The Conference of Celebration is just four weeks away! It’s on our calendar (June 26 to July 1) and very much on our minds as we prepare for all the marvelous events on this year’s schedule. Join the celebration and book your registrations.
The Celebrating Who We Are workshop and Prana’s 50th Anniversary Celebration are just two of the unique offerings this Conference.
Prana has a special guest this month. Kikuno Hyodo from Kyoto, Japan is visiting to share her love of tea. A practitioner of tea ceremony for 17 years, she recently began the “Chabako (tea box) Journey,” an initiative to connect people through tea. Kikuno says, “Through a simple form of the tea ceremony, I hope to offer tea to people of many backgrounds and share the spirit of the present moment.”
More than just making and drinking tea, historically the tea ceremony helped people stay awake during meditation, in zazen. In serving tea, calmness of the mind is reflected in every movement. Kikuno will be doing tea events and classes throughout the month. Paul Kaye also continues to do his gatherings, Peace Awareness: A Way of Tea, at Prana as well.
Why tea? It is the perfect vehicle to have people connect, and share love and camaraderie, and we have consistently found that the serving of tea brings people to a deep place of peace and relaxation. An ideal respite from the pace and stress of the world, it’s also a great prelude to meditation and spiritual exercises. If you are interested in more information or booking an event, please check out the Peace Awareness Labyrinth & Gardens events page.
There was a wonderful Windermere work party over the Memorial Day weekend to work on cleaning up the barn and other projects around the ranch. Stay tuned for pictures and stories from the Windermere team. You can sign up for the Windermere Ranch Newsletter to receive photos, stories, and special invitations from Windermere here.
Paul, Vincent, and Mark went down to Orange County recently to visit Betsy Alexander at her assisted living residence. Betsy, having just turned 81 years old in February, looked rested and well. She was very happy to see the boys and connect in person with our loving hearts. We then visited her next-door neighbor, Nancy Carter, who worked at NOW Productions as a video editor for many years. Many a Moment of Peace was produced with her skill and sensitivity. Nancy stays on top of MSIA’s latest video releases and is very proud of the work of her successor, Angela Parkes, as the current NOW Productions video editor.
After three years of design, permits, and construction, Prana is just about to inaugurate the new ADA lift that will give wheelchair access to the labyrinth terrace level. This is something we have wanted to do for many years to allow visitors to Peace Awareness Labyrinth & Gardens the full labyrinth experience.
Meanwhile, next door to Prana, the much longer construction project to complete the frontage of the Villa de la Paz Apartments (owned by MSIA) has finally broken ground and is well underway. Most of the sidewalks have been poured and the ADA ramp is in place. The vision for the front of the property to match the inner (courtyards) beauty is finally being realized. More updates to follow on this as the transformation unfolds.
God Bless you and thank you for participating in MSIA, and for all that you give in so many ways. As J-R would constantly remind us, “It is the loving that makes all this work.” We love and appreciate you!
The MSIA Presidency – Paul, Vincent, and Mark
MSIA Presidency Succession – David, Jeffrey, and Sherie
