As We Roll Out Our Expansion, Do You Know Who We Are?

Meet New Horizon’s Small “Zones of Peace” Founders

New Horizons Executive Director And Founder, M. Anastasia Rosen-Jones

Anastasia Rosen-Jones has close to forty-five years of experience in the mental health field. As a Certified Transactional Analyst and Gestalt therapist in a private psychotherapy practice in the Washington, D.C. area, Anastasia’s innovative therapeutic community approach was thoroughly researched and written up in her three manuscripts written for Random House, Inc. These books were unpublished, however, due to her losing her eyesight in 1998. 

After seven eye surgeries, Anastasia regained her eyesight fully in 2006. Her clinical background uniquely equips Anastasia to now analyze organizational snags and develop strategies that empower and transform groups, organizations and communities.  

Retired as a psychotherapist, Ms. Rosen-Jones is the author of six full-length works in progress and numerous articles.  Anastasia, also, presently writes for three blog sites and hosts two online radio shows.

New Horizons Curriculum Development Director, Sue deVeer

Sue deVeer, a career Quaker educator of more than forty years, knows that questions can be more important than answers. Strongly rooted in the Quaker values of simplicity, peace, equality and social justice, Sue brings a unique perspective to the development of the Small “Zones Of Peace” Project Conversations.  Her specialties as an educator are experiential education, environmental education, curriculum design and consensus decision making. 

Sue, making her own personal donation to
New Horizons, is wishing you will do the same.

At New Horizons Sue, one of New Horizons’ esteemed board members, is responsible for the originating and development of all “Conversation” program designs as well as being the Chairperson of the New Horizons Harpers Ferry Retreat Center Remodeling Project. In her “spare time” she runs the Always In The Garden Project in Fairfield, Pennsylvania which includes an e-bay store and the natural products of her fifteen acre farm and garden.

** Anastasia Rosen-Jones is shown with Murat Yagan, New Horizons community development mentor and the last living elder of the ancient Abkhazian traditions of the Caucasus Mountains known as Kebzeh. Mr. Yagan passed away in 2013, two days after his ninety-eighth birthday.

Our Beloved Murat, 1915 -- 2013

Also, meet our longest-term Board Member, Lisa Boyer, With us since 1999!

So What’s The Deal?

Study Report

Sue wants you to
know New Horizons
needs your support.

Point of clarification: re: Think Tank project, the Abkhazian Dinner and the Bus Ride Story Adventure series.

When you’ve got a huge package, as does New Horizons, of projects, programs and a study as broad as our Possible Human, Possible Society Study, an observer can readily get confused as to what’s what here.

Built, as all of these are, on more than a half-century of successful theoretical, philosophical and strategic planning methods for individual and community social change as our underpinnings, it would be expecting a lot that you, who are new to us, would be able to follow what we are up to without an updated map of our landscape from time to time.

Thus we offer the following as a guide with a few clarifying points to help you travel more comfortably with us..

New Horizons’ Small “Zones of Peace” Project and the Possible Human, Possible Society Study are two separate initiatives of the New Horizons Support Network, Inc., an educational and charitable non-profit organization. New Horizons was established in 1980.

New Horizons’ Small “Zones of Peace” Project:

• Developed out of a collaboration of Executive Director and Founder, Anastasia Rosen-Jones and Sue deVeer, Curriculum Development Director and board member. Circa 2006;

• The major philosophical platform of this initiative can best be summarized by the principles of the Cultural Mediation Paradigm;

• Project focuses on community conversations to build stronger, more unified communities;

• Programs include: the Coffee House Conversations series, the Abkhazian Dinner, the Bus Ride Story Adventure series, the “I’ve Got A Dream Conversations Project," programs for the UNESCO Center For Peace Model United Nations Camp, "Anger Management and Conflict Resolution #101" and others of a similar nature;

• Projects also include: specially designed diversity division healing conversations, consulting and coaching for enhanced community unity.

New Horizons Possible Human, Possible Society Study:

• Designed, directed and implemented by Anastasia. Circa 2011.;

• Includes: study interviews, analysis and assessment, published reports online and in various publications (now in progress), related media interviews, speaking engagements and a radio show (now in the blueprint stage);

• Possible Society In Motion programs, including the Think Tank project*, community education and conscious raising presentations and programs.

• *Think Tank Project temporarily in abeyance.

