Greetings from Lägom Landing!
November is a month many of us wish we could skip. The sky grows grey--there’s an unforgiving smell of cold steel in the air. We start to hurry from our warm homes to our heated cars to our offices to avoid the cold slap of November.

As a builder, I haven’t always had the option of avoiding November’s cold embrace. We have been building the shell of a new home right in the heart of late Fall. The gift of November comes to those willing to turn into the wind, to enter into the mystery of a thousand shades of grey and the stark beauty of bare branches.

Light is precious this time of year. We find ourselves hurrying in the last hour of the day to get as much finished before darkness renders us unable. Yet even in our rushing, the November sunsets have brought us again and again to a standstill. As the last bit of warmth drains from the sun, the greys of the sky come alive with mysterious golds and pinky reds and oranges.

It is a vulnerable experience realizing this beauty that has struck us all speechless will be gone in four minutes.

I find myself coming to you rather humbled. Humbled by the power of November, but also humbled by the power of God’s beauty and generosity in our lives.

The house seems to have leapt up out of the ground. I love standing on the walls before the roof rafters go up, looking at a fullscale wooden picture of the architect’s blueprints. It seems only yesterday we were mulling over the plans and now the house is framed, roofed, and mostly sided.

This has been accomplished through a lot of teamwork. My son Jake, my nephew Owen, and Sean, a young skilled carpenter from our previous home of Wyoming, make a great crew working tirelessly to create a geometric wonder out of piles of lumber.

We have also been blessed by enthusiastic groups of volunteers. Friends from skiing, tennis, church, and presbytery have shown up on a regular basis. In Blue Like Jazz, Donald Miller has a chapter on charity--what it feels like to be on the receiving end--to be given to instead of the one giving. As givers, we are more in control--we decide who, when, where, and how much we give. In receiving we are put in touch with our own needs--our inability to get by without help, the ways in which our falling short needs to be met with a power greater than our own.

Our local Presbyterian youth group came to us like the calvary coming over the hill at key times. Before we raised our foundation, there was a mountain of lumber to move. On a saturday afternoon they came bounding across the field full of laughter and energy. Within a couple of hours, not only was the lumber efficiently moved but a huge wall was built. Another muddy Saturday--the youth with help from some skilled adult volunteers ran 1500 feet of radiant floor tubing underneath the basement floor. The group also framed up our sizable porch deck, working in ankle-deep mud without complaint. Watching the mud-covered young people head out after the dya’s work, I felt like crying. What have Laurel and I done to receive all of this goodness?

And perhaps that’s where the real challenge of receiving lies. Can we just say thanks? Thank you without examining whether we are deserving, thank you without computing whether we can pay back somehow what we have been given. In the words of Bob Marley, “Thank you Lord, for what you’ve done for me. Thank you Lord, for what you’re doing now. Thank you, Lord, for every little thing”--Oh Yeah!

Love,

Rock

A “newsy” P.S. from Laurel: GREAT news on the “details” front: we have had another supportive Board meeting (SO grateful for our Board members), have received our state nonprofit incorporation (so we can now open a bank acct.!), and we are on our way to the 501(c)(3) status! We also found a great lawyer who has caught the vision of Lägom Landing. Thank you for your prayers and support!!!

Construction!

Wow! Only Wednesday, and we've had a lot happen!

Saturday, the Geneseo Central Presbyterian Youth came and helped us move a lot of lumber, plus build the first foundation wall. We are so grateful for their generous and joyful spirits, which really helped Rock after cutting boards all day. We shared a pot of chili and some laughs afterward.

Monday, we continued to be overwhelmed by the outpouring of community spirit. Twelve friends from presbytery, skiing, and Board connections came and helped us raise the foundation walls. All but one wall were raised in one day!!!

Tuesday, Rock, Jake, and Sean raised the final wall, and put up the floor joists for the first floor.

Wednesday (today), I helped out as well, and we got the first floor nailed and glued down, and most of the first floor walls built and up! It is incredible to see this dream taking shape. We pray deep prayers of gratitude each morning and evening, and are filled with excitement to feel, so directly, the place where we hope young people will come alive to who God has made them to be.

We are grateful!

Groundbreaking! Laying the Foundation

Site: Undisturbed

Rock, driving the first stake.

Digging, shooting stone into the foundation, spreading & leveling stone, pouring concrete pads. We've begun! Thanks be to God!

