Day 5 and 6

Sorry I couldn't get a chance to update the blog yesterday. I just needed some rest.

Yesterday morning we left at 8:00 a.m. For Grant's Farm, which was the former farm of President Grant. It was bought by the Anhauser Busch family and a large portion of it was donated to the public in the 1950s. It's now the home of the Budweiser beer Clydesdales (which are Scottish draft horses) and a park that allows visitors to see a number of wild animals in an “open” environment, as well as a petting zoo and other animal viewing areas. Entrance to the park is free, which is amazing, but there's a charge for parking.

Lea, Frank and I were not able to experience Grant's Farm on either of our Inspection Trips because we were here in the winter and Grant's Farm isn't open at that time. We really don't like taking the group to place we don't have first-hand knowledge of as we're not able to fully prepare the group for the experience. As it turned out, I think it went very well. The tram ride was not so great because it never stops for you to get a good look at the animals and it moves a bit too fast to get any great photos—especially if you're using a telephoto lens. The penned animal area was quite large and we didn't make time to see all of it. We did see some huge African turtles, some kangaroos, camels, llamas and a large variety of birds. There was one other wild animal everywhere and it was preschool children! The tram ride was filled with screaming kids and that didn't add anything positive to the experience. Inside the park the children were just as out of control. But, it's a great place for children to see these animals up close and so I think it's good that it's available to them and for free. Such a service.

We then came back to Pere Marquette Lodge for a late lunch and an afternoon meeting with Samuel. Among other things, we spent a fair amount of time with Suzanne leading us and Samuel coaching us through toning the note C which we will be doing as part of the Dragon Activation. We divided ourselves into groups of 8 or 9 and we committed to get together at least once a day for the next three days to practice toning the note of C. We've already seen a great improvement in how we sound while toning this pitch. I think the small groups are working very well.

Today, we had a 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Meeting. Samuel gave us an assignment that we did this morning that involved our going off on our own and doing some personal work. We were asked to think of 3 to 5 unresolved things in our life that were difficult, hard or unpleasant. We were asked to list the emotions associated with these things and list as many gifts that has come from them being in our lives. We then met with our C toning group and shared what the things were that were unpleasant and what the challenges were with them. We didn't have to be specific, but we could be if we wanted to be. After everyone had finished the leader of the C toning group read an affirmation that Samuel gave us that affirmed that we were now finished with these difficulties. We then toned the pitch of C. It was a 45-minute exercise and everyone I spoke with said they gained a lot of insight about patterns of difficulties in their lives and were able to see a thread of emotions associated with them. To me, it seemed that the group felt different after this exercise. It seemed to unite us more and today I felt like we began feeling like a group rather than a collection of individuals. I think we're on schedule to do a powerful working this coming week.

We finished this morning's meeting with some more questions and answers and then broke for lunch. After lunch we did a group toning. After that we were on our own for some free time. I went for a 5 mile hike through the woods that was both energizing and a bit taxing—just what I was hoping for.

After that I went to a laundry mat in Grafton to do some laundry and ran into two other trip participants! :-) We were the only ones there, no one else came in and so it felt like this was simply a continuation of the trip.

We finished dinner a little while ago. We had such fun visiting with folks at our table that we basically closed the restaurant. It was nice to relax, share stories and get to know each other better. This is such an awesome group of people! I know I say that every year, and it's true every year. We're so blessed to have so many thoughtful, loving, and kind people in this work and in our lives!

Tomorrow we have a morning meeting with Samuel and then we're off to visit the Wild Cannid Center to see some wolves that are being treated for release and bred for releasing into the wild. It's a great organization and I hope that the group gets to see the wolves. Please send energy that the wolves come out and that we're all able to experience them. Thanks.

I'll post more tomorrow after dinner and will let you know how the visit goes.

Until then much love and happy trails!

Stuart