Mom's 60th Anniversary

Mom,

I can't imagine what emotions you live with on the 24th, as you remember so many of life's joys w/ Dad over the decades. I hope that w/ whatever hurt or loss that comes with knowing that Dad is not here with us anymore that the celebration of your life together predominates in your heart.

As you know, you and Dad showed all of us, your children, a good and stable way in the world. I think you can see that lesson learned (with some bumps along the way...) in all four of our lives, marriages and assorted collection of ten grandchildren. There is so much to be joyful and proud of on this annual celebration of the bounty of your wedding and marriage.

We are definitely thankful, as you and Dad offered us the world, life, a stable home, ambition and curiosity. Not a bad card in the hand, I'd say. That mixture of modern American w/ ancient Jewish life. The secular and sacred. Eyes on the world around us and a remembrance of the heavens above. We are a healthy mixture of both... thanks to you and Dad.

I'll call tonight as we've had limited electricity these days, then out for Shakun's b-day, Josh's joyful return and friends' Xmas celebrations.

Waiting to hear your voice soon, too!

lots of love, Keith, Shakun, Josh, Ezi and Leah

Ez: Term Over!

Well, term is over...

Which means ample time to write lengthy emails and otherwise enjoy recreational activities, such as: sleep, sit down meals, reflection, etc...

I'm not going to get in to the details of the past couple of weeks, but since Thanksgiving it's been one really long sprint. The last week+ before the end of the term I didn't even sleep in my room. I was camped out in the main building taking 10 minute to 2 hour naps (averaging probably 4 hours of sleep per 24 hours). It was pretty rough -- but I got through it.

Now its break and life is good. I'm pretty happy and its not so cold. I'm just looking forward to things calming down and getting a bit of a nice holiday routine in.

The thing with working every waking hour is that there is very little that I've been up to... since my daily allotted time for reflection was also taken up by work, I've been in a little vortex for the past couple of weeks and probably couldn't even tell you what I'd been up to.

AND, furthermore, because of life sans reflection, I haven't had any particularly noteworthy musings or trains of thought that I can share. So I apologize for not being able to be exciting and tell you how wonderfully life changing the past couple of weeks have been...

But, seriously, I'm happy to have had break arrive without being elated. I used to feel wonderful after each term ended -- but in the past year and half it's lost its novelty. Its not that it doesn't mean anything, but work aside, there isn't a significant difference between the two. Granted, work is a relatively large factor and I'm happy not to be racing towards deadlines, but at the same time racing towards deadlines isn't so bad and either way you've got a day to fill.

So, it feels nice.

I have no major plans for the next couple of weeks. There are four of us who will be here the whole break (maybe five), and then some others will be dropping in and out. At this point, there are still a couple of guys who haven't headed home, so we've just been enjoying ourselves.

Dan Fahey, my Congo teacher and our visiting prof, is heading back to the Congo -- he has work with a group called the Eastern Congo Initiative (sponsored by none other than Monsieur Ben Affleck) -- so we went to Boonies last night (the bar/restaurant in the next valley over). It was nice to get out of the valley. We actually lifted the D&A policy for break so we can drink in the dorm after 8pm, but its all been pretty casual.

The other day Cyril (a good friend from Minnesota), Ben (the guy who was in the Marines for a five years) and I went with the Mitchells to cut down some Christmas trees. The Mitchells are the family who have been here for 12 years. Ken, the father, is the ranch manager and his wife, Karen, runs the garden. They have three girls, one of whom married a Deep Springer who takes care of the farm. They are lovely family (Ken is a little more the 'calloused rancher' type, but still a good guy, whereas Karen is the nourishing, caring, homemaker type).

