Living with a Generous Heart
A Sprinkle of Generosity Every flower carries within it the possibility of more. At Charlson Meadows, the flower beds in the Giving Garden begin with only a few tablespoons of seeds scattered into soil. From those tiny beginnings, the garden grows full of hydrangeas, lisianthus, zinnias, dahlias, and many other glorious blooms. What begins as…
Living with a Courageous Heart
“Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.” — Brené Brown There is a simple delight in catching a glimpse of a butterfly floating by or noticing a flower in full bloom. The meadow offers its beauty freely to anyone who happens to wander by. It doesn’t hide its gifts. Like the butterfly, we…
Living in Full Color
“Life is a great big canvas; throw all the paint you can on it.”— Danny Kaye A blank canvas doesn’t become beautiful with one bold brushstroke. It comes to life one layer, one color, one thoughtful stroke at a time. Our lives are built the same way, not by a few grand moments, but through…
Sunshine!
We depend on the sun for life. We don’t get any say in how it shows up each day, but we do have the power to choose how we show up to meet it. Every day, the sun is faithfully shining, even when hidden behind storm clouds. It continues to offer warmth and light whether…
Opening Up
Beneath layers of last year’s leaves, something fresh is reaching upward, waiting for just a bit of warmth and light. It would be easy to walk right past these quiet beginnings. Guests on our April Reflective Walk were encouraged to bend down and open up space where they noticed signs of growth on the Life…
Moving Forward
Spring doesn’t arrive all at once. The daylight lingers a little longer, the robins return from their travels, and buds begin to form on the tips of the trees. Even knowing that storms will come with rain or even a late snowfall, nature continues to move forward. As we watch, the landscape slowly comes back…
Introducing Our Newest Board Member, Sally Strebel
A Seasoned Leader Sally is a gifted entrepreneur, team builder, and strategic leader. She co-founded and grew a pioneering technology company that helped shape a multi-billion-dollar industry. She eventually guided the company through a successful sale in November 2021. Along the way, she’s worked alongside Fortune 500 organizations in high-stakes environments and created conferences that…
We had some excitement at Charlson Meadows
During this stretch of frigid temperatures, a pipe connected to our sprinkler system burst, setting off a blaring alarm at 3:45 a.m. and sending water where it most certainly did not belong. The impact moved downward. First, water hit the Gathering Room, then the Living Room below, and eventually the water made its way to…
Hope in the Quiet
As the year comes to a close, many of us find ourselves in the in-between. The rush of the holidays may surround us, yet there are quieter moments like early mornings, long evenings, and pauses between gatherings. This season asks a lot of us, but it also offers small pockets of rest if we’re looking…
Wind Phone in the Willow Cabin
Tucked into the willow trees sits one of our guests’ favorite spots along the Life Journey Trail, the Willow Cabin. Two rocking chairs in the simple shelter are intended to offer a space to be held within nature. Recently, we added a new special feature, a wind phone. This idea originated in Ōtsuchi, Japan, where…
