Greetings, dear friends and family!  We hope that you are enjoying this season of autumn and fall.  As with many seasons, our Soph makes this one even more fun…she LOVES going for leaf-crunching walks and is going to be a ballerina-tiger (her own creative combo) for Halloween tomorrow – fun days, to be sure!

The last time that I sent an update about Seeds of Exchange was in May, just before we left for our trip to Uganda, which was a most remarkable time!  In this note, I’ll include a brief update as to our journey in the days since you’ve last heard from us and let you know what we will be doing with Seeds of Exchange in the coming months.

- Uganda!  June, 2007 -

Our Sophia had more fun and did better than we could have ever imagined!  She rested and enjoyed the nearly 20 hours of plane flights each way, was relaxed and fun during a 15-hour bus-ride during which our bus got a flat tire, and loved the food and rhythm of life in Uganda.  I LOVED travelling with a larger team of folks (nearly 20 people from Denver) – Sophia had so many laps on which to sit and lots of aunties & uncles to entertain her! :)  Soph and I delighted in spending most of our working days with my sister, Liz, and our dear friend, Sweta & her mom, Anju – we were in the Bar Ogal Pre-school or St. Jude’s Orphanage most of the time.  Brandon spent days in several hospitals and returned home exhausted, overwhelmed, and in awe at the skill of the doctors and strength of the people of Uganda.  But, the days went ever so quickly!  Most assuredly, we returned home far more impacted than we ourselves impacted those we met and with whom we worked in Uganda.  I have a journal full of musings, questions, struggles, delights, and experiences of our trip – and, after four months of being home, we are all still “unpacking” the richness and depth of our journey to Uganda.  A few musings that stand out…

-          One thing that I was struck by was the way in which life seemed to be a bit more cohesive and less fragmented…

-          I felt more relaxed and able to go with the flow of life, which inevitably did not conform to the schedule for each day…

-          I loved living in a community-context – traveling, working, eating each day with our team…

-          My “work” was inextricably linked with Sophia – it didn’t begin when I had someone else to take care of her or she went down for a nap – this was very refreshing and wonderful…

-          It struck me with fresh power that though I hoped to give and share a lot – I received far more than I gave, to be sure!…

-          The message that we heard reiterated from our Ugandan brothers and sisters was that there were two vital things about us being there:  first, our presence (particularly Sophia’s) extended to them a sense of hope, and second, they asked us to tell their stories when we got back home. 

Indeed, their story needs to be told and heard.  This is largely why we have decided to tell our family’s story via pictures, videos, and music.  What an honor, indeed!

You can click here to view our slideshow from Uganda – if the link doesn’t work, try copying & pasting (www.seedsofexchange.phanfare.com/album/360391) it into your browser. 

A few suggestions for viewing our slideshow:

-          You can click on individual “chapters” of our story and then watch as a slideshow or start at the very beginning. 

-          At the bottom of each picture during the slideshow, there are arrows that you can use to skip to the next picture if you want to “move things along” a bit faster. :)  This will be useful during some of the video clips, no doubt.

-          Brandon’s pictures of his days in the hospital are not yet fully edited and don’t yet have captions on them – but, I thought I’d include them nonetheless.  The stories are amazing!  If you want me to send you an updated version when he gets his captions & stories in, let me know & I’ll do it.

Please drop me a note or call me if you have any questions about our trip, the pictures, the work we did, etc.  “A picture is worth a thousand words,” but it is sometimes great fun to HEAR the words, too! :)

- Seeds of Exchange Markets & Community Gatherings -

I LOVE the markets that we host in our home, meeting and engaging with some remarkable folks in Denver, as well as connecting with many folks outside of Denver and sharing about the vision, work, and beautiful goods of SOE.  However, throughout the summer and early fall, I have sensed with increasing clarity, that I need to put a “pause” on the markets for this holiday season.  Thus, we will not be hosting any markets for the rest of this year.  I know that it is not logical or strategic to do so in the season during which many people are most eager to buy gifts – but, I’m learning with increasing surety, that it is wise and essential to listen to these “nudgings” – for, great (and often unexpected) things come as a result of doing so. :)

