Leaving Clairvaux

Another hot summer is upon us. Despite the oppressive heat, summer is my favorite time of year. I don’t mind toiling and sweating. People just look better to me outdoors, dressing and moving with a different kind of freedom. We come to the water, aware of the life it offers and we stay outside later at night, taking notice of the vast embroidered sky.

Change often takes place during the summer. I usually put into place some new exercise plan (that fades by winter) and I spend more time with family and friends. The needs at the Farm and of Deep Roots, in general, change. There is more work to be done outdoors and it is a good time to be truly active as a community.  Children are bursting with energy after being cooped up day after day through the school year. There are nature excursions, opportunities for swimming, bike riding, hiking and other things young people tend to enjoy. They are revved up and ready to go.

In June, I became revved up. I knew not to what end as the feeling came over me, but after sharing the feeling with my wife, it became clear that this particular energy was something we shared. We both felt our family was ready for something and somewhere new. In July, we packed up and moved on.

We moved to Clairvaux Farm in the spring of 2009. Our daughter, Valeria, was just a year old. She grew up in the best environment a child could ask for in her most formative years. She met so many people from such diverse places and backgrounds. She always had someone to play with. She felt loved on a large scale and she witnessed and extended compassion. I have to say, I am most grateful for this. I know she will never forget Deep Roots or the Farm.

We are all changed people, though. We made a commitment that was essentially another marriage. Our commitment was to love and serve. As with marriage, we didn’t (at least I didn’t) always do it perfectly. Sometimes I hesitated to touch a life that I could have. Sometimes I made wrong decisions and sometimes I opened my mouth and let garbage come out. But I experienced much forgiveness and I learned that truly loving means to accept the imperfection of others as well.

We have made so many friends; several who came from across the seas. I pray that our friendships have been as meaningful to those we have met and loved as their friendships have been to us. Fortunately, we have not gone far and we have only moved away physically. We intend to remain a part of the Deep Roots community and to continue advocating for people we care about, many living on the margins of our society. I don’t know that a lot of families find this work central to their lives together. It is innate in the family structure we inhabit, where people offer relatives space in their houses and share the responsibilities of childcare and food preparation. We are fortunate that way and our transition has been as seamless as we could ask for it to be.

In the year 1115, Saint Bernard of Clairvaux founded a monastery where he welcomed many to share in prayer, reflection, community and action. While he was a man of faith, he was also a diplomat. He saw divisions in the world that were tearing people apart and he could not be silent.  Friends and family joined Bernard and found a home at Clairvaux. You needn’t click or turn the dial very far to see how deeply divided the world is today. Clairvaux Farm is a place where the possibility of people mattering looms large. Deep Roots community is a union of people gathered to unify with love. There are divisions of course, but there are miracles galore.

My family is grateful for the miracle of Deep Roots at Clairvaux. We are believers. We know there is something unique and special that happens when people are intentional about living together and sharing gifts. As we transition to living in town, we do so with a trail of memories that will always lead us back to Clairvaux. Many thanks to all of you who have shared your lives and your journeys with us over the years. What a blessing!