December 31, 2013

Year End Greetings….

It has been a very full (fulfilling) year for us at Midwest Permaculture. So much so, that I have not been able to communicate in these emails on a monthly basis as I have done in the past and I miss that. It is my intention to do a better job of keeping those of you who are interested updated as our project of ‘leaving the planet in better condition than we found it’ continues to unfold. Midwest Permaculture, as of today, has just completed its 7th year and we have hosted 45 PDC courses over this time.  We loved every single one of them and look forward to many more as the people who take these courses are some of the most wonderful on the planet today. 

So…To Our Students:
Thank you for trusting us with the foundation of your permaculture journey.  May your own creative genius continue to guide you in this great work of learning to live abundantly well while also caring for people and planet in the process.

To Our Design Clients:
We love(d) working with you on your project. May it continue to unfold and become an inspirational example in the larger world of how we can work with nature to create true security and plenty.

To Our Close Associates and Fellow Teachers:
You make our lives so very rich and the gifts you bring to the table are inspiring and so appreciated. May we work together for a long, long time and continue to grow intellectually, experientially, emotionally and spiritually. I want to thank Milton, Peg, Ed, Ernest, Megan, Wayne, Bev, Liz, Matt, Mary Kate, Kelly, Diane, Ian, Bridget, Sheefteh, Swamisita, Swami Omkarananda, Mike and Susan for their many contributions. 

To Our Sons Hayden and William:
Few honors are greater than being followed in one’s work by their children. At least it is for me. Hayden, working with you over the last 2 years has been a joy and we have both learned much and grown together. William, welcome to our work. After putting yourself through school and working for the last 10 years as a manager in a good sized business, your contributions are greatly anticipated as you return home to help in this work. We are following the permaculture principle of ‘slow and steady solutions’ and have finally hit this point where there is just too much for your mother and I to do.  We certainly can benefit from your organizational experience and skills. Your open heart supports the greater work we have undertaken as well.

And Finally…
To You…our Friends of Midwest Permaculture:

To those of you who just like to keep abreast of what we are doing and appreciate the insights to permaculture we bring in these emails, thank you for your interest. May your life and thinking be supported in some way by these permaculture ideas and ideals.

To those of you who sometimes feel like you are the odd duck and are walking down this permaculture path alone, please know that you are not alone. There are 10’s of thousands (probably millions) of people working to create a better world whether ‘the world’ wants it or not. All people are creative beings and you and I have the right to spend our time creating a world where care of people, planet and the future is a clear priority. May you find the support you need to know that you are not weird–but rather awake.

To those of you who wake up in the middle of the night, possibly confused, and aching for a world that seems to be sound asleep at the wheel while driving straight toward a cliff, thank you for your compassionate heart and your ability to see through the illusions of our culture. Just remember, we are just one person and it is not our ‘job’ to fix the world. Our job is to live as authentically as we can each day and as such, our real work in the world will find us. We all have very important gifts we can give to the world though many of these gifts seem small in the moment. But together, and over a lifetime, they change our part of the world. May you be the change you wish to see in the world.

My best wishes to all of you for a wonderful 2014.

Bill