Mietzke's Holden Adventure

I love coming home to the crackling sound of the fire.
We burned through the old dry wood in the basement and are now burning the second pile which is wood cut this last fall and only dried out over the last few months.
The smell of this new wood is heavenly, sweet and sappy, like the wood in a warm sauna. The whole house is filled with this sweet smell and it easily sets me in a relaxed mood. I sink down into this old couch that bows and bends and creaks as I settle myself, taking off my boots as an after thought. I let my bag drop and listen to the sound of the kid’s voices in the other room.
I feel warm and sleepy and my book beacons from the coffee table. I pull the blanket round me and bask in this moment of home. Dave is typing away on the computer the girls are playing an imaginative game in their room and I feel so thankful and content.
I was able to immerse myself in work today. I cleaned the library and the common area in the dining hall and re-alphabetized the children’s section of the library. I spent time going through new books and catching up on little things here and there. It felt so good to work and to have time to put things together without interruption. The dinners have been nice in the village and everyone seems to be letting down after a busy couple of months.
I have been so thankful for the presence of the guests and the students that were in the village, and also thankful now for the quiet of the last few days has been emptiness, good solid emptiness that makes you breath in deeply and take a minute to think, to reflect and to enjoy this moment where the movements are just a little more subtle, but still present.
It is funny how having dinner with fifty other people can feel so intimate, quiet and fun. It feels like having a good meal with family who jostle and joust and can sense when you are not in the mood. As I looked around tonight I realized how very much I have grown to like and love the other villagers. They are quite and amazing group of people. My friend Daniels sister had a baby today and the whole village celebrated with him. I am often touched by the kindness here by people’s willingness to go out of their way for one another, and for how intentional people are with their time and their actions. People are always ready to participate in others joys and support them in their sorrows. There is a quality of genuineness that is the life of the village and it is good.