“Life is this simple: we are living in a world that is absolutely transparent and the divine is shining through it all the time. This is not just a nice story or fable, it is true. This is something we are not able to see; but if we abandon ourselves to Him, forget ourselves, we…
This October we brought a taste of Celtic spirituality to our Prairiewoods calendar. Angie Pierce Jennings and I invited anyone who wished to join us in delving into the spirit of two writers: John Philip Newell and John O’Donohue, both magical with words and both steeped in the inheritance received from their Celtic ancestors. In…
There’s a reason that we speak of love, life, loss, death and other profound experiences in poetic verse. Poetry captures the very essence of our most awe-inspiring, most devastating and most intense feelings with images from the natural world. Poets revel in employing the metaphors of Earth’s birthing, abundance, dying and rebirthing to call us to…
Field of Monarchs After Mary Oliver Come with me into the field of monarchs, where all day their long thin legs hang on swaying flowers Come marvel at the edging on their wings, delicate as Tiffany glass, dots of white so precise they could be painted and the orange wings glowing in the sun like…
The Prairiewoods Holiday Bazaar is just a few weeks away. Join us Saturday, Nov. 16, from 8 a.m.–1 p.m. in the Prairiewoods Center for a day of shopping and holiday cheer! Vendors include the Prairiewoods Knitters & Stitchers, Bound to Write journals, Crafts by K & K, Dori Patrick Art, International Pastries Revisited, Angela Tornabane…
This morning I’m walking in the prairie just beyond the gardens, when suddenly, amazingly, around the bend I stumble into a village of monarchs. Hundreds of them, everywhere in this field of white flowers just opening—and you get the sense this is a Grand Opening—a big party, an orgy, monarchs fluttering from flower to flower,…
Tomorrow, Oct. 4, will mark a significant step in the story of Prairiewoods, when most of these 70 acres of woods and prairie will be placed in a conservation easement with the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation. Through the signing of this easement, the land will be forever protected from future development. This is a guarantee…
Prairiewoods is excited to invite area green thumb seniors to come soak up the sun in our new Seniors in the Sun volunteer program! In teams of two or three, we invite you to come on a regular rotation to tend to our Guest House Flower Garden, the Green Prairie Garden for vegetables or the…
Prairiewoods recently completed our eleventh annual year-long retreat called Spiritual Exercises in Everyday Life (SEEL). On the closing day in May, participants were invited to reflect and write about their experiences with God through SEEL. Here is the loving, awe-filled prayer from one participant: O Creator of the majestic universe! Out of nothing you loved…
Area student Mitchell Janechek completed his Eagle Scout project at Prairiewoods this spring. He rebuilt four raised beds in the Green Prairie Garden, our 1,400-square-foot vegetable garden. Thanks to the hard work put in by Mitchell and his team, the garden will continue to provide about 2,000 pounds of produce each year! About two-thirds of…