Joy in Our Hearts

When Dambara and I moved to our beautiful valley three years ago, it was a leap of faith for us.  It’s a challenge to leave the familiar.  Mostly, we were escaping the high prices of the Bay Area, but also, I was escaping the frenetic energy and the dry, brown, heat of California.  As we drove away that last day, at the close of Dambara’s farewell concert, my aching heart asked how could we be leaving all these dear souls, these wonderful friends?  By the time we passed Mt. Shasta, my heart was singing, “I’m going home.”

Now, we are once again surrounded by the familiar.  We’ve become close friends with a new group of people.  We’ve found the great grocery store and lovely bike paths.  As we drive around, checking errands off our list, we move past green fields and thriving, family farms, gently rolling hillsides.  Our daily routines — meditation, cooking, connecting, strolling amongst our animals, doing chores, preparing for classes — everything is at a softer, gentler pace.  We’ve found peace.

Almost a year ago we returned to the Bay Area for a week, simply to connect with friends.  Each meal was an outing with yet another well-loved cluster of people.  We chatted.  We laughed.  We told stories.  We heard stories.  We watched each others’ eyes.  We felt each others’ hearts.

And then we climbed into the same, little RV that had carried us away three years earlier to start the long drive back to Laurelwood.  And my heart sang anew, “I’m going home.”

Big changes.  Big decisions.  How can we possibly know when we're doing the right thing?

By the joy in our hearts, our singing hearts.