigration and customs enforcement.  Needless to say whatever we were going to do for that hour was pushed aside.  She told me his story, her brother has been here for 27 years, married to a Canadian citizen who is in the process of applying for her green card.  He has a 21 year old, an 18 year old and an 8 year old.  The 21 year old is an American citizen, and applied to sponsor his father, my learner's brother, for citizenship.  The cynic in me says this is how they got his address, from the application.  He was taken at 6am in front of his 8 year old and is in Plymouth Massachusetts in a prison right now. 

She also told me about 4 others in their community who have been taken in the last month.  They were all arrested for doubtful offenses like scratching a car that was across a parking lot from where he was making a phone call on his cell phone.  Another one was arrested for trespassing by standing in the parking lot of a neighboring business.  Behavior like Joe Arpaio's is happening in our back yard, one town away.  Somehow when it is happening in Phoenix, even though I went to the vigil, it seemed unreal, or surreal.  However, when it is happening 2 blocks from the Waltham Library, which is where she and I meet every week, it brought it home to me, literally.  In the past year she has become my friend and I get mad when friends get treated unfairly and live in fear.  She is afraid that she and her husband will be taken in front of their 11 year old son and 7 year old daughter and they have lived in the US for 19 years.  She did not know whether to tell me since she is so fearful and doesn't know who to trust.  We gained trust with each other.  I encouraged her to ask for help at WATCH, and told her I would ask around to see if there are resources available for her and other undocumented immigrants.

If you know me at all you know that I have passion, and I get angry when things are not right or fair.  What we have here is a broken immigration policy and ICE agents who are implementing it.  Someone on Star kept reminding me that this is an election year.  That does not make this right.  My Facebook post read last Friday: "Someone will be sorry they poked this sleeping lioness!". What my learner said during our hour together is "we are not criminals, we are hardworking people.  This is not freedom I heard about before I came here.". What I said is "yes, you are a hard worker.  You, meaning her community, you mow our lawns, clean our houses and take care of elderly in our nursing homes."  BTW, Jobs that many Americans would not/do not do.

The title of my blog post right after I left her was "don't know whether I am more SAD or MAD right now." 

So how does this tie into stewardship.  For me stewardship is being a steward with my money, time and energy.  It means pushing forward on an issue that I feel passionate about.  It means pouring my money and time into someone or something that needs my money and time.

My husband Rodney and I in the last few years have narrowed the number of organizations to which we donate large amounts of money.  We give small amounts to our alma maters, we always give at GA to the local organization, we give a 20 bill when the congregation gives the plate away once a month.  Our two large donation receivers are First Parish and Star Island.  Unfortunately these are both institutions which spend large amounts of capital to keep their old wooden buildings open and safe.  Why do we give to these two? The short answer is that they are in line with our values, and they feed us spiritually, and they are our intentional community.

It has taken almost 20 years of attendance at both First Parish Lexington and Star Island for us to narrow our donations down to these two, and for me to figure out in my gut why.  Some of it has to do with aging and realizing my mortality.  Some of it is that I want these institutions to be around for my grandchildren and my community.  The biggest part is community though.  Where do I turn when I have a joy or sorrow?  Where do people know me well and I know them well, and we really care about each other?  What do I want to be around in 100 years, and who needs my support and stewardship?  We have to have a community like this to feed each other so we can go stand at a vigil, or visit immigrants in prison or work tirelessly to change legislation and therefore erase implementation of broken policies.

Financial stewardship is one part, but helping hands and loving hearts and minds is another.  I don't know about you but some days, the number of people who need my financial support and helping hands is overwhelming.  Especially going to General Assembly, where there are so many people doing so many good things, I want to try to do it all.  But, I know focus is essential.

For First Parish, I have been pretty involved since the day I stepped across the threshold.  Why? Because the organization needs volunteers, and I want to be involved.  We are healthy pledgers and we give our hands and hearts to this loving community, we participate in the stewardship of the congregation.

Star Island also needs my help.  I am in my fourth year of service on the Star Island Board.  I bring skills which the Board needs.  It is a heavy fiduciary responsibility to serve on this board.  In the recession it is touch and go whether we can fill the beds, keep the wooden structure up to code and pay the bills.  Kind of like here except here we fill the pews instead of beds.  We recently gave a healthy donation to a capital campaign and every year donates to the Star island annual program fund.

Where do the tent city vigil, Joe Arpaio and my learner fit in?  I am prepared to work for immigrant rights, to stand on the side of love with migrants and their families.  My stewardship will include making the United States a fairer place for immigrants.  Within an hour of leaving her that Friday I called up two people who might know immigration lawyers I could talk to about this, and one who I could send my learner to.  Cindy sent me a link to UU Mass Action for follow up opportunities from GA.  At GA upon hearing the woman speak who had her child in prison, we gave $1000 on the spot to a partner organization who is helping undocumented immigrants with their rights.