Fall

October 1, 2010

Greetings from Lägom Landing!

The first touches of fall are appearing. Maples beginning to turn red, the smell of leaves decaying in the woods. Flocks of birds preparing to head south.

Fall touches a melancholy part of my heart. It reminds me of loss. The illusion that I can hold on to or control life is stripped away. How ironic that this painful reminder comes in such dramatic beauty.

Laurel, my son Jake, and I spent five days in New Orleans during the fifth year anniversary of Katrina. That city can be a powerful gateway for entering into our own loss, a picture of the way life at times has overwhelmed us. Our trip was a memorial to Jamie Smith, a builder and member of the Laurelton United Presbyterian Church in Rochester, who had made many trips to New Orleans. Jamie died suddenly in May of 2009. As we shared memories of Jamie and looked at pictures of our March 2009 trip with him, I could sense how bonded we all are to the city that has lost so much. Life is fragile. We are helpless in the storms that come our way.

The Gulf Coast is a clear reminder of our deep need for one another. 5 years later there are still flocks of volunteers involved in the rebuilding process. The joy of homeowners returning to their house is matched by the joy of the volunteers involved in the rebuilding process. We hope this kind of reciprocal experience of goodness will be central to Lägom Landing.

In the birthing of Lägom Landing, the ebb and flow of life reveals itself to us. For everything there is a season. It has been a time of some frustration as we deal with the bureaucracy of New York state in our incorporation process, our applications bouncing between the education and the corporation offices. The cold, hard truth that the timing of our dream must conform to the powers that be. Part of this process is accepting that Lägom Landing will not be running (in an official capacity, anyway) in 2011. As the non-profit corporation status is delayed and we enter more deeply into our business plan, it has been made clear that all that needs to be accomplished cannot happen in our original timeframe.

The projected date for launching the program is now Fall of 2012. We do hope to have an informal “pilot year” community of young people here starting in the fall of 2011, to begin sharing life together (western NY friends--if you know of young people who might be interested, let us know!). These would be people who are already plugged into a job, but could use help with a free place to stay, in exchange with helping us experiment and plan our programming and life together.

In a few weeks, we are scheduled to break ground on the new home which will be the hub of the Lägom Landing community: a traditional cape-cod style home with a big inviting wraparound porch. We pray that this will be a place of welcome--a place of rest, but also an invitation to explore some of the inner adventure of life.

Laurel and I attended a stimulating and imaginative conversation at Stony Point Center north of NYC about the changing shape of young adult energy toward the church. we saw a clearer picture of young peoples’ challenge to find meaning and connection in an increasingly detached world.

The traditional forms of “church” do not seem to be speaking to their greater need. So a lot of the conversation was about imagining new ways to connect. Intentional communities of hospitality, centered in service became the new picture that emerged.

Lägom Landing is a concrete expression of a movement which is beginning to take place in the church. Young people living together in a sustainable community--living simply, engaging locally--and exploring the larger questions of life together.

One of the challenges is keeping this energy connected with local congregations. Laurel and I shared the vision of Lägom Landing with our local church community in Geneseo. We came away energized by the willingness so evident in the room. So as we mourn the passing of summer, we welcome the mystery of autumn: “unless a seed false into the ground, it cannot spring up.” We trust the resurrection energy of Christ Risen, yet we will not overlook the dark places to which he also traveled.

May we keep awake and alive on the journey to not miss the message of life as the world flames out in the reds and golds of fall.

Love to all,

Rock

July changes

squash, nasturtiums, and marigolds growing

ah, the verdency!

sean, rock's partner, helping to renovate a storage shed

storage shed renovation

soon to be a cuke

Prayer Update #4

Summer is flourishing. We've had a great season of warm days, enough rain, and beauty all around. The first Board of Directors meeting of Lagom Landing will be held this coming Saturday, July 24, and we ask your prayers for that. It's exciting to be able to share this journey with others, and we give thanks for those who are so gifted in areas we lack! We'll take their photos this weekend and post bios and photos next week.

We've been working hard on the business plan, forming partnerships, and the legal and financial details of Lagom Landing. New terms and legal language is daily joining our vocabulary!

