“We didn’t know it couldn’t be done!” - Farm & Wilderness

The light of our community shines brightly

Recently, I’ve been thinking of something Grandma Susan always said:

                      “We didn’t know it couldn’t be done!

That message of courage (some would say blind faith) and living by our convictions is one that I find nourishing in these turbulent times.

When I was five years old, I spent my first summer at camp. My mom – 9 months pregnant with my sister – created and was the director of the Counselor Apprentice program at Indian Brook. We lived in a tent at Top o’ the Forest, and I spent the days with the Flying Squirrels, a group of other “staff brats.” Winnie Feise was our counselor. I learned to float on my back in the lake, learned that I hate to garden, and got my first birch bark plaque at the banquet.

I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was also learning that challenges can be faced, that uncertainty doesn’t mean we don’t take risks, that inspiration must be coupled with practicality and hard work, and that we hold everyone in the Light.

I had probably met my grandparents before that summer, but I clearly remember what seemed to me to be our first meeting: in a still-unfinished Brooksend, Grandpa Ken came down the stairs from his study to greet us. How far he and Grandma Susan had already come from their modest beginnings!

As the Great Depression was ending, all they needed was a main lodge, five cabins, living quarters for themselves and their children, and 28 campers to make the venture viable. Nearly 80 years later:

• One camp has evolved into six camps plus two programs
• Five cabins into multiple cabins, tents, and yurts
• And a community of 28 campers has grown into a yearly community of 850 campers and an extended family of thousands who have a shared F&W experience.
• Today our community members couple inspiration with practicality to serve others, make peace, work for social justice, care for the environment, engage with cultures that are not their own, teach, lead, comfort, heal, sing, dance, and remember us.

My heart is full when I think of the journey of transformation – both F&W’s and that of the children, young people, and families who have spent a single summer or many years with us. That feeling deepens with each memory that you share with me. The light of our collective community shines bright and, in these times, the warmth and illuminating spirit of that light is much-needed nourishment for my soul. I know I’m not alone.

At our core, we are a community that supports, cares, and encourages each other.
We challenge each other, and with our Light and love, we empower each other to live our values and our best lives. We remind ourselves to be aware, but not focused on fear.  We know that by investing in the courage of our convictions, together, we can accomplish anything.

xo

Kristi Webb
Farm & Wilderness Trustee

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