Shambhala School Students

As I wrote about last week, Windhorse Farm and the Shambhala School have had an ongoing relationship for the last 15 years. It has been a wonderful opportunity for urban and rural to meet and share vision, as well as a rich and challenging experience for students and teachers. After spending 2-3 days at the farm this past spring, students were  asked to answer some questions about their time at the farm. They reflected on what their favorite aspects were, what they would like to do next time and how they felt this experience contributed to their education. Here are some of their favorite things.

“Probably my favorite part was the interaction between everyone. No one was quarrelling with another person. Everyone was friendly. We got to know each other better.”

“Getting out of school and learning in a new environment was great.”

“I particularly enjoyed the night walk because it was so interesting to be quite near everyone and yet it was easy to imagine yourself as being totally alone.”

“The best part of this trip was that we got to learn not only about farming, but also about ourselves during the time alone we had. I loved being alone and discovering the other part of me.”

“My favorite was probably the food we ate. All the meals were delicious. I also really enjoyed the night walk.”

“The most valuable moment was the night walk. It was very interesting to hear people thoughts after walking in the forest. Laying down in the field under the clear sky at night was one of the most breathtaking experiences I’ve had in a long time.”

“I loved being able to just relax and talk to people in the class I don’t hang out with outside of school. Windhorse was an opportunity to get to really know each other.”

“The best experience that I had waas the night walk. Just the sense of vulnerability that I felt while in the night was amazing.”

I have been so inspired by the experiences of the Windhorse community, but I am particularly thrilled to have such amazing young leaders and learners spending time at Windhorse. I hope to have many of them featured on this blog in the future.

Angie Bruhm

Angie and her husband Wayne live right up the road from Windhorse. Will and I played with their sons Francis and Rodney as we were growing up. Their family has become a big part of the WHF community. Here are some of Angie’s reflections about WHF.

“I am fortunate to live a four minute short-stride walk from Windhorse Farm where I have gained my employment for over the past four years in a variety of capacities; at the present time as the bookkeeper.

Adventurous soul that I am ( tongue in cheek) I live in the only adult home I have ever known located one and a half miles from the only childhood home I have ever known on the same country lane. I have felt a connection to the lands now known as Windhorse Farm since I was a child living on another of the five family farms on the road- the only homes at that point. I remember the farmers trading their knowledge, labor, machinery and weather concerns and the wives; their recipes, laundry tips and child rearing advice.  Those were long days with hard work and the most rewarding life style in my experience.

It wasn’t from lack of farming passion that our farm, like so many in the area, has become silent to the echo of mooing cows, the jingle of horse’s bells, and the proud cackles from the hens. The acres of cow corn stalks that we played in have disappeared along with the rows and rows of vegetable gardens, and the apple trees we had to chase the steers away from else they would get drunk eating the fruit. Those farming memories I hold very dearly. Thankfully, because of Windhorse Farm, I can still walk whispering forests as they have been for generations, sit in acres of gardens to drink in the sun and scents, and be welcomed as I arrive to work by hens and horses.

From always having an active role in growing and rearing the food and supplies for the family’s benefit I have been provided an education that is immeasurable. I learned at an early age that if you love and nurture the forests, gardens, fields and livestock with due respect and foresighted consideration it is repaid with a bounty of life sustaining necessities and soul replenishing fulfillment. I have maintained this philosophy throughout my life.

To nourish the earth and its inhabitants, to live sustainably and to teach these ideals are a focus of the directors at Windhorse Farm. I’m happy to work for those goals and to continually learn new-found and long-forgotten ways of doing things.  In retrospect, society has learned great things from people willing to forge ahead and stick out from the crowd. Way to go Windhorse! “