Rock and I have had quite a July in our family life. Mary, Rock's ex-wife, and our kids'--Jake (23), Rose(20), and Peach/Violet (18) mother--has been struggling for six months with a re0ccurence of breast cancer. She died in hospice on July 5, surrounded by family including all three kids. All three have been an inspiration, showing compassion along with strength, courage along with an ability to laugh, and a thoughtfulness to others, even as they have undergone such loss. We've interspersed mourning with celebrations: Jake turned 23 on the 8th, calling hours, service, and a reception honoring Mary's life were held on the 9th, Peach's high school graduation party was at their home on the 10th, Barry (Mary's boyfriend) celebrated his birthday on the 14th, Rose turned 20 on the 15th, and Rock celebrated his b-day on the 19th. The celebrations have been occasions to come together and celebrate life, and have been truly fun, even hilarious at times. So we give thanks, especially for all the beauty Mary brought into the world as an artist and mother.

The last five photos of our garden were taken by Peach, who has lately been exploring this form of art and receives a lot of life from it. She'll be starting at the University of Buffalo this fall, majoring in environmental engineering. Rose will continue studies for her speech pathology degree at SUNY Plattsburgh this fall and is up there this week moving into her apartment. Jake continues to build up his construction skills, and is up with Rock this week in Albany, helping some friends on an addition. Please be praying for all the kids as they work through this time. May they be surrounded by the support they need as they continue the process of grieving.

We'll share more about Lagom Landing in the next update, but thought that an update on our personal lives was in order, as it will definitely effect the future of everything!

These words from Psalm 84 echo through my summer days:

"How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts! My soul longs, indeed it faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God. Even the sparrow finds a home and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O LORD of hosts."

With "dwelling place dirt" in my fingernails and love in my heart,

Laurel

mom and dad in wny 06\2010 (49 photos), by Laurel Nelson

Laurel's mom and dad, Jane and Kent Nelson, visited for a week in June and helped out as we continue to settle into this place. Dad removed a bunch of fitzer (sp?) bushes and helped stain the deck that Rock built last fall, and Mom helped a ton with finishing up the planting and getting the house organized. Rock and Jake also gathered some stones out of the woods and made garden paths to keep our feet from getting muddy. They're looking great, and we'll continue working on them this week. I threw in a few photos from my mom's camera of her visit to see my new nephew Everett and his parents Lindsey and Keith, and my brother and his family--girlfriend Meredith, neice Abbey (10) and nephew Jack (9). Click here to view photos

One-page program description edits

I changed the March 15 post and updated it according to the work that's gone on the past few months. It's good to be getting things a little more focused! Have spent much of the week connecting to others running young adult programs, and it's making me excited to be in this work!

Prayer Update #3

May 31, 2010

Good people, most Royal greening verdancy, Rooted in the sun
You shine with radiant light.
In this circle of earthly existence, you shine so finely, it surpasses understanding.
God hugs you.
You are encircled by the arms of the mystery of God.
“Encircled”, by Hildegaard of Bingen

These words hang on our fridge, and have come so alive to me in the past few weeks. It is high spring. May, in all its glory, does indeed “shine so finely.” Biking on the country roads around our home, we plunge into tunnels of “most Royal greening verdancy”, truly “encircled by the arms of the mystery of God.”

The beauty and wonder of this experience is beyond words. It does “surpass understanding” and I find the words of of Bob Marley echoing around my insides: “Thank you Lord, for what you've done for me. Thank you Lord, for what you're doing now. Thank you Lord, for every little thing.”

So in this spirit of rejoicing and gratitude, Laurel and I greet you from Lägom Landing, encouraging you to find that place where “you are rooted in the sun”, and humbly remembering your own brilliance. That you are a totally unique, created wonder, “shining with radiant light in this circle of earthly existence.”

How often we forget and how difficult it is for us to rejoice in ourselves—the incredible gift of being brought forth into this universe. “Life on Life's Terms” can beat the wonder right out of us. We may have the capacity to appreciate the unique gifts and personalities of others, but can we extend that appreciation toward ourselves? Can we grasp the truth that we “shine so finely”, that “God hugs us”?

10,000 Maniacs sing it well in “These Days”:
“These are days you'll remember, when May is rushing over you . . . to be part of the miracles you see in every hour—you'll know it's true, that you, are blessed . . . you'll know that you are touched by something that will grow and bloom . . .”

