delivered to the promised land

milk honey abundance

living simply and co-quarantining in provo— in words and pictures

i’ve got to admit, i’ve been grateful for the slow down during these strange and unprecedented times. it seems now that our lives were punctuated with deep distractions and schedules determined by outside forces.

i’ve got to be honest: it seems that most of everything i’ve ever wanted is unfolding during this opportunity to dig deep, like waking up to all that is possible; our calendars have been cleared by contagion. the garden gets planted and the imagination stirs.

we ask ourselves: what matters? what do we want to do with our day, without outside influences or obligations?

every day is a quest of being: the magic is in being alive.

i’d been telling my sister for years that i wanted to come and visit her. it turns out now is a good time to do those things you’ve always wanted to do. she lives in provo, utah and kindly agreed to experiment in co-quarantining. our kids could spend time together and we could share meals and a home and each other’s company. i packed up the wagon and children and hit the road. (social distancing is just as easily done from the car as on the couch.)

to the promised land….. our mother was born in salt lake city, and a century before our Mormon ancestors displaced the indigenous peoples and settled that great salty valley, seeking freedom to worship. they called it Deseret, meaning honeybee… (according to their holy text, the book of mormon). they traveled great distances by foot and endured many hardships, fueled by faith alone it seems.

it was the earth that held them— all of the earth is the promised land—- it is the earth that delivers us.

amy , her husband matt, and their 3 children (ages 17, 15, 13) have the faith and fire of our ancestors— and are pioneering their own lives in an enchanted house situated by the provo river. the river is cold and green and straight from the snowy mountain peaks framing their views. robust and well-loved chickens patrol the wooded back yard and boxes of bees are tucked into the corners, glowing in the sun. already i never want to leave. 🙂

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it is a sanctuary. matt and amy are real wonders, growing and making medicines, tending their small plot of land, and truly they have created heaven on earth. their cupboards are overflowing with honey, dandelion and cherry wine, the fridge is full of fresh eggs, all from their care— matt and amy live like gnomes, perfecting the domestic arts, surrounding themselves with the earth’s riches. we feast on matt’s perfect sourdough bread and drink up last summer’s golden dandelion wine, spending hours telling stories in their wooden hot-tub while the kids play together. i am so grateful to share this time with them, heaven on earth.

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we bike along the river Von Trapp style; Teddy fishes. i wander through the house inspired by the collection of all of the best books and music— best of all i get to know my sister and her famiy a little better.

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amy is a loving and nurturing presence- it’s been really exciting as her younger sister to watch her unfold and discover and empower herself, and i find myself asking her question after question. she has a lot of intuitive and feminine power- she is connected to the earth and is not afraid of transformation. she is the goddess of her domain. (she’s got a lot of scorpio/virgo energy.)

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matt and amy remind me of the druids that built stonehenge. (bear with me.) in this modern world they have reconnected to the earth, living in harmony with the natural world, in flow with the cycles of life. their lives and work and home are a green altar to the goddess, as beautiful as the good green earth. abundant and divine.

we’ve been delivered to the promised land…. alive and together during this time, full of hope. it feels pretty dreamy.

matt and amy have dug deep, devoted to the earth and her care. their lives are abundant. it is through the earth that we live.

these are the golden years.

my children and i take our time on the drive home, exploring new places, already planning our next trip out to co-inhabit the promised land 🙂

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thank you so much for your generous and inspiring hospitality, amy and matt! your home is a haven for deep living. xoxo