I have had many “small world” experiences in my life and this is one of them.
It was probably in the fall of 2004 that I made the trek from Metro-Detroit to Rockhaven. I had known Jan, Denise and Deza from the Sophia Center at Holy Names University in Oakland, CA. Having been well-aware of the birthing process of their plan to purchase Rockhaven, I wanted to support them as their work took root in Missouri. It was wonderful to be able to spend time with them and to experience something of their new life and work.
I had graduated from Holy Names the prior May and was looking for help in determining what I would do with my Masters in Culture and Spirituality. A workshop on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator coupled with the Enneagram to be held at Rockhaven seemed the perfect thing. I was not disappointed. It was a very interesting and self-revealing weekend set in the beautiful surroundings of the land and river around Rockhaven. Information I got from that weekend seminar provided many great starting points as I began to look for the work I was to do, to find my place in Thomas Berry’s “Great Work.”
For a number of years I have been part of a reading group that was started by women from Windsor, Ontario, Canada. (If you haven’t studied your geography recently, you may not be aware that Windsor is just across the Detroit River from Detroit.) Many of the women in this group are also members of the Gaia Women of the Great Lakes Basin, women from Ontario and Michigan who sing the songs of Carolyn McDade.
A year ago or so the book group had gathered at the home of one of the readers. I had something to deliver to the leader of the group so I approached her and she introduced me to a new member who was sitting next to her. That woman’s name was Mabel St. Louis, a CSJ Sister from Windsor. We looked at each other and both agreed that we thought we had met somewhere before. Neither had any idea where or when.
As I was concluding my conversation with the person who had introduced us, Mabel asked me whether I was still making my “books.” I looked at her in puzzlement and questioned her as to how she knew about the small books I had been creating for a number of years. She had figured out that she had met me at Rockhaven, many years before. She had been part of the sabbatical program and had participated in the Myers-Briggs/Enneagram workshop. I had brought some of the books with me to give to Jan and Diza and she remembered them.
What a wonderful re-connection Mabel and I made that day, a connection that has resulted in a developing friendship not only with her but also with her sister Pat, who is an artist. I continue to ask myself (and Mabel): What were the odds that we would have met after all those years and, even more so, been able to recognize each other and figure out where our paths have crossed before? Amazing.
I must say that, if you are looking for great people with whom to cross and re-cross paths, Rockhaven is a great place to start. Everyone there is absolutely the best -- people you want to meet and to stay in or return to your life.
Thanks to Jan, Diza and Denise for holding this wonderful place for all of us.
Mary Alice Dooley
It was probably in the fall of 2004 that I made the trek from Metro-Detroit to Rockhaven. I had known Jan, Denise and Deza from the Sophia Center at Holy Names University in Oakland, CA. Having been well-aware of the birthing process of their plan to purchase Rockhaven, I wanted to support them as their work took root in Missouri. It was wonderful to be able to spend time with them and to experience something of their new life and work.
I had graduated from Holy Names the prior May and was looking for help in determining what I would do with my Masters in Culture and Spirituality. A workshop on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator coupled with the Enneagram to be held at Rockhaven seemed the perfect thing. I was not disappointed. It was a very interesting and self-revealing weekend set in the beautiful surroundings of the land and river around Rockhaven. Information I got from that weekend seminar provided many great starting points as I began to look for the work I was to do, to find my place in Thomas Berry’s “Great Work.”
For a number of years I have been part of a reading group that was started by women from Windsor, Ontario, Canada. (If you haven’t studied your geography recently, you may not be aware that Windsor is just across the Detroit River from Detroit.) Many of the women in this group are also members of the Gaia Women of the Great Lakes Basin, women from Ontario and Michigan who sing the songs of Carolyn McDade.
A year ago or so the book group had gathered at the home of one of the readers. I had something to deliver to the leader of the group so I approached her and she introduced me to a new member who was sitting next to her. That woman’s name was Mabel St. Louis, a CSJ Sister from Windsor. We looked at each other and both agreed that we thought we had met somewhere before. Neither had any idea where or when.
As I was concluding my conversation with the person who had introduced us, Mabel asked me whether I was still making my “books.” I looked at her in puzzlement and questioned her as to how she knew about the small books I had been creating for a number of years. She had figured out that she had met me at Rockhaven, many years before. She had been part of the sabbatical program and had participated in the Myers-Briggs/Enneagram workshop. I had brought some of the books with me to give to Jan and Diza and she remembered them.
What a wonderful re-connection Mabel and I made that day, a connection that has resulted in a developing friendship not only with her but also with her sister Pat, who is an artist. I continue to ask myself (and Mabel): What were the odds that we would have met after all those years and, even more so, been able to recognize each other and figure out where our paths have crossed before? Amazing.
I must say that, if you are looking for great people with whom to cross and re-cross paths, Rockhaven is a great place to start. Everyone there is absolutely the best -- people you want to meet and to stay in or return to your life.
Thanks to Jan, Diza and Denise for holding this wonderful place for all of us.
Mary Alice Dooley
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