Yes! May is calling us to grow and bloom and Lägom Landing continues to sprout new growth. Raised bed gardens have been built, 10 yards of new topsoil and manure added and planted with a few of the seedlings that we've been raising in our window, plus some store-bought plants, and some hardy seeds stuck into the ground directly. We've been blessed with a warm spring and great planting weather. Flower beds surround our little blue house, and the yard is coming into shape; all remind us that we are but caretakers of this gift. That ultimately ownership is an illusion. It is all Gift. We have an acute awareness that only through grace and resurrection power can Lägom Landing sprout, grow, blossom, bloom, and bear fruit. “No branch can bear fruit by itself but only if it stays joined to the vine . . . I am the vine and you are the branches. If you stay joined to me then you will produce lots of fruit.”

The business plan for Lägom Landing continues to take shape. We are grateful for the counsel of our local Small Business Development Center, which has helped us immensely in putting onto paper the nuts and bolts that will help our vision come alive. This is a very specific answer to our prayers in the first prayer letter-- Lägom Landing is looking less and less like trees walking!

The Board is still in the process of being formed and we ask for your continued prayers in this area. We also ask for guidance, creativity, and wisdom as we begin to look at how we will market the unique opportunity that Lägom Landing offers young people.

I close in deep thanksgiving. For May, for the gift of life, this place, this opportunity, for my wild and wonder-filled partner Laurel Dee, and for you, my friends and family. You are all the hands and face of God to Laurel and me. Thanks.

Love,

Rock

Just updating with a spring photo of our sunset view, as well as a pic of Bennie and Kitty Ruby, who are good buddies.

Calling Hours in Wyoming

It's a rainy day, and I'm reflective, and not being very productive, so I'll write a bit.

Most of you reading probably know Rock and I, and know that last year at the end of August, I left my position at the First Presbyterian Church of Wyoming, and the two of us moved to Dansville and enterred into this new call to provide a gap year/foundation year/interim year to young adults.

Rock and I have lately been talking about how this year or two of planning and preparing offers time to experience for ourselves what we hope to offer not only to the young adults who live with us for a year, but also to the board and supporters of Lagom Landing.

It's challenging to live differently in this 24-7, fast-paced, technologically driven world of ours. How do we live faithfully pursuing what gives us life?

The land and the quiet, the birds and the trees have already served as such a gift for us.

But some encounters over the weekend also remind me of other places that offer me life, and of remarkable people who model good living.

Wyoming, NY is a unique place. It carries a sense of the old ways with it, even though it is not immune to the problems facing so many rural U.S. communities. I loved being able to nurture relationships with the grocery store owners who've run the store for over fifty years. A lot goes on in that store's back room. Delicious Apple Sausage (and now blueberry, apple-pumpkin, elderberry, chorizo, italian and even pineapple varieties too) is shot into casings. Inventory is unloaded, usually by volunteers who offer their labor with love. Cans are recycled. Signs and equipment are stored. Coffee, a great piece of toast, and friendly conversation and hospitality are freely offered to anyone needing company. Even though the store has not been able to keep up with competition from larger stores in nearby towns, and now barely ekes out an existence by selling that specialty sausage and other fresh meat, some dairy products, and beer and cigarettes, it continues (as it has for who knows how many years) to serve as the communication center of the village. Anything shared there can and will travel within minutes to all corners of the community.

Those who are no longer able to do what they used to do sometimes wander to this back room for conversation, for connection. A good friend who died last Wednesday hung out there a lot in the last year as he recovered from a bad hip injury, as well as cancer treatments.

On Friday, Rock and I attended his calling hours, which, following a long-standing family tradition, were held in his daughter and son-in-law's home. Calling hours in a family's home are completely different from calling hours in a funeral home. Friends and family cleaned out gardens, scrubbed the house clean, and rearranged the furniture so there would be a good channel for people to flow through. People lined up from the front door all the way back to the sidewalk, and filed into a dining room and family room where the person who died shared countless meals, played poker and euchre, opened presents, held babies, and argued and debated year after year. Offering condolences to family in the place where they spent time with the deceased feels miles different than doing so in a sterile commercial funeral home.

At the end of the family room, our friend was laid out in a simple pine coffin with rough rope handles, which was (as per his strict, and quite vocal request) constructed lovingly by his son in law.

Around the corner, in the kitchen, friends gently asked mourners if they would like a cup of coffee or some water. The table was spread with the best-baked goods in three counties, juicy bite-sized fruit, and hot dishes of comfort food made by friends and family and even local businesses that cherished our friend and reached out to his family.

All this reflects a deep-seeded theme of our friend's life—pure joy in the simple things of family, hard work with one's hands, and the pleasure of friendship. A trust in the old values and in keeping things simple.