I won't probably add a third organization to First Parish Lexington and Star but I might if I think it would help.  I just might become a steward of another needy important organization and one I have passion for.  I just might because as someone at Star said, about his donation to the Star Island annual program fund, you have to give until it hurts.  May it be so.

Our prayer this morning will be sung, and will be slower than we usually sing it, and will be sung through twice

Spirit of Life - Prayer

Spirit of life come unto me

Sing in my heart all the stirrings of compassion

Blow in the wind rise in the sea

Move in the hand giving life the of justice

Roots hold me close wings set me free

Spirit of life come to me come to me

Participation - Bethany Lowe in ten words or less how do you steward First Parish?

1020 Teal “Singing the Journey”  Woyaya

Benediction

Two hours after I left my learner I texted her (((hugs))).  Within two minutes she texted back, "thank you my best friend".  I burst our crying with sadness and anger.  Sometimes to be a steward in a community it is as simple as texting hugs.  As you leave the service think about who you might send hugs to today.  I ask you to think about your stewardship and how it has evolved.  The world needs our hands and hearts in addition to our money.

From Vivian for Bernie

I wrote the following about a chapel service at Star Island given by our dear friend Vivian. Vivian taught me that night to reach out to those in pain. They can decide whether to answer or not, but don't hesitate to reach out.

Now as another dear friend from Star has been moved to hospice, I am reminded of how important it is to reach out to those we love who are in pain and remember those who have died that we love.

Here is what I wrote that summer:

THE CHAPEL and VIVIAN

The Chapel creates magic, or rather we create magic often in the Chapel. The obvious magic is the lanterns we carry up the hill to hang and light up the inside. Also obvious are the stories told each night inside the Chapel. We all leave with a part of someone else, shared from the pulpit or from the audience.

This particular night was special; super-magic an extraordinary event that demonstrated the inner connected web which binds us all. We were traumatized a year ago by the news that Vivian had been diagnosed with bone cancer. Would I see her again? Would she come to Star again?

Yes, Yes, she did and she lit the Chapel up that night along with Tom. No lanterns were needed. Like a spider she connected all of us with the threads of her year and with her compassion, honesty, truth and wisdom. The Chapel had an aura, a moment so special and dear.

No one wanted to leave the Chapel, in case we might never see Vivian again. My first thought was that we could all sleep over in the Chapel. We finally did leave but not before our paths down the hill had been guided by Vivian, Tom and their story. Only on Star, and only in the Chapel. We are all connected by a web.

and the poem I also wrote:

The music was over
Long after we should have left the Chapel
Bodies were in pews
On the hill the lanterns were flickering
And spirits stayed connected by a fiber
As thin as a spider web
No on moved


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Day 4 and 5 Painting the outside of the Infirmary

When I talked to the volunteer coordinator at the beginning of the week, about what my possible jobs might be, she mentioned painting. That would be fun, I thought. Why is it more fun to do things other places than your own house? Painting at home would be a chore, but painting a beloved building at Star would be fun.

In the first few meals during my volunteer work, I started eating with four other volunteers, Jeanie and Mike, their son Sam and his best friend Ben. Jeanie and Sam ended up on the paint crew. There was a very well intended older volunteer who taught us the "right" way to paint with many, many, many details. Often these details were too much too soon in the process. He also is an extreme perfectionist, and was much too thorough in the job. We ended up taking screen mesh out of the screens, and this was not part of the job. The Pel supervisor intervened during the next shift but not before the damage had been done.

A also talked non stop which gave me an insight as to how others might perceive me. A non stop talker that is, not giving too much details!

Jeanie and I hit it off wonderfully at our first paint shift and we continued to connect for the rest of the week about Star, quilting, parenting etc.

As an aside, for one evening and two afternoons, I ran Myers Briggs workshops for the Pels. Jeanie and her son Sam came to the second one, and her daughter, Sunny, who is a Pel came to one as well. We continued to talk and laugh about Myers Briggs for the rest of the week.

Jeanie took a picture of me painting the infirmary. Every time I return to Star I will walk by that wall and see the smooth strokes of my paint brush.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Day 2 and 3 - Overcoming Fears

Days 2 and 3 of my volunteer week were interesting to say the least. The Pels have a volunteer coordinator who collects tasks from the various crews.