Special Note: The Bus Ride Story Adventure and related articles, online or otherwise, which has emerged out of the format for it, as presented at the Abkhazian Dinner, weaves together some of the best to come out of both of the above initiatives; New Horizons’ Small “Zones of Peace” Project and the Possible Human, Possible Society Study, as well as the specialized skills of Anastasia and Sue..

The Bus Ride Story Adventure series is, thus, a collaborative effort by both Anastasia and Sue.

Hope this helps as a bit of a guide as to what’s happening here.

More to come.

Collaborators’ Celebration

Five Years of Ever-Increasing Synergy; like the fingers of one hand working together.

Five years ago today I had no idea that the blond haired woman with the healing touch would come to be like a sister to me and the collaborator of the next important, developing phases of the New Horizons Support Network, Inc. that have now become the Small "Zones of Peace" Project.  

She came simply offering to help lift some of the strain I was experiencing in my role as the chapter president of a national Jewish women’s social action group, the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW).

Disappointingly, the women’s social action group, unlike Sue, was to take no action whatsoever in responding to a local Jewish/Muslim upheaval that stirred vitriol in our local community for months. That is before "our" efforts brought the situation to a healing resolve, celebrated by Jewish/Muslim festivities jointly sharing the Jewish holiday of Chanukah and the Muslim Hadj.

Out of that chaos what is now titled the “Cultural Mediation Paradigm,” came into being as Sue's talents merged with my own. We were able to publicly introduce this product at our recent Possible Society In Motion event, 

Now our approach to community development and the partnership behind it warrants a birthday celebration! 

Five years of ever-increasing synergy, community service and the development of a peace-building model with meritorious impact deserves commemoration.

To begin comprehending how momentous, in simple ways with grand implications, has been our journey from there to here, first, picture one very dedicated, peace activist, Me, feeling unduly challenged in a highly charged and polarized situation one might expect from any Jewish-Muslim controversy, a state of local affairs that made a mockery of the Jewish ethic, tikkun olam, world repair. 

Next, imagine finding a spirit sister, sometimes lovingly identified as Quaker Sue, raising her hand, saying “I’ll help,” as she has done more than once too often in the five years I have known her.

Prompted by true Quaker ethics to help counteract anti-Muslim backlash following the tragedy of “911, Sue had already pledged her support to neighboring Muslims when a mutual acquaintance brought she and I together. 

Initially we connected with the shared goal of offsetting the escalation of our local controversy. 

Since that beginning, however, auspicious only in retrospect, serendipity has guided us to become an almost magical collaborative team,  Synergy, like the graceful fingers of one hand working together, and the discovering of elegant solutions bear the signature of our fingerprints. 

So, today in honor of our five years together, as I have been promising to do for more than a year already, allow me to formally introduce “my Sue,” New Horizons’ most singularly active board member, chairperson of multiple committees and our esteemed Curriculum Development Director, Sue deVeer.

Sue deVeer is a career Quaker educator of more than forty years who knows that questions can be more important than answers. 

Strongly rooted in the Quaker values of simplicity, peace, equality and social justice, she has brought a unique perspective to recent developments in New Horizons’ various projects.  Her specialties as an educator are experiential education, environmental education, curriculum design and consensus decision making.

With all this and more to her credit, 
 isn’t she awesome, “my Sue”!

New Horizons' Announces Possible Society Study

PRESS RELEASE for immediate release

Non-Profit Launches Regional Possible Society Study

Frederick, Maryland -- Sue deVeer, a life-long Quaker, was born into peace-building and service. Anastasia Rosen-Jones, of Jewish heritage and the step-daughter of a Holocaust survivor, was raised on social justice and the quest for tikkun olam, a Hebrew phrase meaning “world repair.”

With these cultural roots upon which to build, it is little surprise that the meeting of these two women would grow into a harmonious collaboration, as well as a successful community development model. For the past five years, as various programs of the model were being shaped and offered on a limited basis, the two women have paid particular attention to creating a format for community action through conversations.

During these years, the duo collaborated to create the New Horizons’ Cultural Mediation model geared toward overcoming barriers in civic and interfaith disparity. Their unique approach has resulted in the successful bridging of differences for numerous local groups to date. Now, with the launching of a new, four year study, also sponsored by New Horizons, the organization and its leadership will expand these early, successful Cultural Mediation efforts.

