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<DIV><FONT size=4 face=Calibri>When was a time in your life when you had to
start over? Yes - a very thoughtful question. Thank you for raising
it.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4 face=Calibri>I'll speak to the time that brought me to the
Mid-Ohio Area. I had had a lot of practice starting over because Pat and I
had agreed that his career decisions would take precedence over mine. So,
we had been in New York, Pennsylvania, and many locations in Ohio.
Circumstances changed, though, when he retired and I, having completed my
doctoral studies, accepted my first position at Georgia Southern
University. I really liked the overall university, the location was
close to one of Pat's daughters and her young family, and my teaching
assignment (language development, methods of teaching reading and language arts,
and supervision of pre-service teachers in the field) was a good match.
The problem was the person who was the head of our division within the College
of Education. After three years, the work dynamics made life
unbearable. For my own mental health, I needed to leave. There were
other issues, too: my mother's failing health, Pat's first bout with cancer and
other ongoing health concerns, our dissatisfaction with the HEAT and social
dishonesty of the South. Anyway, I asked myself where would I choose to
live? The answer was the Marietta area. I had attended a conference
here in years past and remembered its atmosphere. When I looked in the
Chronicle of Higher Education, there was an advertisement for a position at WVU
at Parkersburg with a split responsibility in the Humanities Division,
especially Developmental Education (teaching strategic skills for reading,
study, and writing for success in college) and in the Teacher Education Division
(methods of teaching language development and literacy). It was my dream
job, in my first choice of locations. In the interviewing and visiting
process, I met Rebecca Phillips and learned of her connection with FUUSM.
Pat and I had "flirted" with UU-ism over the years, but now I could see a
coherence in my future -- a job doing all the things I liked to do, in a
good institution, in a location close to my family, and with connection to a
compatible spiritual community. We moved over Christmas break in 2000 -- a
tough and cold transition -- and I started the new job in January of 2001.
That start-over decision was the best one I ever made. Being part of
this Beloved Community had made all the difference. Thank you.
Martha</FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt Tahoma">
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV style="BACKGROUND: #f5f5f5">
<DIV style="font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A
title="mailto:women@fuusm.org
CTRL + Click to follow link"
href="mailto:women@fuusm.org">Annie Warmke via Women</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, April 07, 2020 11:06 AM</DIV>
<DIV><B>To:</B> <A
title="mailto:women@fuusm.org
CTRL + Click to follow link"
href="mailto:women@fuusm.org">women@fuusm.org</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Cc:</B> <A
title="mailto:annie@bluerockstation.com
CTRL + Click to follow link"
href="mailto:annie@bluerockstation.com">Annie Warmke</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Subject:</B> Re: [Women] April meeting</DIV></DIV></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<P>What a great topic! I started over (a farmer's wife) in 1981 by hiding
in a battered women's shelter and leaving everything but my 5 year old daughter
behind. I re-invented myself after that so that I graduated college,
founded 22 battered women's projects/3 women's funds/17 women freed from prison
who acted in self-defense, and created lots of cultural/social change through
that work. <BR></P>
<P><BR></P>
<P>Next time I re-invented myself was in 2002 when I left the US with nothing
but our 6 year old granddaughter that we'd raised from birth. It felt like
someone had taken a giant eraser and wiped out my career, my friends, my goals
but I'd promised Catlyn we would be there for her. During the 3 1/2 years
we fought in court for her I stumbled often but I found my way by writing for a
newspaper about life in a small town (first France and then England) as a way to
protest the invasion of Iraq after 9/11. I volunteered at Catlyn's school
to teach English to French 5 year olds, and I translated the SOS FEMMES'
prostitutes health and safety "Little Blue Book". I grew an amazing
garden, made friends, traveled everywhere imaginable, and tried not to loose my
mind as I mourned the life I left behind.</P>
<P><BR></P>
<P>When we returned to the US in late 2004 I re-invented myself again as the
builder of an Earthship, the first one east of the MS. I learned how to
use the Internet and social media, won custody in court of our granddaughter
(that's a whole other story involving the grand jury indicting us and more), and
learned to be a goat herder. <BR></P>
<P><BR></P>
<P>Reinventing is a miserable experience - it's like being birthed into a new
reality and trying to make sense of what works, and what doesn't. I had
hoped not to do it again, but I find myself there right now with our need to
push our business online. We'd been doing that a little at a time, but now
we have had to push all of our classes and workshops to the fall with the hope
that things will improve for our country's health. While we'd had a plan
to speed up the process of the transition in late 2020 we find that we must let
go of everything else and just focus on this one thing for now.