My first task was to wash the windows along the front of the hotel, the big wooden hotel, whose windows face the pier. They are exposed to the salt air 24/7. As all of their jobs, the Pels have engineered the window washing to be efficient and fun. They also consider resources when they do a job. Rather than using Windex, which apparently does not work with the sea air, they use a couple of squirts of soap and a squeegee. After a few windows a very helpful Pel brought me some sheets of newspaper. This is used to wipe off any of the streaks. Brilliant!! Don't tell Rod that I now do windows though.

While washing the windows, often on a step ladder, I became acquainted with thousands of spiders. BIG GIANT spiders. The first few I backed away from but after a while they became my friend. Except for the poisonous ones, they are pretty harmless, and they do survive by trapping other insects. A Pel went to great extremes to get a spider out of the hotel onto the porch without killing it. This was when I realized I had overcome one fear, or at least lessened it.

My fear of heights also presented itself as I climbed the step ladder to wash the top windows. Again, with each subsequent climb, the knot in my stomach subsided and I was climbing the ladder like a champ.

Day 3 I cleaned all of the glass mantles in the chandeliers in the lobby of the hotel. I had a taller ladder this time, but since I was almost over the fear of heights, it was no problem at all.

I have two fears left, mice and snakes. Mice I think I can overcome, but honestly, snakes are never going to get crossed off the list of fears.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Day 1 - Volunteering on Star - Chamber

Usually after a week, on Star Island, I have to leave. Saturday morning comes and with tears in my eyes I crawl onto the Thomas Leighton and depart. This year however, since our Star Island Corporation Board retreat will be only 5 days from the end of our conference, I decided to stay and volunteer on the Island for the 5 days in between our conference and the start of the retreat.

Change over day is the busiest day of the week for the Pelicans / aka Pels (the college age youth who work on the Island). I have new appreciation for how hard they work during this day and the extent they go to, ensuring that the Island is ready for the next boat of 260 conferees.

I was assigned to the third floor of Oceanic along with 3 others. From 8:30 am until 3:30 pm, we worked on this one floor. Every bureau and every bed side table made of wood was cleaned with Murphy's Soap, including the inside of the drawers. Beds were made with proper hospital corners (Thanks Mom for teaching me how to make those). The Chamber Pel described how to place the towels, the soap dish, the trash cans and the extra blanket. All are placed consistently in the rooms, to project the image of simplicity and cleanliness.

We took three breaks, where the supervisor checked in with all of us and how we were doing. We did jumping jacks and screamed as loud as we could at the end of our quick meetings.

We were just one very small cog in the wheel of change over, and as I said I have new appreciation for how hard our young adults work to welcome us to our/their Island.

I was exhausted at the end of the day, and since this was not my conference I went to bed early and slept like a log. I have sore muscles from my day on chamber change over that I have not felt for years.

I looked with a new eye at my room when I checked in and inspected the hospital corner and placement of the soap dish.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

With some people this is how I act - all joking aside

One of my fellow shoalers this last week comes to Star about every 5 years.  Almost as soon as we step on the boat to travel to the island, we are zinging each other.  This happens with me and certain people.  I am sure there is some Freudian analysis that would explain it.  Maybe he reminds me of my Dad or my brothers.  In any case, on Tuesday, R turned to me and said "Can we stop this?" to which I replied "Yes".  Our efforts to only speak gently and kindly to each other was hysterical, and almost sugar sweet, BUT we made it through most of the week, and BTW, we got to know each other in a different way, a deeper way.  It was nice, and would never have happened unless he said "Can we stop this?"

Another conversation the last morning, was about joking.  I still maintain that all joking has a certain amount of truth, otherwise, why would the joke come to you in the first place?  B and I totally agree on this one, and we are both pretty sensitive so the jokes hit us harder than others.  I have been on this rant for a while at work and at play.   Some joking is funny, and light-hearted but some is down right mean.  How do you walk the fine line between the two?  I cross over that line a lot, particularly with people like R who trigger me.

Pretty funny that I blog about these two topics together.  They are joined in my mind and are room for my personal improvement.

Island Citizenship - what does it look like?

For the next few years, my volunteer hours are going to be spent on the board of SIC (Star Island Corporation).  This weekend we had our June retreat "on island" and it was bittersweet.  It was fabulous because we got two days on the island and not so good because we spent most of the time inside meeting.  We could look out the windows at the island's natural beauty, which includes the pelicans aka pels (college age kids who work on the island), conferees and guests of the island.

