Farm bio: The long version

I had to shorten my bio for the farm website so I thought I'd post the longer version here:

It took exactly two days and two nights at the Living Kitchen to get me hooked. Some friends and I were farm sitting to allow Lisa a much needed break, and while we didn’t do nearly all the work the farm entails, the daily routine of milking, feeding, and harvesting provided a rhythm for my life that made my soul sing. I left telling a friend, “I’m going to live on a farm someday. I don’t know how or when, but I’m going to do it.”

I moved to Tulsa in 2006 determined not to make the same mistakes I made years earlier when I moved to Fort Worth, Texas. Months before my move I started reclaiming parts of my life that had been buried under books and hidden in corners of a library while I tried to finish a Ph.D. I lost 70 pounds, started running again, became more concerned about what I ate, and most importantly, got out of the house regularly and reconnected with nature. When I got to Tulsa, I found rich opportunities to allow those pursuits to grow, including the chance to work occasionally at the Living Kitchen, farm sitting, helping plant potatoes, shoveling out barns, raising a yurt, really anything that needed to be done. I loved the chance to be outside, to be connected to the source of the food I ate, and Wow! did I eat when I went out to the farm!

In 2009 my level of commitment to the Living Kitchen shifted when I moved here to live and work. I still hold a full-time job in Tulsa, which I enjoy, but in the waking hours when I’m not at work, I have the chance to help with the animals, work in the garden, do projects around the farm, and assist with some of the administrative tasks that keep the farm running. I also get to hike and fish!

My life’s work has centered on spirituality. I’ve worked as a counselor and chaplain and in graduate education for ministers. At the heart of my spiritual interests is a deep love for the natural world. Farming for me is an expression of my spiritual life. As my role at the Living Kitchen evolves, I hope to offer opportunities to assist others in exploring their spirituality using the amazing resources the land and its fruits provide.