ARGH 2011

The view from the porch of our cabin.

 

A few hours ago, we arrived home from a few precious days in Tennessee at the Fall 2011 Autodidactic Radical Gathering of Homeschoolers. 

It was emotive, inspiring, powerful... and my brain is still buzzing from everything that happened there, and all that I will carry with me now that I am home.

It was empowering, enlightening, and encouraging in so many ways. 

I feel like writing about everything will somehow damage the memories we made there as a family - but without saying too much, I will say that the sense of community was powerful.  The conversations were real.  The love between families and the genuine-ness of their relationships was palpable and vibrant. 

I loved watching the dance floor on the last night with two year olds - grandparents dancing all together... as equals.  I loved bonding with the other unschooly moms and dads and kids.  I loved sharing a potluck meal together.  I loved the hiking and the music and the art and the play. 

I missed Jesus.

I missed what I felt the Church was missing as I sat in community with my new friends from all walks of faith - many of them atheists.  I am so in love with these people.  And they've got things figured out where Christianity, of late, seems to have fallen short. 

I am reminded of Blue Like Jazz where Donald Miller explains that the most community he ever felt was with his hippie friends in the woods who weren't believers. 

It was like that this weekend, and while there was abundant, wonderful, beautiful joy the entire time we were there - there was also an energetic sadness.  I wept for the community so many of my Christian friends long for and the loss we felt as we drove away from the mountain.