One major topic we discussed a lot was Island Citizenship.  Some of us tried to drop the Island part and just call it Citizenship, but IMHO, we should leave Island in the concept.  The essence of the concept is that we all have to exist on this fragile small island (rock) in the middle of the Atlantic where most of us come for one week of the year.  Many of us identify with "our week" and for the Island to exist we have to lift up our eyes and view the Island for the entire year, not just our week.  The second part of the concept is how we treat each other within this Island community.  There is lots of good work within our denomination about intentional community and right relations.  (Google those)  The third part is that our Island is fragile in many ways, and since we are all so passionate about making sure it exists for our grand children and beyond, we need to make every effort to fill beds this summer and beyond. 

The Board has done a lot of good work since I joined 15 months ago, and it is a concept like Island Citizenship, which peaks my interest and causes me to get up at 5:30am on a weekend to put some effort into it.  Shoalers beware, and non-Shoalers feel free to listen as well; the next time you see me, I will probably be enthusiastically talking about this concept.  In the meantime, what do you think so far, with this little bit you have heard?  Do you belong to an organization where participants feel so passionate and are working hard to maintain its future?  Have you thought about intentional community and right relations?  Do you have any best practices for moving an organization in those directions?  This is a true Sally post; alwaysaskingwhy!

Gloucester museum and visiting Star friends

Yesterday, I drove up to Gloucester to visit with B and J. After swimming in their very warm pool, catching up on our lives, and eating a wonderful lunch by the pool, B and I drove over to the Cape Ann Museum of Art. B, who is becoming a docent at this museum, knows that I am a quilter and there is an exhibit right now of a quilter Clara Wainright. Here is a link to one she did names Gloucester Fisherman's Wives Quilt. She has also exhibited in a small museum in our backyard, Decordova.

Many of her quilts have a social action or political statement, like the Fisherman's wives one. Clara also is published in our UU World magazine for her work with quilting in communities in a collaborative way. If I did not have a need to be back home I would have spent the afternoon there. The exhibit closes on June 20th, so I am going to try to get back up there.

What I was left with yesterday is that in our own back yards are wonderful art treasures stored in small museums. This museum has a sea coast origin so there are ship models, and sea paintings. Gloucester and Rockport are known for their artists, so you can only imagine the talent encompassed in this place. I also thought a lot yesterday about how artists often make a political statement by expressing that statement through their art.

BTW, right next door to the museum, is a glass bead maker shop. Again, I could have dropped quite a bit of money in that shop if I had some time to shop. Another reason to go swim with B, and top if off with an afternoon at the Museum. I will go back!

The ONLY bad thing about Star is . . .

The only bad thing about Star is the showers. They are few and far between and this week, there was just a trickle from the nozzle, not really enough to rinse. There were 3 of them, but none were satisfying.

I asked a lot of people at Star this week, "Why do you come? What brings you back? What first brought you?"

Many respondents said it was the people. The natural beauty was also mentioned a few times.

I pondered it myself this week, Why do I keep coming back? It is the people and the traditions. Where else can you spend an entire social hour talking about names of couples and whose name do you say first e.g. Bonnie and Clyde or Sally and Rodney. We came up with some hypotheses, but no conclusions. It was a silly conversation.

As I sat on East Rock last night at 12 midnight with about 30 others, I realized this is why I come back. Simple entertainment, the wonder of the world, laid out before your eyes, ears and nose. The fog horn on White Island and the sea gulls. Singing folk songs until you cannot keep your eyes open and falling into bed to the sounds of the teens on their last night staying up for the sun rise.

This is why I come back: the rocking chairs, lime rickeys, silly conversations, deep conversations, the tears, the laughter, early morning coffee, 10pm chapel, walking up the hill in silence carrying a lantern, the din of the dining hall, children's artwork, adult artwork, the 269 other shoalers, the silliness, the healing conversations, sharing, catching up on last year, planning other visits, soaking in the sunlight on the front porch and the LACK of: TV, news, cars, outside world

It is a shock to the system to be back on the mainland. As I sit at Coniston in my daze I have mentioned to a few people that it is like being jet lagged only star lagged.

After the first great shower in a week, I feel clean again, and touched again by the magic and spiritual aspect of Star.

It has been a wonderful few weeks, punctuated by my annual visit to Star. Back to work refreshed, and healed, and recharged.

It is Raining again!!!!

Ok, I am sort of getting it, that people are sick of the rain. It is 8:48 in the morning and it looks like twilight. I guess it is a good thing I had some sun in Salt Lake City, and I sure would not want to be on Star Island in this weather.

So my crankiness yesterday is partially explained by too much travel, too many things going on and not enough sleep in my own bed. Granted, these are all things I asked for, quilting, General Assembly and most importantly Star, BUT I have not even unpacked my bags from Vermont Quilt Festival and certainly have not even looked at GA materials. The pile is building in the corner of my bedroom.