As I sat eating home-made mac&cheese on the sun porch at those calling hours on Friday, I distinctly felt the spirit of Christ shining throughout the home filled with everyone our friend loved and laughed with. Gerard Manley Hopkins wrote that
“Christ plays in ten thousand places,
Lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes not his
To the Father through the features of men's faces.” (sic)

I saw Christ in the face of our friend, and also how Christ's love has filtered down to his family and friends through 77 years of loving investment.

It made me want to live well.

It added enjoyment to my running a half-marathon a day later. To seeing "Love, Janis" performed at Rochester's Downstairs Cabaret Theatre and reflecting on the passion flowing through Janis Joplin's veins.

"Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose" (those weren't Janis' words, but Kris Kristofferson, but they sure have irony as I reflect on her life).

We all have freedom to choose life or choose death, and our choices certainly accumulate.

It's been a major transition for me to leave full time work, and to still feel like I'm contributing to the world. It's also tough not to waste the day on the internet, catching up with friends, sortof, but, more accurately, procrastinating.

Running, as well as weekly attendance at the Mercy Prayer Center for 30 weeks of learning from St. Ignatius Prayer Exercises, have been two touchstones centering me throughout this transition. I'm grateful for the gift of prayer in my life, and for running over quiet roads as they've blossomed into springtime.

Finally, I'm grateful for the gift of having lived six years in a community filled with many who aspire to fill their days with that which brings them life.

Thank you, Wyoming.

Prayer Update, #2

Lägom Landing
Prayer Update, #2
April 18, 2010

The skis have been stored away in the shed. We have said goodbye to a wild wonder-filled winter. A new season is upon us. Spiring is bustin' out all over.
Forsythia speak to us in golden glory. The fragile spring blossoms say change is in the air. Biking the beautiful country roads, all the senses are engaged--the fresh smells of spring, buds on trees waiting to pop, birds singing expectantly. All witness to me of life that cannot be contained. Resurrection energy is at work and play in all of creation.
Laurel and I sense this power working within us. The Spirit is gently leading us to let go of the old and safe and open up to something wild and new. It is a time of getting ready, of preparing heart and body and spirit for a brand new thing.
Part of this process for Laurel is running. Clarity, connection, and life flow in as she runs. She has signed up to run the New York City Marathon in November, and will train with the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation benefit team. She has a new comprehension of Paul's words to the Philippians: “Forgetting what is behind and straining towards what lies ahead, I press on toward the finish line of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
As we “press on” together in launching Lägom Landing, we ask for your prayerful support in this time of getting ready. With strain comes new strength and freedom. Pray for the willingness to be stretched, to seek a power greater than ourselves, to be formed into healthy channels of the BIG Place to a planet in desperate need.
We seek wisdom as a board is formed for Lägom Landing. We ask for prayer that the Spirit would guide this process, that those who would say yes would respond out of a creative call. And as we continue the application process for nonprofit incorporation, we need to be patient.
It's hard to put it any better than The Hothouse Flowers in their song “One Tongue” (we encourage downloading it!):

Give us the strength to look straight at you.
Let doubt be the furthest from our minds...
That we can be here, and know that we should be here,
and we can see the light inside.
As it gets more complicated,
simplicity must arise,
so we can follow in this feeling, and we can keep this song alive. . .
Yes, there are many many questions.
Yes, there is red tape all around.
The simple truth can cut through anything . . .
Talking “one tongue.”

We experience that “simple truth” in the beauty of this place. Pruning back overgrown shrubs and trees is a therapeutic way of “cutting through” the complications of red tape. Starting seedlings, clearing land, planting the gardens, brings hope in a tangible way.
We know there is much to do, but we have faith in the Risen One, who brings forth the springtime and who empowers us in this adventure. We are grateful for uplifting visits from friends and invite you to come and see this good place for yourself!

In the one tongue singing, “Christ is risen”, we send love to all,

Rock and Laurel

Work

Having spent a good portion of my life in school, and talking and writing a lot as a pastor, I've always romanticized work with my hands, and craved the knowledge of how things work. About the only experience of working with my hands, though, has come from mission trips. Helping build a ramp, put siding or house wrap on a house, painting, and gutting are my only experiences of doing much, and not at any level of skillfulness, I might add.

