From The Innkeepers

July 2020

July is the month where traditionally in this country we celebrate the birth of our nation. This country was born out of acts of bravery and the courage to seek freedom. Thinking about the meaning of the 4th of July this year, I was put in a rather pensive frame of mind brought on by the heart wrenching news of the past weeks, showing the images of police brutality and the subsequent protests and violent responses. We are a country fraught with divisiveness both political and racial. The founding principle of this nation that all are created equal is an ideal that was reflected in our culture more so at some points in our history than it is now. This year the 4th of July just plain makes me sad because we have strayed so far from the original ideals put forth at the founding of this nation.

In reflecting on the deeper meaning of our “Independence Day” holiday, we are of course extremely grateful for the many freedoms both physical and spiritual which form the very bedrock of the founding of this nation. Even though we said good bye to our last retreat guests on March 15, I think about the numerous groups and the diversity of people who grace our Inn throughout the year. We miss them and long for their return. It has made the three of us here at the Inn realize that our independence as a nation and as a global citizen is dependent on the degree to which we realize that we are all interdependent. We cannot help but reflect with gratitude on the many gifts shared by the groups of people who pass through the Rustic Gate each year: thought leadership, artistic creativity, spiritual wisdom, compassion, kindness, openness, curiosity, and a desire to learn and explore. Even in their physical absence from the sphere of our daily lives, they continue to touch us in ways which we never could have imagined when we founded The Inn at the Rustic Gate. We cherish both what they bring to and what they take away from time spent here. We are honored to provide a supportive environment which enables people to come together. We nurture them and they in turn nourish us by affirming the ways in which we carry out our mission. We know this to be true: In our diversity is our strength.
May it be so in our time.
Blessings to all and may you continue to stay safe by doing the simple things- wearing a mask and staying at least 6 feet apart from each other. Our interdependence to contain this virus really revolves around those two things.
Take care,
Marcia

PS
We are in the process of getting health department approval for the gradual re-opening of the Inn. If the numbers in the State of Michigan do not continue to rise exponentially we plan to re-open by the end of July. Our concern is that holiday travels and failures to social distance and wear masks in public spaces will ignite a resurgence of Covid cases in our state. There have already been shutdowns of a number of restaurants and bars in vacation spots like Traverse City. Stay tuned to this space for further announcements.