Karen, the girls, and Mark (that former DSer who married their daughter) drove us over to the next valley where we spent an hour looking for christmas trees in a little evergreen forest. There was snow on the ground so that meant snow ball fights. Then we finally found a nice looking tree (and when I say 'we' I mean 'I' ;-)...), cut it down, and headed back to the car. I was supposed to be in charge of SnackCom (snack committee), but had slept through the allotted time to arrange for snacks. Fortunately, Karen had whipped up a great little tailgate picnic. There were shrimp, cocktail sauce, tortilla chips, salsa in cream cheese, water, apple juice, caramel popcorn, and cookies -- essentially great snackums.

Then we headed back to campus with the tree.

The tree is now in the dorm and it sounds like we'll probably do a little Christmas thing in the dorm amongst the guys. The Mitchells also have the guys who are on campus over for a Christmas eve dinner, which is supposed to be lovely.

As you know, Dad, it was wickedly cold when you were here (or it was getting wickedly cold) and it got really cold, but now it isn't so bad. I've grabbed a old, blue down vest from the bone pile (a wardrobe of clothes left and donated by old students) and I wear that practically all the time, but I don't really need much more than that for the time being. I'll usually wear a jacket underneath or one of the long sleeved flannel shirts that I picked up from the bonepile, as well. Actually, now the winter weather really is quite nice.

I'll probably take you up on your offer of some warm clothes. I'll take a look on-line to see what I need. The moccasins would be wonderful, but I'm just worried that I would just ruin a good pair here. Things here get battered pretty quickly and I don't know if its worth it.

I know you guys have sent me a bunch of small emails asking me of this or that, and I've tried to stay on top of the necessities and I'm sorry I couldn't do any more than that, but it really has been an insane period of work.

As for Taylor Swift, she really is quite lovely isn't she? Her sincerity and innocence drip through her lyrics and her voice, its kind of hard not to enjoy. Although, let it be known that she does have a darker side that comes out in a couple of verses that you kind of let float by because of her aforementioned 'sincerity and innocence'. Then you realize what she's saying and you see that she is, after all, a woman.

Leah's bill of rights is both adorable and inspiring, I hope it works out as well in Practice as it does in Theory.

Anyway, let me know how things are going on yourrrr side. Or rather let me know when you guys can call, and we can talk.

Lots of love, Ez

Reflections on Deep Springs: Ezra

It has been a wonderful and challenging couple of months here at Deep Springs College. Indeed, I was thrilled to have gotten in here; really, it was all I could have asked for. Its unbelievable to think that I have been here almost half a year, but I suppose that's how long it has been -- five months now.

These have, without a doubt, been some of the busiest months I have experienced, but I hope (and I feel) that it is pushing me in ways that I would not otherwise have been challenged.

Life here centers around the community, which is both wonderful to have and complex. It is, unlike most large universities, not a community that one can chose to exclude or include themselves from -- it simply is. Therefore, it is an organic community, but as people we tend not to like organic communities. We pick and choose social groups based on similarity of habits, views, hobbies, and lifestyles and although the nature of the college ensures an element of homogeneity, we have quite an interesting mix.

After spending a term under the tutelage of the previous Sr. Dairy boy, I am now Sr. Dairy Boy. I'm here on campus for winter break, which is three weeks long, to take care of our two dairy cows, which is a joy. I don't mean to mystify the relationship between man and animal because ultimately it is one of practicality for both of us (they need to be milked and we need the milk), but there is certainly something to be said about the routine of waking up every morning at 4 am to milk alongside the cows and then again at 4 in the afternoon.

It is a curious thing to be working alongside sentient beings whose thinking is so unlike our own.

As I said though, it is now break so finally, after two weeks of sleeping roughly 4 hours a day and using every other waking hour to do work, I am quite pleased to be able to watch movies, read for pleasure, write emails, and simply spend time on the ranch.

Yesterday, there was a tragic incident that occurred that make one want to both smile and cry.

One of the pigs went into labor around 9 pm, and consequently gave birth to seven little piglets over the next two hours. We got a call at around 11 saying that she had given birth and that if we wanted to we could come and take a look. A friend and I drove over to the other side of the ranch and there they were: six beautiful little piglets. The family who over sees the ranch had built a little hanger with heat lamps for the mama pig to give birth in and so the two daughters of the ranch manager were in the hanger tending to the already suckling pigs. It was really a beautiful sight to see these newborn babies wriggling with life.

