by Pia Fritsch, Prairiewoods Intern I sat in on the facilities meeting this Thursday. Since I’ve never sat in on a facilities meeting at any other place it’s difficult to have perspective on this, but I am pretty sure that it is run slightly different here. The meeting started with a gong to the singing…
by Pia Fritsch, Prairiewoods Intern Monday I got the chance to witness the Day of Self Renewal retreat. I spent almost all day walking and sitting outside. There were a lot of animals out there that day. I saw the mother deer with her young. I saw a few other deer as well. A groundhog…
by Pia Fritsch, Prairiewoods Intern Since helping get things ready for the Garden Party I’ve realized how much work goes into creating those events. I never really thought about how much work goes into that, but somebody has to set the tables out and wrap the baskets. I felt like I could see a lot…
by Pia Fritsch, Prairiewoods Intern I’m getting a better picture of how Prairiewoods functions more and more. It takes quite a few people to get everything ready for guests. A lot of times that just means rearranging furniture and wiping down tables, but these things need to get done. During the facilities meeting I saw…
by Pia Fritsch, Prairiewoods Intern It was interesting to be here during the silence retreat, because it felt like we were backstage at a show. We had to whisper to each other and do the behind the scenes work to make things happen for the guests. The silence creates the feeling that you are in…
by Pia Fritsch, Prairiewoods Intern I appreciate how everyone participates in the small chores of keeping the facility clean. I’ve seen different staff members doing dishes, wiping tables, and folding cloths regardless of their position here. I think this is a really great way to run a hospitality center, because since everyone willingly does those…
This week, Prairiewoods welcomes our fourth summer intern, Pia Fritsch. She is a student at Maharishi University in Fairfield and is passionate about issues of sustainability. Several times a week, Pia will write a blog about her experience at Prairiewoods. We will post them here and would love to hear your feedback! Reflection 1 by…
Save the date for Spirituality in the 21st Century April 12–13, 2019, with Charles Eisenstein (author of The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know Is Possible and gift economy advocate) and Bayo Akomolafe (author of These Wilds Beyond Our Fences and radical paradigm shift activist). Recap of 2018 Spirituality in the 21st Century Chaos, Consciousness, Connection,…
What makes Cedar Rapids a compassionate city? What compassionate movements are you connected with in the corridor, in the Midwest, in the United States or around the world? Please share your insights below. Connect with others focused on compassion: Green World Campaign Planetize the Movement Wake Up For Your Rights Movement Trees Forever Matthew 25…
How does your creativity inspire you to be compassionate, and how does compassion inspire you to be creative? Please share your poetry, photographs, art and reflections below. Click here to see a recap of the Rooted in Compassion conference that sparked this conversation.