May 4, 2002
To: Folk school folks
From: John Wallace
Regarding: Invitation to a retreat on “Lives Worth Living: Questions of Self, Vocation, and Community,” Shalom Hill Farm, May 17-19, 2002
The title of this retreat is the same as that of the May term residential immersion course that will be held at Shalom Hill Farm from May 28 through June 14.
The retreat will be a kind of preview of or dress rehearsal for the course. We will be trying out metaphors of life as a walk or a wander or a journey, We will take a real live walk on the prairie and do some writing and reflection about that.
Those of you who have participated in previous retreats know what we sometimes use an Arnold Lobel frog and toad story to help us raise issues and questions. I don’t know whether we will decide to use this story, but there is a lovely one, “The Corner,” in which frog goes in search of the corner that, as his father has told him, spring is just around.
And hey, isn’t Spring what we are all searching for? We may find it, at Shalom Hill Farm, May 17-19.
Facilitators for the retreat are Peter Shea, Nance Longley, Lynn Englund, and John Wallace.
A special note. This invitation will reach some people who have not previously taken part in a gathering sponsored by the folk school group. That is great. The folk school gatherings are intended to bring new people together and to be open to people who share the values of wanting stronger communities and working to build them. A second special note. We need volunteer “leadership pairs” for the meals. Heather Cardinale has held out lasagna hope for one of the evening meals, Friday or Saturday. If you would like to pair up with Heather, or would like to team up with someone for the other evening meal, or Saturday lunch, or Sunday breakfast, please email me, and I will facilitate setting up the teams.
For logistical information about the retreat, including costs, basics to bring, and directions and travel time, see the web site https://www.hopework.org
A word about future retreats. We have the following retreats scheduled:
July 26-31, 2002
This will be a writing retreat at which people bring their own writing project, have a lot of private time to work on it, and also a lot of time to share writing and ideas with the community of writers that will form. WE ARE FINDING A GREAT DEAL OF INTEREST IN THIS RETREAT. DUE TO THE LEVEL OF INTEREST, WE ARE CREATING A LIST OF THOSE INTERESTED IN COMING. PLEASE LET US KNOW IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE ADDED TO THE LIST.
August 30-September 1, 2002
Just before the start of Fall Semester at the U of MN.
Please let me know if you have questions. And also, let me know that you are coming to the May 17-19 retreat.