Anyway, we left an hour later to go back to the dorm as I had to get up in the morning for dairy. However, at lunch today I just found out that there was a short fuse in the hanger and it caught fire and tragically all the piglets died. The girls (the daughters) were absolutely crushed and I've been shocked as well -- so tragic, to have life taken away so swiftly after it was given, but these are the ways of the world.

It was only later though, that I found out one of the piglets hadn't been born yet and it only came out after the fire. It is a runt, but it is alive and well.

And so life persists against all odds.

Wonderful, yet tragic.

iSwift, 'a little face of heaven'...

joshu and ezi,

just to let you know that 'i can't take my eyes off of you' as leah and i are totally into taylor swift these days. 'superstar', if you get what we mean. it's all 'romeo and juliet' over here on the itunes and on her ipod.

iswift, you could say.

it's not just happening in the dining hall of DSC, but up here on the hillside where 'that beautiful smile' lingers as taylor billows in her ballads and heart strings. could be why ms. leah is so keen to start her guitar lessons again. she's been picking out cords after watching anna have her w/end lessons over in sanepa. i found a tibetan guitar teacher who teaches english at the CCD. he was the tutor to natalie ring for her english, too. he has his own rock band, he says, playing dylan and neil young.

'i need my window open', as she sings, 'b/c she doesn't want to go that far... talk to yourself... talk to the man who put you here...'

hopefully he'll start this w/end, although he has to come all the way from jawalakhel, so he wants a two hour session w/ leah. let's see if she's up for that much guitar on one day. otherwise, i've asked about the b'kantha school, as well.

taylor does those high notes so exquisitely. 'caught up in her... untouchable... in the middle of the night when i'm in this dream...'

'c'mon. c'mon.'

ahh, those plucked guitar notes in the midst of her vocals. how the heart calls out for another soul in such songs. there's a whole lot of vitality and life in her petite figure. the magic of music, as we've always known. whether dylan or van or joni or tupec or death cab for cuties or regina or the script or mozart...

c'mon in the middle of the night... how we long for the beauty and transcendence of music.

i know how much music i listened to during college. late nights with the jefferson airplane, the beatles, the youngbloods, steely dan, more joni, of course. something more than precious, something that touched the soul at a time when the soul seemed so confused and uncertain.

the radiance of a human voice projecting thoughts, images, poetry across the mind. dreams of a better world. dreams of love that protected all. friendship that would never end. roads that stretched across the imagination. escapes from the daily reality of study and papers and classes. the raw twang of a guitar pulling at the tender heart strings inside.

'a million little stars calling out yer name...'

it's always the middle of the night in that dream. even sitting outside on a wintry day. grey clouds pressing down the heavens. there is that dream of a chord, a riff, a strumming along the vibrating strings that carry the soul back to the depths of emotions, joy, pain and tenderness. almost untouchable, except that it feels so true and clear and free.

that middle of the night that comes at any hour, just a 'little face of heaven'...

missing you both, but so happy to know that the music brings us together.

even leah now, too, caught up in the mystery of the sacred music.

'into the mystery', i think van sang... xoxo, dad, mom and leah

Leah's 4th Grade Bill of Rights

Friends, even the 4th Grade at Lincoln School are into writing their own Bill of Rights!

Let’s hope Nepal gets theirs soon, too!

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Our Class Rights

We have the right to be treated fairly and with respect.
We have the right to be comfortable.
We have the right to be given exact steps on how to do things.
We have the right for a two-minute break between subjects.
We have the right to learn science by doing experiments.
We have the right for a special time for class games and activities.
We have the right to learn by moving and acting.
We have a right to read and to check-out classroom books.
We have the right to listen to music between subjects.
We have the right for choice time. For example, academic games and sculpting, etc.