Our work done for now, we left the Live Power Farm in Round Valley & made our way thru the mountains to Stockton CA. where Hermes lives. The Sun beat in as we made our way South. All the forces that had propped me up during the conference were gone. I was tired, & hungry – done with driving. We managed to make it to a Chinese restaurant without me imploding, although it was a culture shock after being on the land for so long. With a nice full belly all I wanted to do was fall into bed.

But when we arrived at the artists retreat, & dear Sarah & Tobias greeted us in the lovely entryway, I could hear music rising up. I said ‘Is that a didgeridoo’? I ran down to what I discovered was ‘the music room’ to find 3 friends engaged in a session. All my weariness fell away. I began to dance & tone along with the drums & didge & guitar.

I am always joyfully amazed at how revitalizing playing music is for the body, soul & spirit – such a gift – The perfect homecoming. After a few hours of these healing vibrations, I was renewed & grateful to have connected with these new musical friends. Dr. Tobias Handschin, who grew up in Dornach, not far from the Goetheanum, & who spearheads the Artistic Center, had to leave for Simi Valley, CA, where he was scheduled to work for the next week. The children who are his patients are lucky to have him as their healthcare provider.

That night I kept dreaming of my rings. Most of my bangles are what we might call costume jewelry – but my emerald ring was a birthday present from my beloved CG when I turned the big 6.0. The other – which I refer to as ‘the family jewel’ – is my ruby ring, which he gave me as an engagement ring. The thing about that is, since I was a little girl I had a vision of ‘my perfect ring’ – a marquise cut ruby – my birthstone – nestled between 2 small diamonds, wrapped in band of yellow gold.

Well after knowing each other for a mere 3 months CG asked me to marry him at a crossroads by the lake, presenting me with that very ring! So my vision came true in more ways than one…

When I woke up in that beautiful retreat-center-home all I could see in my mind’s eye was my ring case sitting in the medicine cabinet of the tiny house in Gloria’s pear orchard where we had stayed.  Yet I remembered taking it out of there thinking: ‘O I don’t want to forget this’; so I put it with the rest of my jewelry. I looked in the draw-string bag where it should have been. Nope. Stumped, I searched everything twice, 3 x’s, & so did CG, but the rings were nowhere to be found…

I called Gloria, she looked everywhere in the tiny house, twice, 3 x’s. Nope, the ring case was not there. How could this be? I tried to settle down so I could go backward in my memory thinking where it might have gone to. Gloria called back, she had looked again…& found it – in the dusky bookcase made of dark wood, which is where the draw-string bag had been. I must have put it next to the bag not in it, & so it was that the small velvet case just disappeared into the dark cave of the bookcase with one of the land Gnomes for a while.

Relieved that the family jewels were found; now we had to figure out how to get them back. CG didn’t feel comfortable having them sent by mail. There was the thought that perhaps we would return in January when Velsum Voices comes in to Cali. to do an artist’s residency, performing in Stockton & possibly at White Feather Ranch as a tribute & fundraiser for Nancy Poer, but CG felt uneasy with that as well. The only thing as far as he could see was for him to drive back out to Live Power to get them! That seemed unfathomable to me, but he was upbeat & ready to make the drive. This man is a road warrior, loves to drive, making business calls along the way. It’s like his traveling office. He found a faster route, & made sure Hermes could go with me to the lunch date I had in Sacramento that day with a friend. Feeling sad & guilty, I made him breakfast, & packed a lunch. Happy to have a mission, CG hit the road.

Enjoying our many conversations during our time together, Hermes & I set off for the lunch date. I thought it was just going to be Sandra Stoner who lives in Sacramento, but Anne Dale drove in 2 hours from Sebastopol; & Sandra invited a bunch of friends who came in from the Branch in Fair Oaks CA: Gayle Davis, Cheryl Martine, Alice Stamm, Sandra Stoner, Anne Dale, Hermes Work & me…so there were 7 of us.

What a delight to be with these familiar friends, our relationships forged during the many zoom breakout rooms & various online presentations – So strange to think, after so much intimacy shared over this time, that we were actually meeting in person for the first time! (In this life) It felt like a reunion of the School of Michael.

Afterward Anne & I strolled around in ‘Old Sac’ like the unpretentious tourists we were. As the Sun was beginning to twilight, she drove me to my airport hotel for the final leg of the journey.

CG arrived like the hero he is – exclaiming how he had made great time – & how it was all meant to be – because of the important conversation he had with Gloria! They talked for an hour about the Community Alliance with Family Farms (CAFF) & how they worked with her to preserve the farm thru property equity, which Gloria felt could benefit Zinniker Farm. It’s all about building a movement to foster family-style agriculture that cares for the land, sustains local economies, & promotes social justice.

CG standing in his beautiful uprightness, handed me the rings with a hug. With deep gratitude, I sheepishly put them on, & noticed how they glowed with a renewed force, having been the catalyst to the furthering of the precious gem of connection. At 5 am we flew home to the Heartland, radiant with the priceless jewel of love & purpose.

Thank you dear friends for being part of this Grand ‘Festival of Life Tour’

Here are the links to all the chapters for the ‘Festival of Life Tour’on the blog:  White Feather Ranch, Part 1 – Arrival at Live Power Farm, Part 2 – The BD Michaelmas Gathering, Part 3 – The last day of the Gathering on Rosh Hashanah, Part 4

or LISTEN on the ‘I Think Speech’ Podcast. PART 1 – PART 2 – The Prayer by Nancy Poer read by Gloria at the ‘Honoring of the Cow‘ – The healing Story: THE FARMER’S HAT, from part 3, & Today’s FINAL CHAPTER

xox

~hag