Monday, August 27, 2012

I'm Back!

I am back!

Reece and I spent a lovely week at the beautiful Mansfield Outdoor Center at the Art of Mentoring Camp. I set off for this week with very high expectations of gaining some inspiration and tools to help further enhance the nature connection journey Reece and I are on together and to share a week long journey with a community of like minded people.

I will admit, I am a little disappointed in some aspects of the week, but I am choosing not to dwell on those. By focusing on the things that didn’t meet my expectations I would forget about the wonderful and truly amazing moments of the week, and there are so many.

So today I choose to share with you some of those moments from the week. These are moments I will never forget. Moments that touched me deeply and have left a mark on my soul that will continue to inspire me for years to come.

:: Gratitude circles, coming together before every meal, three times a day to sing, share and give thanks. There is a powerful feeling when 140 like minded people come together in nature to show appreciation for each other and Mother Earth.

:: Opening campfire of the week started with a bow drill, while we sang together to bring the fire to life. This was a magical moment I will never forget. When I close my eyes I can still see this moment clearly and my soul tingles when I think about it.

:: Rising with the sun each morning, and a lovely quiet tune played be our mentors as they quietly walked around our camp community to wake us from our slumber.

:: The most amazing space created by our mentors Nicole, Kate, Kathleen and Krista for our Oaks and Acorns program. This space, known as Woodland Wonder, was the place where we would gather, play, share and talk. It was our special place for the week and provided hours of fun for all of us.

:: The simple moment of taking a breath and sprinkling some flowers on the ground before entering our Woodland Wonder space.

:: Watching Reece explore and take on new challenges.

:: Witnessing the magic of new friendships between my little man and some of the boys in the program...this was a highlight of my week.

:: Enjoying an hour of mama time while the Owls (the oldest mentors in the Art of Mentoring program) played games and entertained our little Acorns...this was a wonderful opportunity for us mamas to gather in a circle and share our experiences. And what I said last week in this post is right, we are all connected on this journey it doesn’t matter what path you are on.

:: Listening to a wise man speak and being inspired by his words and his life. Thank you Jon Young.

:: Being reminded by Jon “to teach by asking questions”. This is a simple, yet extraordinary way to expand the world for my little man.

:: Enjoying a gift from a lovely young lady, clay from Martha’s Vineyard. She shared stories from the past with us about the clay and then showed us how to pound it into a powder and make clay. It was an amazing afternoon that finished with us moms in clay facial masks – it was divine.

:: Seeing this quote everywhere “Be more. Need less.”

:: Meeting new people, making new friends and enlarging my community.

These are some of the wonderful moments I will remember from my week at the Art of Mentoring. It was a very special week in so many ways and it will forever bring a smile to my face when I remember it.

Some pictures from our week:

The lovely arch way guiding us into Woodland Wonder

A basket of flowers, take a deep breath and sprinkle some on the path before you enter

Inside Woodland Wonder

A space we shared together for the week...

Places to hide...

Places to build...

And places to come together as a community.

Fun in the shade on a sunny afternoon

There is pure joy in finding animal tracks

Exploring

Listening and learning from Alexis

It was amazing to watch this friendship develop

One of our mentors Nicole teaching us how to us a bow drill

I'm up here mom!

Scaling new heights

The power, magic and strength of like minded community coming together in song

Boys and trees = fun!

Smashing our lovely gift of clay rock

Reece loved this

Adding water to make the clay

And this sums up our week perfectly...


33 comments:

  1. What a wonderful post and an exciting adventure for your little one. I wish we had something like that in our neck of the woods. I am glad you had a nice time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Kathleen, it was exciting and fun.

      Delete
  2. It looks like you and your son had a fabulous time. I try to focus on the positive as well, it leads to a better frame of mind. Oh the lessons you are teaching your young one without words :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We did! And you are so right a much better frame of mind for sure.

      Delete
  3. It all sounds quite wonderful! So glad that you've returned full and inspired. And that last picture of Reece speaks volumes. Enjoy your re-entry Kim!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was Lisa. Reece is still talking about it. Our re-entry had been a bit rough, but we are getting through it.

      Delete
  4. What an exciting adventure. It sounds like a great experience for your little man.

    ReplyDelete
  5. What a great experience! I try to remember that a little disappointment helps remind me how wonderful the good stuff is. Glad you had a fun week!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wow! What a wonderful week and beautiful place. Your little one looked quite happy. I'm now on a mission to find something similar in the US. Thank you for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was a lovely week indeed. I bet you can find something for sure, there are definitely a few Art of Mentoring camps in the US.

      Delete
  7. I love your positive attitude! :) It looks like it was a really amazing week. I'm REALLY loving the Woodland Wonder. I must create one for my kids in the woods behind our house. I think we would all love the be in that space.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Amanda. Woodland Wonder was amazing and I bet you and your kids would love it.

      Delete
  8. I'm glad you saw the positive side to whatever didn't go how you thought. But it looks like there was so much good there! I would love to hear what Reece's opinion of the week was. Children remember such interesting things! Glad to have you back!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There was so much good KC, so much...what I was hoping for was a little more in the way of tools to help me dig deeper into the journey Reece and I are on, ways to help us connect even deeper.

      And you will get a little peek of the week through Reece's eyes tomorrow :)

      Delete
  9. I am glad you are back. I'm sorry to hear that some of the week wasn't what you hoped, but it's nice to just focus on the positive, life is too short not to.
    Love seeing all the photos, it looks fun!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Welcome back Kim. I missed your posts while you were away. There sure were some lovely moments from your week. Love your photos too. xxoo

    ReplyDelete
  11. I would absolutely love to take DD to something like that! We have our first back country camping trip planned in a few weeks but that looks amazing with so many like minded people :) What a fun week! Welcome back!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Meg, it is good to be back. I think you guys would love it. The camp happens every year...

      Enjoy your camping trip.

      Delete
  12. It was wonderful for both of us on some many levels. Hoping you can find something and if not start your own :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. I really enjoyed reading this and seeing the pictures. I didn't know that these existed :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, glad you enjoyed it. It was a pretty amazing week.

      Delete
  14. How beautiful! I long to have adventures like this when Avi is a little older!!! yum!!! thanks for sharing

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was Jules. I know you will have some amazing adventures with Avi, heck you already have! You should know the age range for the Oaks and Acorns program is birth to age 3, we actually had two really little babes in the program - one was 2 months old and the other was six weeks...lots of fun!

      Delete
  15. Thanks Kim for sharing your highlights, stories and feelings (and photos) of last week!

    ReplyDelete
  16. That experience looks incredible. I think with everything there is a little give and take but I'm glad to see you focusing on all of the positive aspects of the experience. That look on Reece's face really does show what a good experience it was for him doesn't it? You're an amazing mother.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Sara, it really was pretty amazing. And Reece did have a great time.

      And thank you so much for that lovely compliment, I really appreciate it :)

      Delete
  17. What absolutly beautiful pictures!
    I love the communal areas in the forest!
    I would love to attend a course like this. I wonder if there are such things here in the UK.
    I think I'll have to have a look now :)
    Glad your little boy had such a wonderful time.
    xx

    ReplyDelete
  18. these picture fill me with joy! i'm glad you can focus on the positive moments, there cetrainly looks like there were many!

    ReplyDelete