Category Archives: Service Activities

Camp Notes, Day 5

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Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, Community, Inner Struggles, Inspiration, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Spiritual, Striving

June 11, 2024, Bellemont- An old friend pulled in, this evening, just after sunset. Looking about the place, L remarked on the serenity that still pervades the camp, even with the many changes since she was here last.

The old French proverb, “The more things change, the more they stay the same”, applies as much here as anywhere. Buildings can be built, but eventually, plumbing starts leaking, tree roots need to be clipped away from foundations and piping, and roofs always need to be replaced-among other things. We, as a society, are ever striving to strike a balance between progressively including marginalized groups in community life and preserving the moral code of conduct that has sustained our society. It seems there should be no conflict between the two-and yet……..

The kids went on a stargazing walk, this evening, after a warm day of study and group sport. They came back with a renewed awe for the vastness of the Universe. It is events like this that give credence to the very idea of a Faith that stresses the Presence that has made us all. I remember that, when pondering the still-pending transition of the most powerful woman I have ever known and the ongoing process of this country’s standing at a crossroads.

The camp is now past its halfway mark and will have a strong impact on its participants, including me-the humble manager.

Camp Notes, Day 4

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Posted by on in children, collaborating, impediments, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Technical stuff

June 10, 2024,Bellemont

The water systems technician gave me a short briefing on the workings of wellheads, their supporting tanks and pumps, and how bacteria can flourish in even the best- maintained systems, if flow is interrupted or stagnates.

He then took samples to test for not only bacteria, but for levels of nitrates, lead and arsenic, as well. The results won’t come back soon enough for this camp, but will result in a modernization of the system.

Relying on expertise in such matters is very important to me, at the very least for people’s safety and health, as well as for the good of the system itself. There is much we are learning about the interaction of water, minerals and microbes, so DIY can’t always be an option.

For the rest of the camp, bottled water will be the source of all beverages.

Camp Notes, Day 3

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Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, impediments, Inspiration, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Spiritual, Striving

June 9, 2024, Bellemont- Today was Race Amity Day, across the United States, in advance of Juneteenth, a national celebration of the end of slavery in its last American bastions. Many Baha’i-sponsored Race Amity Day events took place in cities large and small. Here at the youth camp, we are living it. Several of the campers are from Democratic Republic of Congo. Others are from Brazil and there are people of Filipino, Dineh, Mexican and Iranian descent, as well as those whose ancestors came from Europe some time ago. There is amity in spades and any conflicts that might arise are more from misunderstandings than from any animus that is based on ethnic or cultural differences.

Day 3 is at an end and I am exhausted, after a bit more physical labour today. Other team members worked just as hard and will be hopefully appreciated by the campers, when Friday rolls around. I am just glad to be of use.

The one aspect of human relations that stands out on Race Amity Day is the matter of avoiding assumptions. Only a good measure of patience can keep that from happening, as well as considering a person’s behaviour or apparent attitude, from a number of angles. So I am making myself do, not so much in regard to the teenagers, as with respect to adults. So far, that forbearance has kept a few working relationships from hitting the rocks. Things are better between me and a few of the chaperones, than they were last year. May that continue throughout the camp.

Camp Notes, Day 2

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Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, Matters of Faith, Personal goals, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Spiritual, Striving

June 8, 2024, Bellemont- “Life is tough; but you are tougher.” So says the logo on one of the campers’ t-shirts. This pretty much some up this group of campers, and though they are uniformly respectful and helpful to us, the staff, it is clear that many of them have been through quite a life, already. That is what draws them to this faith-based camp. Even those who are church-goers say they are looking for something further, in their spiritual quest.

So, they are engaged in both scriptural study and in developing communications skills-“Don’t run from a conversation”; “Engage, no outrage” and “Be the grace you want to see” are phrases I’ve heard tutors and animators use, these past three years. A troupe of budding Afro Beat dancers is among the campers, and there is no shortage of potential basketball stars, both male and female. Every key “racial” group is represented here and yet there is no conflict, no seething anger. Acceptance of rules is the norm, though it is also accompanied by questioning. These are, after all, teenagers.

