Kathy went to the farm yesterday and walked in from the road. Although it is overgrown, it is full of memories. One can think of the farmhouse as uninhabited, but visitors still abound. We sat at the kitchen table many mornings, watched the barnyard, and viewed assorted wildlife that found safe haven. Yesterday, this deer visited while Kathy visited and stirred memories.
The farm is in west-central Alberta and on clear days (yesterday was not) you can see the Rockies in the distance at various points on the drive out.
Sense serenity
Surrounded
By nature and memories.
Some visible
Others invisible
Each appears.
A home for being
A work place
A learning place.
A deer poses
Momentarily safe,
Human memories stir.
About ivonprefontaine
In keeping with bell hooks and Noam Chomsky, I consider myself a public and dissident intellectual. Part of my work is to move beyond (transcend) institutional dogmas that bind me to defend freedom, raising my voice to be heard on behalf of those who seek equity and justice in all their forms.
I completed my PhD in Philosophy of Leadership Studies at Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA. My dissertation and research was how teachers experience becoming teachers and their role as leaders.
I focus on leading, communicating, and innovating in organizations. This includes mindfuful servant-leadership, World Cafe events, Appreciative Inquiry, and expressing one's self through creativity. I offer retreats, workshops, and presentations that can be tailored to your organzations specific needs.
I published peer reviewed articles about schools as learning organizations, currere as an ethical pursuit, and hope as an essential element of adult eductaion. I published three poems and am currently preparing my poetry to publish as an anthology of poetry.
I present on mindful leadership, servant leadership, schools as learning organizations, how teachers experience becoming teachers, assessement, and critical thinking. I facilitate mindfulness, hospitality retreats. and World Cafe Events using Appreciative Inquiry.
I am writing and researching about various forms of leadership, how teachers inform and form their identity as a particular teacher, schools as learning organizations, hope, nonviolence and its anticipatory relationship with the future, as essential elements to teaching and learning.
Academic publications can be found at Ivon Gile Prefontaine on ResearchGate
Teacher as Transformer 
Maintaining a healthy connection to one’s past and memories – this has a lovely nostalgic feel.
It does make me feel good to step back in times. That was what our trip to Waterton was about. We honeymooned there and it brought a sense of joyfulness to our days to be back there.
Ivon
How romantic and rejuvenating! Glad you were able to take that opportunity! 🙂
Ahhhhh, lovely Ivon… What a beautiful way to spend time…
It is. As a family, we have incredible memories of the farm. Our grown sons still talk of what it meant to be there and what they learned.
Ivon
My grandparents lived on and worked a farm. Most holidays were spent there up to the age of approx. 12. I still have such sweet memories. Animals, milking cows, swimming in the dam, snakes, walks, rain on tin roof…. so many. I understand the freedom to be found…. 🙂
I really enjoy reading your poetic and thoughtful posts. Nourishes a busy mind.
Thank you. I am happy when I can bring a little bit of sunshine into someone’s day.
Ivon
This splashed a little sunshine my way too Ivon 🙂
I am glad it did.
This brought tears to my eyes, both joyous & sad, such wonderful memories we had there.
It is. I thought of all the things the boys learned out there and how fondly they speak of their time spent during calving, haying, camping, and butchering. Your boys would even sense that more with a couple of years on our boys.
It was and remains a special place.
Absolutely. Their conversation invariably returns to the farm and their grandparents, cousins, Christmas turkey and their enjoyment at being there. Thank you for posting that picture!
Reblogged this on lost creek publishing.