Leigh Taylor-Young decided to turn her 80th birthday party into a fundraiser and spiritual extravaganza at Windermere, and we all got to celebrate! Joyful connection, online and in-person, was the hallmark of our festivities. Generous donations raising over one hundred thousand dollars for Windermere’s funding now propel us into the golden future!

I loved Leigh’s enthusiastic leading of the workshop, which felt more like a playshop, interspersed with spontaneous dance breaks, conversations with fellow beloveds, and generous sharing from our Traveler aka husband of the birthday girl!

I loved how people donated to show up in-person and many matching donors came forward to support those, like me, who wanted to attend but couldn’t afford the full donation amount. I loved how people participating online were invited to donate any amount of money in order to join in the fun, making it accessible to just about everyone who wanted to attend. To me this is a fundraiser for the Golden Age: successful, supportive, inclusive.

It took a village to pull off such an awesome party. The Whitakers were exceedingly gracious hosts and co-creators for the gathering. The NOW crew, with rancher Cary Gries, worked behind the scenes on the technical side. Christi Mider, and a team of unsung heroes, devoted hours of service beforehand and afterwards to set up and disassemble the barn/meeting place. The in-room assistants along with all who attended made the party a wild success.

For those like me who went in-person, it was a joy to walk the land with those who were just visiting Windermere for the first time. It was fun to watch them fall in love with the magic of the property and bask in the peace of the land. The Guilin Rocks haven’t lost their healing touch, either.

In-person attendees were treated to a delicious meal followed by copious amounts of birthday cake. But even more impressive than the delicious food was the delightful way Leigh showed us her spiritual strength.

Over dessert, John Morton took us on a tour de force of the tabloid articles and celebrity gossip that had been written about Leigh over the years during her time in the direct and often intense spotlight of stardom. She demonstrated how she turned the other cheek again and again, even inviting a paparazzi to participate in her wedding. It inspired me to another level of detachment in myself about how I am portrayed or perceived by others and a greater willingness to shrug off lies or slander in favor of a smile and a focus on the good.

View the Photos by David Sand from Leigh Taylor-Young’s Workshop and Birthday Celebration at Windermere, January 25, 2025

The celebration continued the next day with a ministers’ meeting in the Windermere barn, with John and Leigh in attendance along with a group of local and out-of-town ministers. The highlight of the meeting for me was moving into Spiritual Exercises and hearing the sublime silence broken by hailstones against the roof of the barn. It was the first time I’d heard any kind of precipitation since the LA fires, and it felt like the perfect reward for coming together as ministers as John-Roger so often exhorted us to do.

After the meeting, we shared yummy, homemade baked goods and fellowship in the barn. As we finally left the property we were treated to a landscape of shining ice crystals, a rare and special occurrence at Windermere that seemed to me to indicate a bright and glorious future for our beloved peace ranch in the years ahead.

View the Photos by David Sand from the Ministers Meeting at Windermere, January 26, 2025