Staff is uniformly competent, to the point that, besides handling sudden requests from campers and tutors, I have relatively little to do, during the day. I have taken on the role of primary dish washer, and function as security, making sure whatever needs to be locked, gets locked. Lights go on and get turned off. It is a combination of “staycation” (“praycation”?) and collective grandparenthood.

The weather has not been as hot as predicted, but that may change by the middle of this coming week. Stay tuned.

Camp Notes, Day One

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Posted by on in collaborating, Community, Education, impediments, Inspiration, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Spiritual, Striving

June 7, 2024, Bellemont-

The fire concerned all of us, starting as it did, two days before camp. I kept an eye on things, getting updates from the U.S. Forest Service, the Arizona National Guard and a retired Air Force major, who is the area’s State Senator. The fire, called Bravo, was south of Camp Navajo, a military training site. That brought military firefighting units, including slurry planes, to bear on the fire suppression.

The crews won their battle and, by noon, the blaze was mostly contained. Our camp could proceed. I stopped and celebrated this fortunate turn of events, with a fabulous, relaxing lunch at Mustang River Grill, off the beaten track, in Parks, a small forestry town, just west of Bellemont. I had intended to get a modest meal at a small market, north of the Texaco, but there was Mustang, a fairly new place, and well worth a try. Kimberly, a Nevada transplant, takes great care of all patrons and the lunch portions are well-prepared and just the right size.

That is probably the last meal I’ll be buying, this camp, as our three squares are part of the camp experience, and I haven’t had a bad meal as Bellemont camp manager, yet. The campers and their chaperones/tutors arrived right on time and we got the orientation out of the way, followed by an excellent spaghetti & meatballs dinner. The kids went through ice-breaker activities, after the meal, and now they lay them down down to sleep. Think I will do the same.

Forty-Two

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Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, Historical, Inspiration, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Spiritual, Striving

June 6, 2024- Eighty years ago, American forces began the process of landing at a series of beachheads, along the northern coast of Normandy, France. Contrary to some characterizations by people too young, apparently, to have much awareness of World War II, this was a real, and somewhat deadly, event. So, too, was the Holocaust that took place between 1942-45. Real people died, and others suffered mightily, despite what those who make apologies for Fascism would have the rising generations believe.

One of those who suffered mightily was a Jewish-American soldier, captured along the southern limit of the Battle of the Bulge, near Bellecroix, in Metz, France, in January, 1945. He survived, and returned to the U.S., in the aftermath of V-E Day. He married, and sired a daughter, who grew up to be strong, intelligent and of sound moral character. Forty-two years ago today, that daughter of a soldier became my wife. Our marriage lasted 28 years, 9 months, until her death, in 2011, from pneumonia that was brought on by a progressive neurological disease.

Penny led me to embrace a Faith that has made more sense to me than any other system I have ever studied or investigated. She held the bar high for me, as a husband, and more times than not, I reached it- just as she met my expectations of her as a wife. Those times when we each fell short were more growth opportunities than failures, and they served to give our son the roadmap to a successful marriage of his own, which began civilly in November, 2018 and became faith-based in March, 2019.

I have done a lot of reflecting on our time together, and on the flow of energy that has sustained me, in the thirteen years since her passing. Thirteen years of largely alone time, punctuated by a growing friendship with another strong, intelligent woman, of sound moral character, would not have been possible, without feeling Penny’s spiritual energy, a light brush against me or a strong message from the other side of the curtain that separates the corporeal from the ethereal. Forty-two years have passed, and I will never be the same soul I was before she entered my life.

Eastbound and Back, Day 35: Unwinding, not Unraveling

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Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, Community, Family, Inspiration, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

June 2, 2024, Grapevine- Two things constituted my contribution to the weekend here: I took the kids out for brunch this morning and I washed the dinner dishes, this evening. I also won the Scrabble game, which just goes to show that unwinding does not mean unraveling.

