News from the Job Front

One of our biggest goals at the farm is to be able to live there sustainably...working and living and thriving on our farm. It is a far cry from sustainability that Chris and I continue to work part time in the Twin Cities, commuting a couple of days each week, in the hopes that this schedule is a stepping stone on the path to where we'd ultimately like to be.

There is a door to uncertainty, frustration, and fatigue that I could easily walk through, looking at the time that it's going to take us to begin to call ourselves sustainable. I might be discouraged, thinking I'll be working this commute for years to come. In the midst of these looming fears, I have been presented with a great opportunity.

My former boss at the Bell Museum, Katie, left to become the Executive Director of a new foundation last spring. Soon after, she approached me with the offer to join her in this new venture. After a lot of waiting, I was officially offered the position last week and I gladly accepted. I'll be working for the Mississippi River Fund (missriverfund.org), doing fundraising, grant writing and event planning. She and I will be charged with establishing the fund as a new non-profit organization - basically starting a new business - with the mission of protecting the River. I will continue to work in the cities, blessed with a two-day/week schedule in the office, and working from the farm part time. I will learn what it takes to start a non-profit (future skills for farm life). I will learn how to promote a new and worthy cause. I will be working for someone I consider a good friend in a new partnership that will hopefully bloom into an awesome future for both of us. Katie puts family first and is a realistic, driven, fun person. We are both really excited and I truly feel that this is the right next step for me, and ultimately for our farm family.

My amazingly undaunted, energetic, enthusiastic, generous mother will continue to care for Ellis on Mondays and Tuesdays while I work--a situation that both she and Ellis adore and look forward to weekly.

I feel so lucky, so blessed. Everything could change again in another month or year, but I have found peace in the knowledge that it is all part of the plan. With patience, we will achieve our goals, understanding that they will change with life and time. I have no idea what life will be like in 10 years, but I'm excited to find out.

Becca