This text was originally sent in a letter to the Shalom Community from Robert and Nina Close.

Dear and Beloved Shalom Sacred Mountain Community,

Like all of you I saw this notice of an upcoming retreat.  And for a few moments, I focused on the image above — The Shalom room.  A sacred space.

My mind went back to 1979 my first Shalom Retreat, and then on and on to many more, and to some 20 + Journey to God Retreats.

I am remembering what cracked open for me on that mat, in that Shalom room.

I am  remembering the dancing, the joy of community, the breakthrough to new life and freedom. In truth there are no words to express the ineffable joy and life that came to me through my experiences on the mountain with Shalom  people.  And I think each of you has had your own similar cracking open, and rising to new life and freedom.

A huge YES  to Jerry, Elisabeth, Be, Georgeanne, Joy and Lawrence, and a host of other leaders over the years. And also  a huge YES! to each one of you  in the Shalom Community. Everyone of you has a part in the great work that taken place over the years on  Shalom Mountain.

Now, I am asking myself:  What would my life be like had there been no Shalom Mountain?  If there were no Shalom community?

My answer is that my life would be empty, lacking in joy and love with so many other pilgrims on the journey.

You might ask yourself what your life would have been without Shalom?

Let yourself imagine what that would be like for you!

Anyway, I am aware that Shalom is in the midst of recalibration and needs our support and loving energy and green energy.  Aware that transitions take time and are often messy for awhile.  I am an Elder, but I am aware that committed and loving folks whom I trust and love are working ever so hard to mid wife this new creation. As it says on the wall in the meditation room, “It does not yet appear what we shall be….”  This is a time of rebirthing, fresh starts, new adventures.

I am trusting the Process, the Stewards (God Bless Them !)  Ken and Judy, Nance, and Nancy Thomas, Joy and Lawrence, and so many others I am not aware of.  An image comes to mind that we all have seen and experienced in the Shalom Room.  The image of after the mat trip, the loving community picks up the individual, embracing her/him with love and deep caring, and then raising the person up to new life and freedom.  Friends, in my mind all of us are doing just that for Shalom Mountain now!  And I believe there is more coming. This is an exciting time.  Shalom Mountain has given so much to us. What can we give back  Shalom Mountain? How can we be the ones to give back  and to raise up Shalom Mountain?  We are the ones we have been waiting for!

Turn the sound on – and click here:   You Raise Me Up – Josh Groban

Listen for the feeling deep within. Yes, I will be sending a check to Shalom Mountain today. It’s my vote –a huge YES !! .

Yes, to all as we are raised up to new life, freedom.

Much love to you,

Robert Close and Nina Frost

Dear Friends,

As you have read or heard there is alot in the works by a crew of folks working hard to have some clear direction and options for you to have at the Labor Day Work weekend.   Part of the work of building a Business Plan includes assessing where we are now. The results of this online Market Research questionaire will be an important  basis for the direction of  this Plan.   Please help us out and go online as soon as you can. The survey takes 10 minutes at most. Once you enter, please finish; the web site will not let you re-enter. Ask your Shalom friends to complete the survey, too.   Results of the survey will be used in the Plan that will be presented to you at the Labor Day Work Weekend.
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SFMQCCZ

Thanks for your help.

Shalom,

Nancy Thomas

PS. And by the way, consider coming to the Work Weekend,  You won’t want to miss what’s unfolding.

Come join the dream.  Say “yes” to Shalom Mountain as a continued hope structure for love.

At the April Board of Directors meeting of Friends of Shalom Mountain a vote was taken to initiate an exploration of the feasibility of purchasing the property of Shalom Mountain.  By purchasing the property, the community can ensure that Shalom Mountain will remain, in perpetuity, for the community—for us, our children, and generations to come.  Essentially, we all become owners of Shalom, together, in community.

The FSM Board has heard the concerns about Shalom Mountain’s long-term sustainability.  The situation is that it has been difficult and challenging for the Owner/Stewards to keep the retreat center operating while paying the overhead of the mortgage.  The facts are that in addition to the initial down payment the stewards have had to continue to invest an additional $30,000+ in 2009 and even more projected for 2010.  They can no longer sustain that level of ongoing personal investment.

At great personal expense they stepped up, as an interim solution, with a dream that the community would someday step forward to buy the land.  Now is the time to do that.

Without this intervention, Shalom Mountain, and its future are in serious jeopardy.

Discussions began at the March Leadership council to institute changes in the leadership of the retreat center to make sure that retreats and programs are continued to support Shalom’s mission as a hope structure, a place of love, where great healing can occur.  Currently, there are a group of leaders who are investigating purchasing the “retreat portion” of the business.  This group is led by Nance McGee who will be moving to the mountain to become the Executive Director of the retreat center.  The concept here would be that the owners of the retreat center business would rent the property from a subsidiary of FSM and continue to operate the center as we know it, without the restrictive burden of the mortgage.

In the long-term, this project could include purchasing additional property, such as Joy and Lawrence’s house, doing much needed renovations to the bungalows, and other larger initiatives that have not been economically feasible in the past years.

The FSM Board is in the process of investigating the legal and organizational tasks that will need to be addressed to make this a reality.  The second part of evaluating the feasibility is to find out if you, the community, financially support this endeavor.

The FSM Board will need the community to make this a reality. The current vision is that the community would:

1. Raise enough money for a down payment on the property and then
2. Utilize monthly contributions to pay the mortgage, taxes, and on-going expenses of owning the property, and
3. Plan for the future by growing a strong Forever Friends Legacy Society, with many more Shalomers adding FSM to their wills and estate plans.

