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An interval of respite at To Honor will be awarded based on peer nomination, donor sponsorship, or by completing an online application. Visitation will be funded by public and corporate donations, and retreat staff are comprised of our community's resident volunteers.
As our goal is to provide a peaceful and rejuvenating setting, we anticipate welcoming an average of four caregivers in a given respite retreat interval. Out of consideration for our impact on the larger community, and out of respect for the functional health of our Intentional Community, we have chosen a schedule for caregiver visitation that is mindful of our own resident's need for recharge.
Guest scheduling will intentionally group those whose work is in the same field of service. This common ground will provide a foundation where empathy, support and peer counsel can naturally occur.
Realizing that others share so similar a burden of responsibility will promote emotional support, and will bolster strength and courage.
We recognize it takes courage to care..
Guests will enjoy a no-cost, all-inclusive, respite lasting between 3-7 days, on a 700 acre waterfront Land Trust in northeast Washington State.
Transportation to/from the retreat is the responsibility of our guests, but beyond that, only personal care items need be packed. Every other need is provided for.
Aimed at restoring each honored guest's health and vitality, the respite retreat will offer a menu of wholesome and delicious foods, comfortable sleeping quarters, and surroundings that encourage social interaction with fellow guests, and residents. That said, should a guest prefer solitude, respite here is unconditional.
A calendar of diverse programs and activities will stir interest in the likes of: gourmet cooking, home preserving, organic gardening, beginning and advanced woodworking, sculpture, lost wax bronze forging, and many outdoor pastimes.
A variety of small and informal classes will be offered at To Honor, and guest speakers have already promised their time and skills. Elliot Landy, who became famous at Woodstock by photographing Jimmy Hendrix, Joplin & others, has offered to lecture. Of even greater interest to Elliot, he would be pleased to introduce our guests to Energy Work; what he called "Sharing Stillness".
Within our accomplished staff, and network of friends, the sharing of long-held culinary secrets has been promised.
Whether it is beginning Yoga or Tai Chi, learning to make perfect pastry and breads, carving a totem pole, joining in a campfire sing-along, or enjoying the startling splash of a beaver's tail while canoeing, invigorating activities are a natural part of life for our residents.
Participation in any class or outing is optional, but should a guest be inclined, even if it is a drop-in during a session already underway, their choice to join will always be met with welcoming smiles.
Arts and More..
Cooking in community begins by using the freshest ingredients. Herbs will be cut within moments of use, and seasonal vegetables will require a trip to the garden aisle, rather than the grocery aisle. Here guests will discover the simplicity of savory Italian cuisine, or learn the secrets to foolproof pastries. An interest in keeping summer fruits year-round might find a guest taking part in home food preserving with a skilled resident.
Organic gardening, and a variety of homestead skills will be ongoing in our community. It will be our joy to accommodate any guest's interest in daily projects here. The art of homemaking, growing a garden, and the harvest and preparation of garden and orchard produce will be part, and parcel of sustaining our community, and the vitality of all within it. Residents are stewards of the field and forest.
Time Honored Craftsmanship
It is our vision that the Intentional Community's woodworking shop will not only support onsite cottage industry, but will double as classroom. A guest interested in woodworking, carving, or forging, will be encouraged to join in the activities. Using a portable sawmill, we're able to mill lumber for onsite use. The proceeds from wood product sales will help support our community, the Land Trust conservancy, and guest scholarships.
Walking Tours
Guests interested in taking a quiet walk have more than a mile of riverfront to enjoy. If company is welcome, guided field tours will draw awareness to forest health, and natural balance between insects, birds, and soil. A fallen branch picked up along the way can be fitted with a grip, rendering the walking stick a gift to remember a guest's time at To Honor.
To Honor Conservancy
We will demonstrate our reverence for the land by protecting 700 acres of unspoiled riverfront splendor from development. The parcel is within a river valley where we steward a sustainable yield hillside forest. Only environmentally conscious forest practices are undertaken here. By grooming trails, pruning, and mulching, we lessen the likelihood of forest fires. The health, and sustainability of the forest is the primary focus.
A Haida Indian philosophy tells us: "We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children."
Thought is Action
Residents here believe in 'taking a moment' for reflection and gratitude. We encourage our guests to take their own moments, to appreciate the peaceful concert of sight and sound ongoing here. Here it is natural to appreciate sunlight filtering through the forest, Aspen leaves quaking in the breeze, the call of a Red tail hawk overhead, or discovery of a pine needle fortress, on display at the nearest ant hill.
Future Plans
In this pristine natural setting, groomed walking paths, benches, and exercise stations will dot the landscape. A tree-mounted prose library in the waterfront grove, birdhouses, inspiring carvings, and sculpture will make their home in this place.
Whimsy, artistry, creativity, reverence, and humor, will all find a role. |
