This week has been joyful, affirming, sad, maddening, frustrating, rewarding, and very, very full. It reminded me of my favorite quote by Frederick Buechner: “Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Do not be afraid.”

If you know me, I say this often and try to remind myself of it as much as possible because it is so true. Just this week I had a beloved friend and neighbor pass away and an elimination of a work partnership with no notice that ultimately impacts 5 schools and thousands of children we work with at Jones Valley Teaching Farm. In the same week, we held incredible joy — engaging with national and local leadership initiatives, interacting with students attending field trips and camps, witnessing veggies bursting from the earth, tasting fresh mulberries off the vine, conducting bee workshops, inhaling the excitement of our Seniors who are eager to get that diploma, greeting volunteers, seeing our colleagues get awards they deserve, and observing an incredible staff continuing to step up wherever they are needed. All of it can take my breath away.

It’s hard to stay in a place of neutrality when you feel like the changes that are being made are meant to cut you at your knees. It’s also hard to stay in a place of neutrality when the road that got us here has been full of missteps, judgement, and disappointment from every side. And so that’s where the quote comes in and where I have had to dive deep to see where the learning, growth, and healing can happen even when it all seems so very hard. And then there’s the part about the role we’ve all played in every bit of it — and I think that might be where the reflection might be hardest for all of us.

The work I have the absolute honor to do every single day has taught me more about myself and the world around me than I ever dreamed possible. I am trying to stay in that mindset as I look to the future of our work. I am a better person because of the diversity of thought, lived experiences, and beliefs this organization continues to uphold and celebrate. Because of that, I am learning from so many different people from every part of our community. I love that our teaching farms create a place of belonging for so many and I know in my heart that despite the occasional fear, questioning, and uncertainty — caring for our soil and land, growing and cooking our own food, and sharing all of it with our neighbors will absolutely carry us through.

We often say food is the foundation — for survival, for culture, for engagement, for connection, for education, and for creating the kind of leaders we need in this world. Yes, beautiful and terrible things will happen, but we must keep building a world that supports young people’s hopes and dreams no matter what. There’s so much work to do and I intend to pick myself back up and get to it.