For this dream to move to its next steps, we hope to know by Labor Day that we have a fair degree of certainty that we can count on some combination of the following:

1. At a minimum, 100 new or increased Faithful friends pledges averaging $25 month
2. One-time contributions totaling in the neighborhood of $500,000.  These can be spread out over convenient time frames.  We currently have initial funds of $100,000.

We are asking you to let us know if and how YOU will support this endeavor.

Here are a few ways that together, we can make this happen:

1)      Pledge a lump-sum contribution, which can be in the form of cash or securities.

2)      Pledge to become a Faithful Friend or increase your Faithful Friend contribution

3)      Offer to hold fundraisers and pledge to raise a certain amount of money for the purchase

4)      Become a Forever Friend and include FSM in your estate planning or will

5)      Enroll others to become a Faithful Friend.

6)      Other financial support—what are your ideas!

It is vital that you respond soon and let the FSM Board know if and how you support this initiative.  CHECK IN WITH YOUR OWN HEART. How important has Shalom Mountain been to you?  What would your world look like if you had never walked through Shalom’s doors?  How important is it to have Shalom continue to be able to provide the love and healing that it provides?

Please take a moment to click on the Community Owned Shalom Mountain Pledge Form to let us know how you will pledge your support.  You may also contact Carrie Jameson or Judy Weiss, to let us know how you will pledge your support.  If you are interested in helping make this dream a reality by donating your time or skills, please let us know as well.

Shalom,

Carrie Jameson, Director of Fund Development

The New York Times invited people from around the world to take a photograph at 11:00am on Sunday, May 2nd and submit it for their “Moment in Time” photo project.

Betty Ann walked outside the office and took this picture of the front garden at Shalom Mountain.  See it posted at the New York Times website here:  http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/05/03/blogs/a-moment-in-time.html#/4bdf6afb224fe24aca0000ee

Flower beds, newly tended, at night

An abundance of love was poured back into the mountain at the April Work Weekend.  Shelly Reichenbach and Jeff Hilliard were the “MC’s” of the event, with a lot of help from Betty Ann Rutledge and Judy Hall and the rest of the residential community, John Carbone, Jen (JJ) Kuhlman, and David Turpin.

Themes for the work weekend were:

• Clearing Space and Inviting in Spring
• Creating a Map
• Connecting to the Earth & Facilitating Growth
• Building Structure
• Starting Anew
• Gathering Up
• Loving the Land

Thank you so very much to everyone for your loving energy over the April Work Weekend.   And, a big burst of gratitude goes out to all of you who put time and energy into the land and structures leading up to the Community Gathering.

Below is a list of all of the accomplishments of our community time together.  We express great appreciation to all and to this unique Shalom Mountain realm that we all swim broadly within.

CLEANING – Clearing space & inviting in Spring

• All storm windows were removed and stored
• All windows were washed to sparkling
• Outside garbage bin was cleaned out
• Screen repair was begun
• Major trash and concrete from the back of the Portlik house was cleared (good stuff salvaged)
• Racked yard (right on for attention to detail and going above and beyond)
• Pool was diligently scraped, grinded, swept and rust-proofed

ORGANIZING – Creating a map

• Barn – lots of re-organizing was done & order was restored (both tractors now live happily inside)
• Snowplow attachments were found, sorted and have a place to be

GARDENING – Getting connected to the Earth & facilitating growth

Flower Garden

• Lilac in back of meditation room was staked
• Gardens were cleared of dead matter to create room for the beautiful spring flowers

Vegetable Garden

• Raised beds were weeded and turned
• Onions were planted
• Compost was nurtured

CARPENTRY – Building Structure

Repaired vinyl siding under 4^th floor windows

Portlik House project –

• Completed addition for boiler room – removed window and built a solid wall between boiler room and house
• Sealed off old holes on exterior of house to prevent critters from wintering indoors.
• Leveled oil tank for safety and efficiency

PAINTING – Starting anew

• Smokers’ porch repainted with anti-slip paint
• Roof outside Meditation room & above Smoker’s porch repainted with silver sealant
• Dining room chairs almost finished – they match!
• Kitchen stools repainted

REMOVING OBSTACLES – Gathering up

• Huge tree down in back high meadow was steadily cut up and stacked – wielding chainsaws
• Women’s Temple was cleared of fallen tree to allow that beautiful energy to ground and move
• Children’s temple was cleared of brush and is ready for play
• Branches were cut away from power lines and cables were tightened
• Diagnosis of reach-in door in kitchen – solution still being created
• Hole was dug to expose septic pipe for diagnosis of system–a solution is on the way YEA

ONGOING TENDING TO THE SPACE – loving the land & general attention by all

• Downed brush was collected for fires on top of the Mountaintop (there’s still more to be done)
• Keen eyes were focused on what other areas need tending in the future

We look forward to gathering once again for the Memorial Day Work Weekend where the love and service to our beautiful Mountain will continue.

Jozette Rodriguez

By Jozette Rodriguez

With every great expansion, comes a great contraction. I have learned this well.

We make a choice to take the reigns of our destiny and maneuver toward our dreams. Or to lie down, oppressed by fear of greatness!

I choose to live. Ever-present in my own greatness. In awe of the workings of a perfectly complex universe~

I choose to allow shifts to occur naturally within me and I choose to STAY for myself the way I stay for you. And I always stay for you.

I have expanded my heart beyond the boundaries of the blue sky and contracted into the depths of darkness, lonely and cold in my perceptions.

I make love to my life daily. Why? because there is no other way for me. Intensely passionate and dangerously oblivious…I walk my path. I am aware of only everything.

And I know nothing at all.

I love me. And you. Us.