Murg was clearing out his pile last night, but I fell asleep, which was really needed.

So as I grab an umbrella to go out with E on her last day at Intuit, I will miss her, I think maybe the rain is also affecting me. Please get it out of your system before our Star week. It does not look hopeful. Pack lots of warm clothes and jeans, not t-shirts and shorts. The last few years at Star, I have not even put on my long pants. A different year this year, I suppose. Just like you can never have a bad weekend, you can never have anything but a glorious week on Star.

Life is Good - Brilliant company and tag line

I recently bought 2 more Life is Good t-shirts. I bought one early on before their popularity and I still wear it albeit infrequently coz I don't want it to fall apart. There were certain places early on, that I had to wear it e.g. at least once at Star Island every year. Now that there is a t-shirt sold each year for that conference, I don't have enough days now to wear it, so it sits on the shelf for Star.

I often think, Life is Good, sometimes and sometimes it is NOT GOOD. If there were not good times and bad times, we would not have the comparison to know the difference. This is kind of like the Baby on Board signs. There is not always a Baby on Board, so the sign is a lie sometimes.

Wearing the shirt, when Life is NOT Good, is a prod to be positive maybe or a day turns bad and you need to change shirts. Maybe I can bring it to Star this year, and wear it to indicate when Life is Good for me. In that case, it would be worn out, but now that I have 3, I could alternate them.

I also wonder if in this horrific economy, whether more people are buying Life is Good gear?

So today for me Life is Good. It is Friday, and by big brother got Red Sox vs. Yankess tickets for G (older brother), J (sister-in-law of older brother) T (oldest younger brother) and S (me)

It is sunny, and we head to Coniston after the SIC meeting tomorrow.

Embarking on an Exciting Adventure - SIC Star Island Corporation

Tomorrow night will be my first Star Island Corporation meeting. Officially I won't be elected to the Board until the annual meeting on Saturday, but they did not want me to miss out on this first meeting, which was very nice.

I do a lot of volunteer work, and it was a real honor to be asked to server on this Board. I know it won't be easy, since there are always challenges. A wooden hotel, on a rock in the middle of the ocean in a very fragile environment. We cannot control the hurricanes, or lightening strikes, or squalls; the acts of nature. We can control our regulatory compliance but we cannot control the economy and what it might do to registration. It is an excellent staff. I served on the search committee for the CEO and recommended the job to the current Development Director.

With limited volunteer hours, since I am still gainfully employed, this is where I want to put my energy.

I am excited and a bit scared. Excited, because Star means so much to me and as I said, I am honored to serve. Scared, because this is a huge responsibility.

So tonight I will finish cramming, and read through the materials for my first Board meeting. "Star Island is my spirit's home". That is why I serve.

Busy times and fun trips

This time of year always gets busy. This weekend we are in Nevada at a deGanahl/Russell family reunion. These are the cousins that we grew up with on the Lazy EH Ranch in Colorado. I wish more of us could get there, but whoever is there is exactly who should be there I guess. We have another opportunity for a reunion in August, when my cousin Nancy's son Galen is getting married, so that means another trip to Colorado.

In June we are off to Salt Lake City for General Assembly, Star in July, England in September to celebrate M's 70th birthday and hopefully Thailand to visit B for Christmas. In looking at a map, we are pretty much halfway around the world when we get to Thailand.

There are times in our lives when we are busier than others, but it feels like we are ramping up for a busy few months. Not that I am complaining, coz it is all good stuff.

Mass MoCA

This weekend we went with some All Star II friends to the Mass MoCA in North Adams, MA. Go if you are in the area. We had a docent which is really the only way to visit I think. Without the docent I would have just walked by many of the installed art, without considering many of the aspects and details that the guide pointed out.

The museum is an abandoned mill building. Don't you love what is being done with old mill buildings?

Because of the wall space, they are able to install really BIG pieces of art. I realized as we were on the tour, that I really like museums like this. I am OK with walking through salons that have "Classic" art, but I like better modern artists.

There were some marble sculptures of freeway intersections in LA with all of the trees, houses and cars carved in incredible detail. There some biospheres, where you put your head up inside of the greenery. There was an installation of what looked like jersey barriers gone wrong. In fact they had to reinforce the floor to put this installation in.

Anyway, it was a great weekend with the past chairs of All Star II. Since we are directors of our conference, we HAVE to meet to do business. It really is a chance to see a subset of our Star community another time during the year and to catch up on everybodys' lives.

It was a beautiful drive back from the Berkshires, and now I am sitting on the couch taking advantage of that extra hour we got today.