I tend to jump into life with both feet, which sometimes has gotten me into some boiling water. All the same, I have learned to modify the shower or occasional bath, by carefully adjusting the faucet to a temperature that won’t leave me looking like a lobster afterward. I also have learned to be efficient at showering, so little or no water gets wasted. The same is true of any endeavour. “Waste not, want not” is sage advice, not only for eating and bathing, but also for speaking-and by extension, writing.

It is important, though, to neither be parsimonious with love, while at the same time remaining transparent about the nature of that love. One can only feel romantic love towards one person at a time. All others may be loved fraternally, parentally, or platonically. That was how it was for me when Penny was alive and that’s how it is for me now. I am grateful for every friend who is in my life, and will do what I can to help anyone who makes a respectful and reasonable request. I have a duty to self, to my beloved, and to family to use my resources wisely, so time, energy and money will be stewarded accordingly.

Tomorrow begins the “homestretch” of this current journey, leading straight into a well-organized, and hopefully fruitful, six weeks of service in and around Home Base I, plus Bellemont Baha’i School-barring any family emergency. The year so far has been one of effervescence, resilience and problem-solving. I aim to continue along those lines.

Eastbound and Back, Day 34: Taking Stock

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Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, Community, Family, Inspiration, Matters of Faith, Personal goals, Personal Values, Service Activities, Slow Food Prescott, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

June 1, 2024, Grapevine- The new apartment, Home Base II, is a tad smaller, kitchen and living room-wise, than its predecessor, but my little family is happier-which is all that counts. I am as comfortable here as I was on the other side of Grapevine Mills- a testament to the serenity that Aram and Yunhee have with one another. True to form, we dined in nicely, for all three meals and I joined them on a shopping journey, this evening. Sushi was for dinner and a Korean comedy followed, starring the actor Don Lee (Lee Dong-seok), a bilingual actor who is well-known in both South Korea and Los Angeles, for playing tough guys with hearts of gold. This one had Don as a would-be arm wrestling champion, who has to face down small time mobsters-a piece of cake, this being a comedy.

June has ever been a month of transition for me: It was the month when I got married, went on pilgrimage to the Baha’i Holy Places in Israel, both 42 years ago. It was in June, that my father passed, 38 years ago. I graduated high school this month, 56 years ago, and joined the U.S. Army, a year later. So, June has become my time for taking stock and making whatever adjustments that may need to be made, in life and lifestyle.

In a few days, I will be back in Prescott, Home Base I. There are already appointments and commitments set for several days this month, most intensely the management of a youth camp, in Bellemont, for eight days, starting next Friday. A visit to our Congressman’s office awaits, followed by a visit to my chiropractor- though not because of what might happen that morning. Our Red Cross meeting comes a day later, and I will serve as Blood Ambassador, on June 20, then help with a Slow Food event on June 22.

In the background, though, is a family situation that may trump all of the above. We just take the matter one day at a time. It is the Hands of the Almighty now. Life in the wider world will always go on, regardless of what we face as individuals, or as families.

Perhaps the biggest change, long-term, is in how I am called to serve humanity. I have spent much time on the road, these past thirteen years, feeling that my time was best spent in one place or another. There remain, this year, a road trip to British Columbia, via the Pacific Northwest, and visits with friends, one in particular, and service activities in the Philippines. East Africa had been on the itinerary, until security concerns (relative to a transit stop in west Asia) prompted the airline to scrub the flight.

Extensive solo travel, and solo life, may well be coming to an end, with the above journeys. That’s all I feel it prudent to say for now, but I feel a change in the wind. One day at a time, dear Lord, one day at a time.

