Grangers and friends had a great time at our August General Meeting and Potluck on Aug. 26th.
Our Chaplain Barton Stone presented an inspiring benediction (See below.)
Our Grange band entertained us with a performance of the song, “Day-O” by Harry Belafonte, representing the struggle and strife of the banana pickers of the United Fruit Company.
President Lawrence shared a story about a man who, during the Nixon administration, burned a candle outside the White House every night, not to change policies, but in hopes that he would not be changed.
Lawrence also informed us that stress can temporarily lower IQ and diminish empathy by disrupting the brain’s ability to focus and process information. Gathering as a community, he explained, directly counteracts the effects of stress by reducing cortisol levels and releasing oxytocin, the “bonding hormone.” This social support frees up cognitive resources, improving focus and problem-solving, while also fostering a sense of shared experiences that enhances empathy and connection. Stress relief is real when people gather. We gather so that WE do not change. We gather for US. Go home and light a candle tonight.
Peter S. awarded Grange scholarships to Libby Jaffe, attending Western Washington University; Sakiko Pizzorno, attending Cal Poly SLO; Miako Pizzorno, attending Cal Poly SLO; Jimena Santos, attending Roseland University Prep.
Jim and Janet from the Bodega Bay Grange told us about that Grange’s effort to create a commercial kitchn at the hall, and Janet’s Coastal Garden Group, created to help the Bodega Bay community learn how to grow vegetables along the coast.
Shawn Patterson, from Good to Grow Garden Teas shared his methods for ‘farming worms’. Worm castings, aka worm poop, are the key to a healthy, productive garden. The nutrients and micronutrients are made bioavailable for the plants. Good bacteria! Castings will not burn your plants. He demonstrated how we can turn kitchen scraps into “black gold”.
We welcomed new Grange members Chris Harnish, Mary Ely, Joan Birch, Adele Diehl, Caroline Jenkins, Kent Jenkins, Clayton Creager, Beth Acosta, Penny Bellus, and Richard Murphy.
Dear Human:
You’ve got it all wrong.
You didn’t come here to master unconditional love. This is where you came from and where you’ll return.
You came here to learn personal love.
Universal love.
Messy love.
Sweaty Love.
Crazy love.
Broken love.
Whole love.
Infused with divinity.
Lived through the grace of stumbling.
Demonstrated through the beauty of… messing up.
Often.
You didn’t come here to be perfect, you already are.
You came here to be gorgeously human. Flawed and fabulous.
And rising again into remembering.
But unconditional love? Stop telling that story.
Love in truth doesn’t need any adjectives.
It doesn’t require modifiers.
It doesn’t require the condition of perfection.
It only asks you to show up.
And do your best.
That you stay present and feel fully.
That you shine and fly and laugh and cry and hurt and heal and fall and get back up and play and work and live and die as YOU.
It’s enough.
It’s Plenty …
—Courtney A. Walsh