Comments on: Ideas on Saving the World

By: andrew

andrew — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 15:14:28 +0000

EAPW – Thanks for being so open and raw in your comments. I don’t know that there’s any going back, for any of us who have left home. What I do wrestle with, is what kind of life I would have, should I have stayed in my hometown growing up. I know that my moves, new relationships to different people in different places have all contributed to who I am.

And yet I am drawn to the wisdom of stability, integrity and place. Perhaps I have some more wrestling to do. I have, for the past number of years, felt drawn to the City. As much as I write about New! York! I know that I feel more at home in Vancouver than I ever would in a suburban environment. Perhaps there’s something about God, God’s call in that too.

As I say, it’s a journey, and one that has brought me here. Like you, I’m not sure I need to be threatened by the ‘wisdom’ of the constant move. I feel as though this is a place to put down roots, and I recognise that that would have been difficult in other places.

By: earning a prophet's wage

earning a prophet's wage — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 02:49:05 +0000

I grew up moving a lot. I remember moving to my Dad’s hometown when I was a teenager. I felt like we moved to our vacation. And then upon graduation, all my friends began moving away to college or military. I wanted so bad to stay put. But I felt deep shame when my friends came home to visit and I had not gone off to conquer a future.

I finally went away. And now I miss “home” with a hole in my heart.

I have a vision in my mind that has been with me since I was 18, that my friends and I would stay camped below the damn in the woods below McPhee Lake. Why did we have to split up? We lamented how we would not see each other for the next 20 years, but I kept thinking the reasons for it were so artificial!

So much damage has been done now. There is no going back. But this post seems like a healing touch to me. I can work with this. I was not crazy, it was the world around me. I can make sane choices from here – five years after my Mom died, I lost my job, and my marriage all in a few months time. I am home making now. And I do not have to be threatened by the “wisdom” of those on the move anymore.

Thank you.

By: Deborah

Deborah — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 01:26:35 +0000

This is very thought-provoking. I’m having a hard time making a cogent response, but I very much want to write something. Big noise vs. small steps — the feeling that we need to make a big impact in the world as opposed to a sense of living out our passion on a gentle scale. It’s a good thing it’s summer and I have the time to spend thinking about this! Thank you. I think.

By: andrew

andrew — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 23:18:15 +0000

Nev – I’ve not had the chance to visit the Palace Theater in Luverne. I was looking for a compelling photo from some place in Minnesota, and this one struck a chord. Thanks for the comment! I’ll have to check out the works of Frederick Manfred.

By: nev

nev — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 22:05:34 +0000

I immediately recognized your first photo as a place near my hometown – the Palace Theater next to the Pizza Ranch in Luverne, MN. Is it your hometown too?

The Palace Theater is home to the Green Earth Players. Green Earth, of course, because Luverne was home to Frederick Manfred, who wrote intensely rooted novels with a strong sense of place. So it’s a great photo for your post!