Even though we have roots in Oregon, Jim and I were in Vancouver, British Columbia waiting out the pandemic with the US/Canada border closed, so we were not able to come to the land blessing. 

 But there was such a strong desire to include everyone who was unable to be there, they had set up a live Facebook feed via a cell phone carried by sweet teenaged neighbor Serafina.  For over 4 hours, we were glued to our computer and felt like we were there, as she captured the inspiring words of each of the speakers, brought us into the circle as Tom scattered some  of Irene’s ashes and others scattered a handful of soil from their homes on the land.  She gave us a close-up of Kris saying, “We love you, Sandi and Jim,” and Patricia showed me she was eating a chocolate chip cookie for me–fortunately I had some in the freezer, so I was able to get the full effect.  We heard the questions people were asked to talk about representing the 4 directions, and watched as each person paired up with someone they didn’t yet know well, and went off to share their answers and get to know one another better. 

When it came time to tie our ribbons on the tree with messages we had written ahead of time, our dear friends we haven’t yet met lovingly tied our ribbons on, making us feel like we are already a part of the community we have been nurturing for so long.  When the musical instruments came out and the singing began, we sang along, sitting in our sun room in North Vancouver, and imagining the wonderful singing to come at River Song Cohousing in beautiful Eugene.  As the last of the group was packing up, Serafina took us on a walk to the River so we could see the way, and revel in the beautiful Willamette River which greeted my pioneers ancestors in the 1850’s.

For more information: River Song Cohousing.