My husband Rock discovered his call to be a builder while working on a Christian mission in New Guinea. He knew he didn't want to go to college, and the only option given to him was mission service. Within three months of arriving, three months of putting in a water system and working with his hands, he called home saying, "I think I've found what I want to do!". Rock says that he and his son Jake often look at one another at work and say, "Can you believe we get PAID to do this?"

The two of us coming together has made us both think a lot about what education is. I've been educated in a great deal of abstraction--concepts, words, theories. I've always felt cut off from the satisfactions he describes from being in the fresh air, using his body to put sticks and stones together into something useful, a safe shelter for a family.

We both feel a call to be with folks who recently entered "adulthood", but who have no idea how all of a sudden, on a birthday marking their 19th year of life, they can know "what they want to DO with their lives."

We believe there's a lot more to education than graduating in the top ten, rushing off to an expensive college, and getting that degree. We believe there's great value in spending a year learning about ourselves and working with our hands. We hope others will find this a compelling thing, and join with us.

And we're hardly the only ones thinking about this. More and more "gap year" programs are cropping up. With the recession, paired with shows like The Office and beloved Dilbert striking such a nerve with America's cubicle workers, it seems people are talking about the value of work all over the place.

We've been reading Matthew B. Crawford's book, Shop Class As Soucraft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work. He sums up much of what I'm talking about in this entry--it's a book "for those who feel hustled off to college, then to the cubicle, against their own natural bents..." (from the cover).

I'll finish with a poem by Marge Percy.

To be of use, by Marge Percy

The people I love the best

jump into work head first

without dallying in the shallows

and swim off with sure strokes almost out of sight.

They seem to become natives of that element,

the black sleek heads of seals

bouncing like half-submerged balls.



I love people who harness themselves, an ox to a heavy cart,

who pull like water buffalo, with massive patience,

who strin in the mud and the muck to move things forward,

who do what has to be done, again and again.



I want to be with people who submerge

in the task, who go into the fields to harvest

and work in a row and pass the bags along,

who are not parlor generals and field deserters

but move in a common rhythm

when the food must come in or the fire be put out.



The work of the world is common as mud.

Botched, it smears the hands, crumbles to dust.

But the thing worth doing well done

has a shape that satisfies, clean and evident.

Greek amphoras for wine or oil,

Hopi vases that held corn, are put in museums

but you know they were made to be used.

The pitcher cries for water ot carry

and a person for work that is real.



Thanks and credits to Marge Percy and Garrison Keillor for compiling such a great anthology of poems in Good Poems, Penguin Books, 2002, p. 157-8.

One-page program description

Here's a description of what we hope Lägom Landing can be:


Lägom Landing1 7966 Reeds Corners Rd./Dansville, NY 14437
Short Description
Rock Castor (585-727-9585), Laurel Nelson (585-727-1687); e-mail: lnelson18@stny.rr.com

The transition from adolescence to adulthood is one of the most important transitions of our lives. We believe some young adults have a vital need, in the midst of this transition, for an alternative to immediately enrolling in college, the military, or a minimum wage job.

Lägom Landing is a nonprofit residential program that provides a one-of-a kind opportunity for young adults, ages 18-23, to gain vision into a foundation for the rest of their lives. Through living close to the land, using their hands on building and gardening projects, cooking, cleaning, tending animals, managing money, learning EMT and entrepreneurship skills, and serving those in need, young adults will gain self-understanding, focus, and basic life skills that will ground them and prepare them for the world.

We are located on 60 acres of land between Dansville, NY and Geneseo, NY. We live in intentional Christian community, praying daily, and are open to those of other faith affiliation or understanding to enrich our following of Christ.The primary focus of the program is to help participants establish their identities—who they are in a society that focuses on the question, “What are you going to do?”. This time in life involves restlessness and can be unsettling, and we hope to address:
a) The confusion of the transition from the home to all of a sudden, “having it all together”; having a plan for the future.
b) The “check out” mentality witnessed in over-reliance on technology, partying, other distractions experienced in college, work life, or military service.
c) The frustration and financial loss faced by students, parents, and communities when young people enroll in (or even graduate from) college as a “default” option—but have no clear understanding or focus behind their studies.

We believe that competencey with one's hands builds a healthy sense of confidence and self-esteem that can provide a solid foundation for all of life.

Community Living:

The year young adults spend with us is residential. Volunteers join us for one year, living on a 60-acre parcel of land in rural Livingston County. A main “teacher” in our program is the challenge of shared space and living in intentional community. There will be separate women's/men's living areas, including kitchen and bathroom facilities, but there will also be shared space for community life, shared meals, and learning the arts of cooking and hospitality.