The new project, titled the “Study of the Possible Human in the Possible Society Within A 100 Mile Radius Surrounding Washington, D.C.,” will move local efforts forth, first regionally and then nationally. Drawing upon data gathered by the study, immediate attention will be given to utilizing strategies of the Cultural Mediation paradigm as a prototype for overcoming the severe polarization presently contaminating our entire country.

Designed by Ms. Rosen-Jones, the study and its related projects and programs will move forward under the name the Possible Society In Motion. Data from the study will be used for published reports that highlight public opinion in certain, designated areas that are relevant to the philosophies and earlier efforts of New Horizons. Fruitful discussion formats, focused on developing community unity, will also be created to expand both data gathering and public awareness and education.

A bi-weekly Possible Society in Motion Think Tank, open only to study participants, has recently been established. A panel-led discussion and potluck dinner will be hosted by study participants for interviewees and potential interviewees on Sunday, October 23, 2011. Both Ms. deVeer, who heads various New Horizons Committees and is on the New Horizons Board of Directors, and Ms. Rosen-Jones, New Horizons Executive Director and Founder, will be on the panel.

For more information on New Horizons and the Possible Society Study, visit our blog site at zonesofpeacenh.blogspot.com. To participate in the study, volunteer to assist with projects and programs of the study or to make a tax-deductible contribution, contact Anastasia Rosen-Jones at 240.409.5347 or email: zonesofpeacenh@aol.com.

A Passion For Truth Part I: What It Means To Be Without Guile

I have a story today (in two parts) on "guilelessness" that I've had on hold for awhile. I offer it now as it fits neatly in with my Anastasia The Storyteller article for today on "A Passion For Truth".

It is shared in honor of my New Horizons Small "Zones of Peace" Project right arm, Sue deVeer*, who is slowly but surely recovering from a recent (January, 2011) major, emergency surgery. First, the definition and some tips:

Guilelessness: Without hidden agendas, guile or cunning, especially deceitfulness. Ability to be straightforward in all situations and circumstances.

Tip #1: To build small “zones of peace” -- turn hidden agendas to the good by seeking a higher consciousness with yourself and others.

Tip #2: Read Abrahma Joshua Hescel's "A Passion For Truth" (discussed on Anastasia The Storyteller) for a beautiful, scholarly (Jewish) discourse on our very human challenges to find the balancing point between forthright honesty and compassion.

Tip #3: Create a conversation with those people you respect and trust (people who are a part of your developing small "zones of peace") on the subject of guilelessness.

Tip #4: Remember in your conversations that is ok to not be perfect about being "guileless." Just keep striving to do those fourteen building small "zones of peace' things (#4 of our Ten Pledges).

“My Sue” is a shining example of "guilelessness."

Some of her secrets are:

• Get all things on the table (i.e. the power of “naming”).
• Where differences exist – negotiate, keep on keeping on until you find that elegant solution* to your practical problems.
• Seek out and develop “peace buddies” – (peace buddies are people with whom to climb your Mountain of Awe).

* Sue is the “Curriculum Development Director of the New Horizons Small “Zones of Peace” Project and, obviously one of my best “peace buddies.” One of her areas of expertise is consensus building. She is the one who, among many of her other gifts to our organization, offered us the term “elegant solutions". Isn’t that elegant!

Part II, maybe tomorrow, weather permitting. Actually I will probably be away for a few days. But please come back soon. I will, too, with Part II. And, soon with another report on developments for our "Climbing The Mountain of Awe” GAME" which will have rehearsal #2 on Thursday afternoon.

YES!

WE are getting it together on the ground level.

And, WE are heading for "awe." The formula almost always remains the same – find the elegant solution by –

1. Thinking outside the box;

2. Looking for win-win solutions;

3. Keep on keeping on, talking and listening;

4. Reminding yourself that you live in a world of abundance, not scarcity.

A most unexpected – and – appreciated consultation with a visiting “expert brought the magic of living in this attitude sphere home to me yesterday out here at our remodeling-in-progress retreat center in the mountains. We are not as far ahead on our projects as we would like to be. With this needed and that needed, etc. etc., it can get a bit overwhelming at times.

Now -- with the weather growing chillier day-by-day, I’ve been more than a bit concerned at times about my house-part of our retreat center. Given the sky high chimney repair estimate offered to get our wood burning stoves safely functioning, I have been doing my best lately to surrender to the notion that I might be living one step above camping out this winter; a tiny spec just above survival.

