Thursday, July 19, 2018

a surprising rest

We've been on the road a lot in recent months, driving here and there and some in-between. 
The purpose for our trip to KY was a week of meetings for the Gardener's work.
I went along to help with logistics for those meetings, and simply 
because the Gardener and I enjoy being together.
Midweek in those meetings we took the afternoon off to visit 
the nearby Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill.
It was a warm afternoon and we were tired.
I expected to do a lot of walking and looking at this historical place--

which, to my surprise, had eventually turned into a busy street with gas stations and shops, 
and then, in more recent years, restored back to the original village it had been, 
or as close as possible.
 The original buildings had remained through the changes, 
and are slowly being repaired as needed, but, as with the
Shaker beliefs, certainly in a minimalist way. Some of them have guest rooms that
can be used by tourists for overnight visits.
It certainly would be a lovely place to spend a day or two.
And thats' what the surprise was for me. It was so serene and restful.
We didn't feel the pressure to go see everything, rather we soaked up the atmosphere of
the place, trying to wrap our head around a group of people who lived in such
a different way from what we may consider as the norm. Guides had time to talk and tell stories;
and we enjoyed sitting on benches, cooled by the soft breeze, relishing the shade of old trees.
We came away so refreshed and rested. 




13 comments:

  1. Seems now, more than ever, we're drawn to quiet, serene places. Happy you found one. ❤

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  2. How lovely, both the unexpected rest and the village. I am not by nature drawn to minimalism, but I do like things to be uncluttered.

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  3. Even in the photos the aura of peace shines through.

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  4. 'Tis a gift to be simple🎵 It does look very serene and restful. In 1978 after reading about the Shakers I told my husband that THIS is a religion I could embrace. When he informed me that they didn't marry, I found the Quakers instead. I loved their quiet meetings for worship except for when the Spirit moved someone to speak.

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  5. What a lovely peaceful village, Dotsie. Before my husband retired, I always went along to explore places he had business. I'm glad you do as well.
    Our daughter lives near the Enfield Shaker Museum. It's so interesting to visit there and learn about their culture and views. ♥

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  6. It looks so serene. I could easily stay there for a few days.

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  7. It looks like a place we would like to visit and since we live just across the River in Indiana I think it would be a good idea! Thank you!

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  8. Oh I loved this! There is a Shaker Community...Sabbathday Lake Shakers... very near to me that I have enjoyed visiting, Used to be that there could be no more Shakers, but I see that they have had to amend their policies or die off completely. I used to take my students to visit every other year as there is a museum, animals, a place for a picnic, and demonstrations. I see the Sabbathday Lake Shakers even have a FB page! ☺️ I can see how restful such a place would be...tranquil, calm, a less-hurried pace, though they do work hard to care for their beautiful properties and livestock and gardens and orchards...oh my.

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  9. Dotsie, The spirit of the place ministered to you. It is a lovely place. Sounds like you received some needed rest and relaxing. Nice that the place has been returned to its original state. Thanks for sharing. Have a great week. Sylvia D.

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  10. I could still kick myself for living so close to the Shaker Village when we lived in Mt. Sterling and never visited...kind of like living where I live now and never visiting the Biltmore! What a gorgeous place with such serenity.

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  11. This reminds me of Isaiah's words, "In quietness and confidence shall be your strength." I'm glad you found rest and quietness along the way.

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  12. Hi Dotsie,

    We don't take really restful vacations often enough, do we? Yours sounds perfect. :) I love these pictures of the Shaker Village; it reminds me so much of our little restored community of Old Salem, which I've written about several times. I have missed seeing your blog posts throughout the summer -- so glad you've gotten to do some traveling! Hope you have a great week!

    Hugs,

    Denise

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I enjoy the conversations that come with comments!

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