Work:
A master carpenter of 30 years' experience will teach all phases of building—from excavation and pouring foundations to finished carpentry and painting, and everything in between.
Although the primary practical focus will be on the building trades, students will also be exposed to gardening, landscaping, EMT and entrepreneurial classes, money management, cooking, food preservation, cleaning, and the creative arts.
We hope to establish partnerships with area agencies, nonprofits, churches to do work in homes of those who need minor to mid-size repairs (roofing, plumbing, electric safety, insulating, etc.).

Action/Reflection:
The hands-on part of the program will be balanced with an in-depth look at how one discovers life and meaning in our 75-mile-per-hour world. Students will be encouraged to step back from the virtual world of electronics, computers, television, and cellphones, and enter into the REAL. The work of the Spirit will be integrated with the work of our hands through reflection, reading, journaling, and learning to listen to the voice of the Creator through the rhythms of nature in our day. We hope to follow the wisdom that Gordon T. Smith offers in his book, Courage and Calling: “We discover ourselves in action, and action becomes fodder for reflection.” Participants will write their own “life rule” during the year.

Play:
“Play” and “Work”, in our vision, may line up from time to time. We'll encourage students to fully use the 60 acres of land, experimenting with environmentally sound building techniques, solar and wind power, etc., and hopefully expand the property with some solid structures/cabins, etc. Games, music, drama, art, cooking contests, poetry readings, etc. will be a part of life.

Tuition and Fees:
Scholarships are available, but for financial solvency, we'll need at least half our participants to pay full tuition of $10,000, which would include their room and board for 10 months, education in basic building, gardening, cooking, money management and other life skills, counseling, spiritual direction, 2 off-site retreats, the freedom to roam around 60 acres every day, and a stipend of $200/month for entertainment and time off. Participants will be urged to raise their money through churches, family, and community connections, in order to have accountability to a community investment made in them.
This type of learning experience is unique. There are few, if any, other places which offer the combination of practical skills and real life perspectives of a year at Lägom Landing.

1“Lägom” is a Swedish word that roughly translates to “enough; just the right amount”. We believe we've been given the resources we need to live into the call God has placed on our lives, but due to societal pressure and a host of other issues, some young people need help “land”ing into who God created them to be.

Prayer Update, #1

This morning, skiing through snow-sparkled wonder of the forests and fields of our land, the name of our property, “Lägom Landing”, came alive. “Lägom” is a Swedish word that has no direct English equivalent. The closest parallel might be “Enough; just the right amount.”
Surrounded by beauty, I entered into that spirit of “enough”, aware that it is gift, grace, not something that we can generate within ourselves. Out of this spirit, “The Dream” of a place where young adults might get in touch with the BIG PLACE was born, a space where they might have time to explore some of the bigger questions of life, vocation, and identity.
Laurel and I have moved on to 60 beautiful acres in rural western New York. The vision of Lägom Landing is beginning to emerge, and many have asked how they can be praying for us. Right now we're much like the blind man in Mark 8 who Jesus had to touch a couple of times. “I can see people but they look like trees walking.” Lägom Landing looks right now like trees walking, but we have faith that the picture will be brought into focus as more is revealed to us.
We hope to open up officially in September of 2011. In order to make that deadline, we hope to finish our business plan by mid-summer, 2010, apply for non-profit status, begin recruiting in the fall of 2010, as well as break ground on our home and the center for the project, which will be adjacent to the double-wide trailor we are currently living in.
It's all a bit daunting, and we, in ourselves, know that we are not enough. Only by grace working through the gestalt of community will Lägom Landing become a reality. So in our inability, in our inadequacy, we come to you, our friends and family, acknowledging our need for prayer and help.
At this time, we ask for prayer that the Spirit would connect us to the right people as the practical model of Lägom Landing is being built. That our energies would be directed wisely in this unstructured time. We ask for guidance in sharing this dream that has been on our hearts since we first experienced the gift we found in each other. “This love is a lot bigger than Rock and Laurel,” Rev. Tom Taylor shared at our wedding, and he is so right.
As this love grows into the community needed to support this adventure, search your hearts, feel where you are called to life. Rejoice in “Lägom” in your own life, and to paraphrase our man Neil Young, “Keep on prayin' in the free world!”
Love,
Rock and Laurel