Eastbound and Back, Day 25: Repaying and Revising

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Posted by on in Community, Family, Historical, Inspiration, Matters of Faith, Personal goals, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

May 23, 2024, Gloucester, MA- The e-mail was unexpected, but somehow is fortuitous. My flight from Manila to Nairobi, scheduled for September 23, has been canceled by the airline. Africa will thus be re-scheduled, for autumn of 2025, as an extension of a European visit. This will remain a year for focus on east Asia, the Philippines in particular, with South Korea and Japan towards the end of the journey. My connection with the Philippines is both faith-based and personal, and we’ll leave it at that.

Africa is no less a concern of mine, but one must be prudent-and if the airlines say it is a security risk to fly, at that time, then that is how it must be.

The major concern of the day, today, was checking in on Mom. She was quiet, but was very glad to see me. It is enough for me to just sit, hold her hand and tell her about what I have been doing of late. She smiles and lets me know that my travels meet with her approval. I am just glad to have her here to relate my experiences.

When we were growing, her rule was to clean our plates. This evening was only the second time I have joined her for a meal at the residence. She was delighted that I cleaned my plate-but that has been second nature for me, for the past seventy years, no matter where I have eaten. Suffice it to say, she followed her own advice tonight, to the extent reasonable.

As today marks the 181st anniversary of the Declaration by al-Bab, of His Mission to mankind, I stopped and prayed at Green Acre Baha’i School. It was closed, as is customary on Baha’i Holy Days, but the grounds were still open. Here is a photo of Sarah Farmer Inn, the central building of Green Acre. ‘Abdu’l-Baha stayed there, in 1912, so it is a place of extra significance to Baha’is.

Eastbound and Back, Day 24: The Harbour is Home

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Posted by on in animal and plant life, Assistance, children, collaborating, Community, Education, Family, Hiking and Nature, Historical, Inspiration, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

May 22, 2024, Boothbay Harbor- The voices of the thirty or so fourth graders were music to my ears. They were scattered across the grounds of Boothbay Region Land Trust’s Oak Point Farm, where my cousin and I were walking, this morning. Kevin and his extended family are neighbours to this splendid Trust property We walked the 1-mile loop trail, with the joyful noises of chatter and singing as a backdrop.

Oak Point Farm, Boothbay Harbor

The property gives focus to all that makes life in Boothbay such a treasure: The interplay of water, land and sun, with clouds as frequent visitors; the birds, large and small, with cardinals and goldfinches as the most numerous, and vocal, of the lot; the gray squirrels and chipmunks, scattering as large, lumbering humans approach; the red squirrels, sometimes “standing their ground” and chittering, “Thus far, and no farther”, whilst standing on their hind legs.

Downtown Boothbay Harbor

We went later to downtown Boothbay Harbor, taking in the harbourside scenes, with K describing what he knew of the town’s history-which turned out to be a considerable amount. The area was once both fishing haven and a tannery hub. The tanneries are gone, but fishermen still rule here, even as the high and mighty still come into the harbour, in their yachts and small cruise ships. It is the small fisherman who makes towns like Boothbay Harbor what they are-regardless of their appeal to people of means, or to artists and artisans.

After a round of photos, we went to the local YMCA, and an hour or so of soaking in the warm Therapy Pool. As I have not been to Planet Fitness for several weeks, the buoyancy of the pool was a nice treat for my muscles, and was followed by fifteen minutes in the sauna. This YMCA is directly across the road from Boothbay’s public schools, so it is a natural gathering place for teens from the middle and high schools, after classes. In addition, each second grade student enjoys mandatory swimming lessons.

We went back to the house and enjoyed a fine spaghetti dinner, then spent an hour or two talking of spiritual matters-a good segue, as this evening brings the observance of the Declaration of al-Bab, the Day in 1844, when the Herald of the Baha’i Dispensation first told another soul of His (brief) Mission to humanity.

Rest will come easy tonight, and tomorrow-down to Massachusetts, by way of Green Acre Baha’i School.

Central Wharf, Boothbay Harbor
An opportunity for a park or greenspace, downtown Boothbay Harbor
Stone mason’s gift, Oak Point Farm