January 2024 Almanac, Year in Review
Keep some room in your heart for the Unimaginable —Mary Oliver
Dear friends, It’s winter, and night outpaces the day. Winter is a season of stillness, dormancy, and hibernation, the life force retreating within and below, holding its breath in the space between death and life while spinning the invisible threads that weave Spring’s emergent pattern in ways that we may attempt to influence yet cannot predict or control. Winter is a time to dream; to loosen our grasp on our certainties and open a space to host seeds of new life that are as yet unknown and unseen.
As this Almanac reveals, Common Ground continues to become itself through the creativity, initiative, love, and longings of its members. The farm team and friends have outdone themselves this past year, cultivating ever more life-giving food and vibrant educational offerings. We have recently discovered a new way of proceeding with our village development that may well fulfill our dream of living on the land. Our long-held intention to conserve large portions of our waterways and forests may come to fruition through a grant process shepherded by the Eno River Association. And CGEV is at the hub of the new Triangle Prescribed Burn Association which will enable us to bring the restorative power of fire to our forests and fields.
Though it feels discouraging to not yet be living together on the land, it’s vital to celebrate all that we have, all we’ve done, and all that we aspire to become. We’ve got a big vision and continue to lean into wants to happen next. We hope you’ll feel moved to contribute in some way to the emergence of this life-giving project.
See you at Common Ground
