As mentioned in the July 23 blog entry, there are many great stories to share from our recent 25th Anniversary Staff Tour. I’ve asked other staff to share some of their experiences and favorite moments firsthand from our two days of traveling through southwest Minnesota. Enjoy!
Shalom Hill Farm
Cheryl Glaeser
Program Officer
The word “shalom” is a Hebrew word meaning peace, completeness and welfare. These are certainly some of the feelings I experienced during our stay at Shalom Hill Farm near Windom. After a wonderful evening with SWIF staff – reconnecting to our mission statement, sharing our thoughts about our work for the coming year and getting to know each other better – I enjoyed a peaceful nights rest. I woke up in the morning just as the sun was rising and decided to take advantage of the setting and go for a jog. I was struck by the beauty of the sunrise and the serenity of the prairie.
I was first introduced to this retreat center located on the beautiful prairies of southwest Minnesota last winter when we held our first southern Youth Energy Summit (YES!) winter workshop at Shalom Hill Farm. Through my work in renewable energy, I appreciate their commitment to sustainability – using local foods, recycling, composting and reminding their guests to save water and energy. They also have a small wind turbine producing energy and make use of passive solar heating.
After my jog, I enjoyed some reading time in this peaceful setting. A quote from Janet and Chris Attwood jumped out at me: “What you put attention on grows stronger in your life.”
Too often in life we focus on our problems, challenges and what we don’t have. As I looked around at all that Shalom Hill had to offer, I was reminded of what southwest Minnesota has to offer.
I have been very fortunate to have experienced the amazing people, businesses and organizations helping to make this a great place to live. My hope is that we can all put our attention on what’s right. By focusing together on the positive, imagine creating more peace, completeness and welfare throughout southwest Minnesota.
Shalom.