Perhaps the most nerving for me is the separation physically of those I love
deeply. It is growing difficult as the days pass with no physical contact
with people like our granddaughter, who is married and lives an hour away with
poor transportation. Jay and I have agreed we will sequester here until it
is safe, which means no visitors. It is especially difficult to say
"no" to former interns who would like to be here with us since they are not
going to work everyday, but if we are to remain reasonably safe we need to honor
our agreement to each other.<BR></P>
<P><BR></P>
<P>Perhaps there will be one more re-invention as I grow older and have to stop
being a goat herder, and a farmer. That work sustains me so I am making
plans for how I can continue to hand on to that part of my life. But then
the best laid plans often are not how things turn out. I hope to hear more
stories from each other you. Annie<BR></P>
<P><BR></P>
<DIV class=moz-cite-prefix>On 4/6/2020 9:10 PM, Rebecca Phillips via Women
wrote:<BR></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
cite=mid:SN6PR01MB4030AE8C4A4DE6E9BA61AFE7D5C30@SN6PR01MB4030.prod.exchangelabs.com
type="cite">
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<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">Great
topic!</DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)"><BR></DIV>
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<DIV>"If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need."--
Cicero</DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV>
<DIV>
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style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Calibri,Helvetica,sans-serif; COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)"><BR></DIV>
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<DIV id=divRplyFwdMsg dir=ltr><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt" color=#000000
face="Calibri, sans-serif"><B>From:</B> Women <A class=moz-txt-link-rfc2396E
href="mailto:women-bounces@fuusm.org"><women-bounces@fuusm.org></A> on
behalf of Gillian via Women <A class=moz-txt-link-rfc2396E
href="mailto:women@fuusm.org"><women@fuusm.org></A><BR><B>Sent:</B>
Monday, April 6, 2020 8:04 PM<BR><B>To:</B> A List for the Women of FUUSM <A
class=moz-txt-link-rfc2396E
href="mailto:women@fuusm.org"><women@fuusm.org></A><BR><B>Cc:</B>
Gillian <A class=moz-txt-link-rfc2396E
href="mailto:gillianabbo@gmail.com"><gillianabbo@gmail.com></A><BR><B>Subject:</B>
[Women] April meeting</FONT>
<DIV> </DIV></DIV>
<DIV style="WORD-WRAP: break-word">Hello
<DIV>As the host for the now cancelled April Women’s Group meeting it was
suggested that I still pose a question for discussion as we do at our
gathering. We can email any response that you may wish to share. I was talking
with Caitlin and it is her topic.</DIV>
<DIV>Hugs Gillian</DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Helvetica Neue'; MARGIN: 0px; LINE-HEIGHT: normal"><BR></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Helvetica Neue'; MARGIN: 0px; LINE-HEIGHT: normal">Women’s
Group Topic of Discussion:</DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Helvetica Neue'; MARGIN: 0px; LINE-HEIGHT: normal">Though
these are strange and difficult times, a promising future still lingers on the
horizon. The sun is shining its face, the birds are singing in their choirs,
and the flowers are beginning to stretch their arms skyward. Spring is upon
is. And with it comes rebirth, renewal, and hope.</DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Helvetica Neue'; MIN-HEIGHT: 14px; MARGIN: 0px; LINE-HEIGHT: normal"><BR></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Helvetica Neue'; MARGIN: 0px; LINE-HEIGHT: normal">This
leads me to my topic of conversation for the week. When was a time in your
life where you had to start again? Find a new beginning? Start a new chapter
in your life? Was it through circumstance forced upon you, or was it
perhaps spurred through your own free will? </DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Helvetica Neue'; MIN-HEIGHT: 14px; MARGIN: 0px; LINE-HEIGHT: normal"><BR></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Helvetica Neue'; MARGIN: 0px; LINE-HEIGHT: normal">There
are many such occasions in an individual’s life, but I hope that we can focus
on the positive. In these difficult times it’s good to remember how much we’ve
already overcome and how we’ve thrived regardless. Like a dandelion through
the pavement’s cracks, we will all see the light
again. </DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV><BR>
<FIELDSET class=mimeAttachmentHeader></FIELDSET> <PRE class=moz-quote-pre wrap="">_______________________________________________
Women mailing list
<A class=moz-txt-link-abbreviated href="mailto:Women@fuusm.org">Women@fuusm.org</A>
<A class=moz-txt-link-freetext href="http://fuusm.org/mailman/listinfo/women_fuusm.org">http://fuusm.org/mailman/listinfo/women_fuusm.org</A>
</PRE></BLOCKQUOTE><PRE class=moz-signature cols="72">--
Annie Warmke
Farmer, activist, consultant, writer
Blue Rock Station/Warmke Farm LLC
<A class=moz-txt-link-abbreviated href="http://www.bluerockstation.com">www.bluerockstation.com</A>
(740) 674-4300 or (740) 252-6295 Mobile
Radio: When the Biomass Hits the Wind Turbine
WOUB Digital Wednesday 9 am
WGRN Digital Friday 11:30 am & Saturday 8:30 am
Publications:
The Business of Goat Herding (BRS Media)
The Journey Toward Nothing (BRS Media)
Naturally Healthy Goats (BRS Media)
Podcasts: bluerockstation.com
When the Biomass Hits the Wind Turbine
Arriving at Blue Rock Station</PRE>
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