But -- just in the nick of time, “knight in shining armor,” Sue’s husband, Paul, a former plumber, arrived on the scene. With a gift of generously donating his time and talents to providing us with a detailed assessment of what needs to be done to winterize the dwelling that houses both me and our main meeting room out here.

Paul came bearing gifts of much needed advice on this, that and the other thing (i.e. particularly about plumbing and how to keep our water pipes warm and from bursting with our stoves (our main source of heat) not usable right now). For the far-reaches of my still recovering Jewish American Princess turned mountain woman mind, the whole of what he was suggesting was, indeed, quite daunting though his wisdom was scrumptious.

Yet, simply having Paul’s presence out here was a victory all by itself. Having spousal support for what one does is almost always a good thing don’tcha think? Particularly having man-type guidance for a remodeling project that some days relies soley on Sue’s hard work, commitment and knowledge and our shared “girly” tool box. At times, I am barely any help at all. However, I do own up to being able to make a hardy contribution with the chain saw when I’ve got a working stove that can burn the products of my labors.

Paul’s visit was truly a victory for our mission on so many levels. Most of all (not to minimize the expertise) his presence in being with us.

Thank you, Paul!

Thank you so much for your TIME and your TALENT. (And, couldn’t I please just make you a bowl of my grandmother’s special chicken soup recipe to show my appreciation – as well as my regrets for borrowing your wife at times you would really prefer her to be using her time otherwise.)

Another victory for my challenged, I can-barely-change-a-light bulb mind was the extensive blueprint Sue and I hammered out, co-creatively, on how best for us to proceed with our remodeling over the coming, possibly harsh months ahead.

The result of all this bounty -- I was delightfully surprised, after yesterday’s challenging, mind-stretching endeavors, I woke up happy and empowered; my house was bathed in toasty, warmth that yesterday I would not have known how to create on the limited resources with which we are presently operating.

Thanks to Paul’s guidance to make a few immediate changes and Sue’s hard work, generosity, wisdom and committment to furthering this project, we had – hopefully -- found some immediate, not- going-to-kill-us-with-the-electric-company "elegant solutions."

Still in all I would welcome a cozy, fireside chat out here as soon as possible.

From Anastasia

In the mountains where it is getting chillier and chillier

Getting It Together On Ground Level

I was stuck, again. Momentarily at a standstill, an ordinary part of life’s perpetual cycling that does not feel particularly uplifting. And, certainly one that our quick speed, high tech world judges to be a negative. I could not get off the ground, a particularly frustrating state of affairs.

The situation was especially exasperating because it came about due to my aborting my most recent endeavor to, once again, climb the Mountain of Awe. A peak I have become accustomed to attaining in recent years -- with some effort. Since it was by choice that I return to ground level, you might have thought I was going to enjoy the return.

Not so. Not so!

I was intent on returning to ground level only long enough to retrieve my right arm, co-conspirator in building small “zones of peace, Sue deVeer who I have yet to formally introduce, a failing on my part I intend to soon remedy. Right away one can see the error in this kind of thinking.

While the purpose of the aborted climb, if you recall, had the seemingly, wholly altruistic purpose of my collaborating with Sue on behalf of New Horizons Small “Zones Of Peace” Project’s main mission: to build small “zones of peace” everywhere, I felt great loss. But loss of what? Was it simply a loss of control? Or was there more to it than that?

Nonetheless, thinking -- worse, even believing -- that one is in control of anything, even the certain outcome of one’s own decisions has almost always got to be suspect. Nonetheless, it seemed rather straightforward at the time. I was ostensibly searching for an answer to my quest of what I and “we” might contribute to reconciling the brouhaha of the so-called “NYC mosque” episode.

Given that Sue and I, originally, had come together to reconcile our local “Jewish/Muslim Controversy” of 2006 – with a significant modicum of success, I might add -- and, given Sue’s pledge (“Quaker Sue” in some of our circles) to help the American/Muslim community – and – my, now being an out-of –the-closet, returning to my tribe, Russian/Jewish, American/Jewess, it seemed reasonable in mid-August – and – our history together, albeit a relatively short one, that we could contribute something positive to this effort.