However, if you want to purchase holiday cards, journals, and other gifts, you still can!  Drop a note to my friend & sister, Christy Graham (Christy.Graham.1973@alum.bu.edu).  She just returned to the U.S. from India, after living there for 12 years, and is endeavoring to develop a fair trade organization and partner with SOE during this season.  She actually connected us with the artisans in India and she has some incredible stories about our friends there…so, if you have time, ask her to tell you some stories when you place your order. :)  She’s received some new and cool products, as well.  She, like me, is just getting this organization off the ground, so give her a bit of time to respond to your request. :)

I’ll keep you posted in the New Year as to what will be happening in terms of our SOE Markets & Community Gatherings. 

- Cool Opportunities -

One thing that I plan to continue to do is to update our SOE website with opportunities this season to learn from, engage with, and give to some amazing folks.  I am a student of fair trade and am seeking to have our lives become more compassionately responsive to and engaged with the lives of those in our community and world.  If I come across things about which I think you may be interested, I’ll post them on our website.   Also, there are so many amazing opportunities to engage with folks who are doing quite courageous and transformative work.  A few such postings in the past month include:

• Guide to Fair Trade – Order it for Free!  Finding Fair Trade resources has never been easier! Want to know where to get the latest Fair Trade products…
• Blankets for our brothers and sisters in Denver.  As the weather is getting colder, blankets for our new arrivals from across the globe are increasingly important. At the moment, the African Community Center is really short on blankets and bedcovers…
• East High School Papau New Guinea.   The East High School Papau New Guinea involves a study of cultural awareness at East and culminates in a trip to Papa New Guinea during spring break in 2008 to help create and build a community center… 
• For the love of a sister.   Gladness lives in our neighborhood and has a sister who lives in Tanzania.  Gladness is putting together a very special fundraiser for her sister in Tanzania…. 

You can read more about each of these people and projects, and if you so desire, find out how to collaborate with them on our website - scroll down or click on archives.

We hope to continue to post opportunities such as these on our website – many folks have found them to be fantastic ways to give gifts in honor or celebration of those they love, such as birthdays, anniversaries, & memorials.  The power of people, of community, of community coming together is just extraordinary!

- E-mail Communication -

During this season of “pause,” I’m minimizing the quantity of time that I’m spending on the computer as a bit of an experiment.  Though there is so much that I love about technology and the opportunities it provides to connect us with one another (for example, I can wire money directly from the SOE bank account into the account of Malika in India with the click of a button!), it seems that it is often a time-vacuum, adding one more level of busyness to our already fragmented days.  I’m wondering how it will work and feel to utilize this tool less often. :)

In general, I’m going to spend just one day each week checking and responding to e-mail.  So, if you want to be in touch with me about a time-sensitive matter, give me a call instead of e-mailing me (303.355.5241 – home or 720.301.1510 – cell).  I’ll not be checking e-mail at all during the month of December.  If you are not able to call me and need to get in touch during December, please feel free to e-mail my husband, Brandon (drbrandon@stapletonpeds.com), and he will make sure that I get your message. :)

- In Closing -

I hope that you are being expanded, grown, delighted, challenged, loved, nourished, and rejuvenated in this season of life…that you have a few treasured companions with whom you can walk, run, or rest…

I’d like to share two readings that have come to mind during this season and as I’ve written this note to you… 

The need to relinquish our certainty lies at the heart both of modern science and ancient spirituality…Ilya Prigogine tells us that, "The future is uncertain. . .but such uncertainty lies at the very heart of human creativity."  It is uncertainty that creates the space for invention.  We must let go, clear the space, leap into the void of not-knowing, if we want to discover anything new.  -Margaret Wheatley

To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under the sun.
A time to be born and a time to die;
A time to plant and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill and a time to heal ...
A time to weep and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn and a time to dance ...
A time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to lose and a time to seek;
A time to rend and a time to sew;
A time to keep silent and a time to speak;
A time to love and a time to hate;
A time for war and a time for peace.
-Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

 Friends, all for now – may you and those you love be abundantly filled with joy, peace, and love this day.