what led to it

For the past three days--Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, February 25-27--Sparta, NY has been pounded by a thick, wet, gorgeous snow. It finally cleared today (Sunday), and after being lazy all day, the blue sky finally beckoned me out on the ski I had thought about all day. It was 5:45 or so, Canada had just hit the final puck into the '10 Olympics, and the sun was nestling into the trees we overlook from our 1991 Doublewide trailor. Far too late, but exactly on time, I clipped on my skis accompanied by excited barks from Bennie, our lovable mutt.
The snow was far too deep to slide through without effort. Even downhill required work. The trees were so socked with snow, it was laughable, and I took photo after photo, filled with that rare glee that accompanies nothing else but big snows. I scooted into the woods, and found that the snow was deep enough, I could glide over the creek bed that was normally inaccessible. As water gurgled below me, I slid over it, buffered by two-and-a-half feet of white cotton candy. That was exactly the consistency--when my skis went over it, the snow became that sticky mess that I used to get at the circus or fair when I got too creative with my sugary-pink treat. I slid down a creek bed or two. What would normally be a death-defying leap on cross country skis became a fun hop; everything was evened out to a forgiving softness by the white beauty.
I trudged further into some scrubby woods, and came upon a thicket I know the deer frequent. I ducked in and out of bushes until I came to a tree that was a small version of the tree of life in Avatar--turned and twisted roots leading up to branches frosted with a decorative touch no human could have. I took a few photos, and then heard the jingle of Bennie's collar. Having struggled through the deep snow, he had left me back at the creekbed, and I figured he had headed home, yet somehow he had loyally followed me. I gave him a few appreciative pets and the two of us continued on from this Found Altar Tree of beauty.
I wove around a few paths I knew, exploring. This snow has a bouncy quality. I felt like I was in a Bounce House, taking Giant Steps, and feeling the give and take of each step. Finding my way to "the meadow"--the more open land on our property--I realized how dark it had gotten, admiring the last bit of light on the more open horizon. Turning left back up the hill to our home, I heard Bennie 200 yards back or so. I knew he was struggling, and the scene was so beautiful, I decided just to pause and rest. Even though it was getting dark, I knew my way back. I fell back into the snow, realizing again how fun it is to get this much "cyoom" (short for accumulation, I guess). Falling straight back, I had a more feathery landing than if I were collapsing on the finest bedding.
I lay there and waited for Bennie. He jostled along faithfully, tail wagging even as his poor displasia-ridden hips struggled to keep up with the rest of his eagerness. He joined me, appreciative of the rest, and we sat there.
I saw one star before I fell back. But as I looked up at the sky, more began to appear. Orion. Others ("one day I'll take an astrology course"). A satellite.
One thing I realize each time I walk the land. It is always here. Through all the drama and emptiness and silliness of our lives, the trees and grasses, creeks, rocks, logs, humus are all HERE. I know there are other creatures too, who hide from us. Bennie is all too aware of them as well, and his ears perk up from time to time and his nose crinkles, smelling aromas too subtle for me.
This land is where we will live.
Who knows how long.
We hope to have others come and live with us.
Those who are beginning their adult lives.
Those who are experiencing their first freedoms.
What are we gonna spend our free lives on?
These are a few of the things I want to spend my free life on: relationships, compassion, woods, meals, stars, skis, silence, snow, candles, prayer, cutting wood, plowing snow, building things, digging dirt, planting seeds, weeding, watering, tears.

I got up in the darkness and started treading back to the barn and the house. It occurred to me (in that banally weird way technology enters our minds) that I'd like to write facebook status about this night. But obviously, there was more that needed to be said. So I'm starting a blog. It will be updated from time to time. Not sure how often. Not sure how I feel about blogging. But it's felt good tonight.
This morning I read the story about Jesus healing a blind man in Bethsaida: "There the people brought a blind man to Jesus and begged him to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village. Then he spat on his eyes, laid his hands upon him, and asked whether he could see anything. The man's sight begn to come back, and he said, 'I see people--they look like trees, but they are walking about.' Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; he looked hard, and now he was cured and could see everything clearly." (Mark 8:22-25)
Sometimes we need to be taken by the hand and led out of the village to be healed. That's what we want to do with "Lagom Landing", a place where people come to receive a bit of vision. We may only get to the place where people look like trees walking about, but we will keep on looking hard, waiting for the time when we are meant to see everything clearly.