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A Garden of Gratitude

(a reflection by Ian Miles, Kitchen Lead)

Though winter came a little early this year in the Plain Valley, we appreciate the time we had to savor the splendid autumnal color spectrum: clear blue skies, leaves of many hues, and mountaintops glazed with snow. The gardens that nourished us all summer long (and well into fall!) are slumbering under their snowy blankets. In this season of giving and of thanks, we look back with gratitude towards those who took part in the task of nourishing others.

For those who cleaned, planted, and cared for the beds in the Guild’s garden, we are grateful – Helen Walsh, Leesa Broker, Mike Caemmerer, and Signora Armstrong.

For those who helped pick berries, beets, and green beans at Snowgrass Farm towards the end of the growing season, we are grateful – Callie Mabry, Mary Hoffman, and Ping Zheng.

For those who operate Snowgrass Farm and Hope Mountain Farm, supplying the Guild with an abundance of fresh greens, produce, and berries grown just down the road, we are grateful – Jenny Bourgeois and her incredible staff, Ruth Ann + Larry.

I’ve always marveled at the power of food in forming relationships, bridging cultures, and filling us with comfort and strength. It’s been a great joy for me this season to continue to see that power in play. This was the first time I’ve been able to see exactly where the food I cook comes from, who grows it, and even harvest it with my own hands. Deepening that connection with food makes it all the more clear why there is such power in sharing it. From seeds in the ground to meals on the plate, there is so much time and effort, so many hands and forces at work, that are all felt, in some unknowable way, with each bite.

For all who have, currently, and will gather around our tables, we give thanks.

Life in the Neutral Zone

(a post-internship reflection by Katie Endres)

This ground is sacred, and the people I’ve met have been, hands-down, the best part of my summer – I have met such incredible people! Over these past ten weeks, I’ve met people from all over the country. I’ve been able to participate in a community that is intergenerational, vulnerable, and expressive. I’ve met various masters of their craft and witnessed how they teach students that range from beginners (like myself) to masters themselves. And I’ve been able to participate in and learn from a person-centered staff and volunteer team that values dialogue and teamwork. Recently, a Guild participant noted that the tone of the community is set by the way the staff interact with one another. It has been so rewarding to participate in this caring and dynamic process, to learn, and to witness how each week’s community develops.

My time at the Guild has taught me the value of the neutral zone, the time between an ending and a beginning. In our lives, both as individuals and organizations, we travel endless cycles of beginnings and endings. At the Guild, that is as true as anywhere else. The Guild is recovering from losses – the loss of their founders, the losses of the pandemic, and the losses of a community in transition. At all levels, both newcomers and Guild veterans are working to understand the next beginning for the Guild. All summer we have been observing and encouraging rest in this neutral zone. It took me nearly my entire time here to realize that I, myself, am floating in a neutral zone. And truthfully, there’s nothing wrong with that – not for me, or for the Guild. It is necessary to mourn the loss of an ending while also opening your arms to the opportunities of a beginning. That is the ultimate lesson I am bringing away from my summer experience here. While my calling and purpose are still fuzzy, I can at least acknowledge where I am in the cycle.

Katie served 10 weeks during the Summer of 2022 as an intern through Valparaiso University’s Calling and Purpose in Society (CAPS) program.

The Life and Spirit of the Guild

(a post-internship reflection by Natalie Gut)

These past months at the Guild has been full of amazing opportunities and wonderful people. It has been so exciting to experience and support the first five weeks of summer programming and meet so many new people.

For me, the beauty of the Guild is the connection and community that forms each week. While many participants have been coming to the Guild for years, some participants, like myself, are brand new. The community that forms between old-timers and newcomers (and everyone in between) is truly a wonder to experience. My time at the Guild has been characterized by open, authentic, and engaging community-wide conversations facilitated through art and through our daily gathering practice at both matins and vespers. My favorite part of the Guild is getting to interact with and get to know so many incredible people from different walks of life. It has been so wonderful to listen to each person’s story, to see their creative processes throughout the week, and be celebrate those processes and their projects during our closing Saturday matins.

Part of what is so wonderful about the Guild, for me, is how every aspect of our work and life here is part of an ongoing creative process. Much like life, this organization is growing and changing. The Guild community is itself living and breathing. There is a lot of work that goes into maintaining this living community, but that work is made easier by the people who fill the dining room with their stories, fill the studio spaces with their creativity, and fill each room with their spirit and energy. They are what sustains this place, and I am so grateful to not only witness this shared community process, but to take an active part in shaping it.

I am beyond proud of the work that I have and continue to put into the Guild, and never for one second do I feel that it goes unappreciated. Our Guild is a place that celebrates even the smallest of victories and accomplishments, a place where everyone is celebrated for showing up and existing, and for bringing life and spirit to every corner.

Natalie served 10 weeks during the Summer of 2022 as an intern through Valparaiso University’s Calling and Purpose in Society (CAPS) program.

Thoughts On The Guild at 40+ Years Old

(a reflection by Acting Co-Director Kari Reiquam)

It helps me to playfully imagine the Guild as a 40 year old person – what are the challenges at this age of maturity?

A 40 year old is starting to realize the body in a different way. The same eating and exercise habits that worked at 20 are not working as well for the body! Sometimes a little gray hair is beginning to show, as are “love handles” and dark circles under the eyes. There is a realization of tiredness and the need for rest, as well as a drive to be established and secure.

The 40 year old might have a stronger desire to be established. The forties are a time when one buys the reliable car, gets rid of the ratty rug, cleans up the wardrobe and focuses on the job and the kids and the parents. The forties are a time when one begins to realize one can’t have everything. Some things need to be left behind or put aside for the future in order to strengthen present foundations and live out the roles one needs to play.

The forties are a middle time between youth and old age, containing pull, stress, and growth. It is a time for compromises as one considers the needs of the vulnerable for strong structures of care. Being part of institutions means compromise of ideals as well as a support and a guide.

This is a time when losing begins to play as much of a role in life as gaining. Accumulation of stuff and experiences is becoming harder to bear and the 40 year old is beginning to feel burdened by more, ready to leave some things behind. This means choosing one beautiful thing instead of another.

There are dreams, of course, in the forties. Sometimes the forties are the grounding of dreams from the twenties and thirties . Sometimes the forties are a time of compromise for the sake of family or community. Sometimes the forties are a time of constructions, where dreams become reality. Sometimes the forties bear new dreams honed within the limits of means.

Yes, the forties frequently represent a time of choosing, a time of building, a time of recognizing limits and resources.

What would you like to say to the Guild at this age?

(If you would like to participate in the Guild’s transition conversation, please take our Transition Survey or contact Kari directly at [email protected])

A Garden of Gratitude

Life in the Neutral Zone

The Life and Spirit of the Guild

Thoughts On The Guild at 40+ Years Old

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