Sometimes all we need is a change in perspective. Our change in perspective came from two visitors who arrived to the property from about as far away as you can get. My brother, Uncle James, returned home after being in the Philippines for 6 months. He stayed with us for roughly 3 weeks before being promoted at work and shipped out early to receive additional training and more hours. We are proud of him, and it’s always sad to see him go— even though we know it’s for the better. He reminded us of the simple things in life that many people take for granted, like food, water, shelter, and safety— and how so many people live without. He reminded us of the importance of a daily spiritual practice over daily monetary gains, that life and death are precious, and that nothing is more important than focusing on establishing solid family values in our kids, keeping our family together, and enjoying our time on this earth.

Our second visitor is a man named Eugene Chow from Singapore. He found our post on the WWOOFER website (Willing Workers on Organic Farms), and he was one of a dozen people interviewed as a potential guest. Eugene brings a youthful, playful, and deeply philosophical approach to life. He is a performer of many hats, a professional tango instructor, a clown, a comedian, a puppeteer, an actor, and a playwright. He is from the sprawling city/country of over 5 million people where he views food as something you order and have delivered when you’re hungry. Nature is something distant and foreign. He enjoys working and learning with us, from preparing beds for planting to propagating fruit trees, clearing azalea to let wild berries thrive to raking mulch for compost. It is his first time splitting wood, heating with wood, and living in the woods with a family and young kids. And while he hoped to arrive in June to help with building projects, he came a month early- in a time when we are focused on bed preparation and planting. Eugene reminds us of the importance of being involved in one’s community, being playful, and enjoying life. He also reminds us that in some countries, people are arrested for public displays of affection, excommunicated for speaking poorly of the government, and never hugged by parents or siblings due to different customs.

Both of our visitors brought fresh eyes to our lives reminding us that we are lucky to live where we live, to spend the amount of time with each other like we do, and to be able to work our land slowly and intentionally with long term goals of food security, family values, and artistic endeavors in our hearts. Eugene will be with us until June 4th, when he will return to Singapore to complete a mandatory three weeks of military training required for all residents until the age of 40.

We love having visitors, especially visitors who enjoy working alongside us, because as you all know, the work is never done.

Thank God for that.

Sincerely,
Stark Family