November 2016
Tell me about your
gratitude for Crestone.
Barbara Barnett
The land. The earth. The energies. And the people, of course. When I first came, close to 30 years ago, most of us came because of land. We fell in love. And it’s still that way for me.
The first time I came here, I was here for only one afternoon, and I just fell in love. Then I came back and I ended up buying 120 acres with John Milton because we both wanted to do similar things, including retreats. One night as we were camping, we were suddenly surrounded by spirits, who said, “We’ve decided you can stay.” I was weeping. That was the beginning.
Until 2 years ago, I had wood and dirt floors, no running water, no electricity. I carried water. My house has now transformed, with dear friends building me a kitchen and bathroom, and finishing the upstairs.
Crestone is a place where I’m in connection with longtime friends and new friends. There’s a strong sense of independence and connection to spirit and to the earth, which is what drew me here and what keeps me here. I’m grateful for my dog, I’m grateful for my friends, but it’s really the earth, and her spirits.
Terry Godfrey
I’m grateful more than anything else because this is a place where I’m known. I go to the post office and I’m greeted with smiles and hugs. When I go back to where I was born, I have to be on guard, lest I say something that will offend. Here, I can be myself. I left my home in St. Louis when I was 17 years old to join the army. My parents and grandmother had already died, so I didn’t have a home there anymore. I went from one place to another in the army, and this is the first place I’ve really considered home in years. I’ve been here 15 years now. It’s a place where I can develop myself in so many ways.
I’ve always thought that was so wonderful to have a place where you were known. This is the place where I am known – loved by some & accepted by many. It is not hard for me to find “my people” here – people who share my interests and values. Home is where the heart is!
Anrahyah Arstadt
Having moved away to California for 3 ½ years and returned last winter, I’m deeply appreciating the beauty, the silence, the night sky and the peace. Those are so precious. That took me awhile to get used to when I first came here, because I was from the northwest, where beauty was green and lush. I’ve been here a total of 21 years, and I deeply appreciate community and connection and I feel like this community has my back. I also appreciate that it’s a place I get to grow and learn. If I have a conflict with someone, chances are pretty much guaranteed I will see them at the post office, every day, until I work it out – deal with my sh*t! (laughing) A quote that comes to mind is from Jerrod, the guy that founded the Credit Union years ago, who said, “Here there is no them, it’s only us.” And I like that. There’s a sense of being responsible for what we create as community. And how we maintain and how we manage. And that’s a huge challenge in the diversity that’s here, which I love… and am challenged by.
Father Eric
The thing I’m most grateful for is the people. I came here first in 1983 and there weren’t that many people around. There were a few old timers that’d had always lived in Crestone. Since then, so many people from all different places have come to Crestone. What I really like about it, and our church community is a great representation of this, is that we’ve got people from all over the country, from all different religious backgrounds, all different economic backgrounds, family backgrounds, ethnic backgrounds. So these people that come from all different backgrounds have to form community somehow. It’s almost a recipe for learning tolerance, graciousness and respect for people with differences. I grew up in a rural community in Michigan where absolutely everyone thought the same way. They were all related, all Republican, etc. There wasn’t much diversity. It was just all white. So, I love the diverse nature of the people here, and what that brings out in people.
The next thing I’m grateful for here in Crestone is the beauty and the silence. It’s like nowhere else. I first came out here as a volunteer carpenter, working at Nada. But mostly because a friend and I wanted to go backpacking, so we would backpack on the weekends and then work during the week. And still every summer, on our day off, I go hiking in the mountains, usually with some friends from the congregation or the local community.
The mountains, the silence, the beauty, the sky! The unbelievable sky! The stars at night. It’s just kind of a pristine wilderness here. I’ve had, outside my hermitage, elk, mountain lion, bear, bobcat, wolverine, and of course the ubiquitous deer and bunnies, and all of these other things. It’s like living in a National Geographic! To live in a place that is that beautiful and that silent and that still where you can just drink it in, is a real gift. But yeah, the people and the beauty and the silence – that would be it for me!
Isaline Simms
I’m grateful for the amazing peace and beauty that is here in these mountains, as well as the people. These mountains are so powerful, such vortexes, so I feel like the serenity they give, the solitude, the quietness, helps you go to such a deeper place of healing, that you can’t run from! (laughing) Crestone keeps pushing us to heal what we need to heal so that we can become real, whole people – whole people together. I’m grateful for the women I’ve connected with, especially recently. I’m grateful for the freedom for the kids, being able to grow up and be who they are without being judged or ridiculed for being different. I’m grateful to be living in a rural place, where I feel safe. We have all different types of people in Crestone, and highly spiritual people on so many different economic levels, so you get a varied view of philosophies, life, religion, connection to one another, and connection to yourself. So it’s interesting in that way and I feel it keeps pushing me to be a better person.
Bonnie Delegar
There are a lot of things I’m grateful for about living in Crestone. I’ve got a beautiful home, great garden. I love the sunrises and the sunsets, being around or near the wildlife, and these bubbling creeks, fresh water. I love the community. I was involved with Neighbors Helping Neighbors for a long time, and I’m now involved in Crestone Baca Village. Those are great things that build our community and keep us in touch with one another and help one another. That’s very important, especially at this time of our evolution.
I came here 11 years ago. My youngest son, Danush, is a builder and kept saying, “Mom, if you come here, I’ll build you a house.” I really never thought I could make a living here. Finally, the portal opened and I came. It was great because then I had family. I had my son, daughter-in-law, and 2 grandchildren. Then, they moved to New York. I had to think about what was keeping me here, because it was no longer family. But the community is family. I feel very comfortable with the people here – a lot of like-minded people who are into the environment, clean air, clean water... So that’s why I’m here. I’m still here, and I do love it here.