Perhaps, even offer our community peace-building model and its, now, customary experience of awe with accompanying elegant solutions, if we could be so blessed. Of course, my best-laid plans did not work. Most significantly, life-altering changes in Sue’s life were brewing (none of it bad, but irrelevant here), making it next to impossible for me to progress with her.

Yet, I – born and bred to make executive decisions, just could not find a way to proceed without her. What frustration!

Good news now!

As of yesterday, I and we are more or less back on track. More to come. Maybe, even later today. Stay posted for our new developments in building small “zones of peace” – and – how --

We believe you can join with us!

What Is Mine To Do? What is Ours?

New Horizons Small "Zones of Peace" Update

Campfire Conversations -- ground level?

Coffee House Conversations? Or, what??

I felt an urgency beginning toward the end of last week when the escalating controversy over the NYC mosque (and the pressures of near and dear loved ones) reached me, high up in the hills.

At a point energy vibrations were not ample for communication. What I needed most was to return home (ground level) -- and talk to my "right arm," board member, steering committee chairperson, spirit sister -- and -- more, Sue deVeer.

She has been a teacher in guiding me to become increasingly adept at the art of finding elegant solutions. "Quaker Sue" as we sometimes call her has -- probably because of her Quaker upbringing -- an amazing capacity for finding the way to elegant solutions. She truly deserves credit for showing me the way, again and again.

However, Sue, as it happens, was off at a Sufi retreat (Sufis = a mystical arm of Islam), nestled in a mystical cocoon of Muslims. And, I really needed to talk to her -- to help me find my own elegant solutions in the midst of chaos.

Yesterday, we were both "home." Me back from a temporarily aborted attempt to climb to the peak of the Mountain of Awe, she from the Sufi retreat.

In conversation, contemplation, email communication, internet exploring etc. Sue -- the co-architect of the Small "Zones of Peace" Conversations model -- and I set out, each in our own way to discover how "we" can best serve to aid the reconciliation efforts of the NYC mosque controversy; some thinking global, acting local time again, perhaps.

Together, we had guided the reconciliation in Frederick, Maryland (2006); me on the front lines, Sue, along with other of our volunteers, backing me up.

I was at that point involved in a heated local Jewish/Muslim controversy in dual roles; Executive Director of our non-profit and the local chapter president of a national Jewish women's social action group that refused to take any action at all regarding the conflict.

Out of my/our efforts the reconciliation occurred (Frederick News Post, November ..., 2006) and local celebrations between Jews, Muslims and Christians took place (Frederick News Post, December ..., 2006). This was the foundation for the development of our rewardingly successful "Coffee House Conversations" format -- and -- the basis for my manuscript in progress, "The Middle East Crisis In My Backyard."

By day's end, yesterday, our first step had emerged on how we might find a way to serve current circumstance. For starters -- Sue will be returning to the Sufi retreat center next week. (Serendipitiously she had left her tent there.) And, I am to go with her.

I feel a bit scared as I have almost never had any contact with Muslims -- and -- I am, as you know, of Jewish heritage. Now I will be surrounded for at least a day and, perhaps, a night by Muslims.

Will they want to kill me? Torture me? Eat me alive?

Hopefully what will occur is some kind of bridge building dialogue. We are already moving in the direction of planning for that.

I trust Sue, implicitly. So I will go. And, keep you posted.

Irreconcilable differences are not an option.

I must do my part now to lean in to the challenge.

Not turn my back when there must be, at least, something I can contribute.

Or, take the time now to go mountain climbing, even the Mountain of Awe, though its messages stay with me always.

Visiting Paul Kellett, a small “zones of peace” building mission

I barely know from day-to-day where our mission to build small “zones of peace” will take me/us next. Where it took Sue and I yesterday was a mostly gentle adventure worth sharing. “I want you to go see Paul Kellett with me one day this week,” Sue had suggested earlier. We made our plan, finally getting it together to show up there on Friday afternoon. First off, I was treated to a beautiful, hour long drive through the Catoctin Mountains into Pennsylvania, east of Frederick (the New Horizons' Habitat For Healing is west of Frederick on the way to Charles Town, WV). Upon arrival at Paul’s, we were greeted with our next delight, a tour of Paul and Lizzie’s amazing home and land. The property overlooks a gorgeous valley and mountainside view. The surrounding main house and buildings have either been remodeled or built mostly by hand by Paul and his helpers. The materials accumulated by him come from his many regular visits to “The Church of Holy Junk.” The whole of what they have created is awesome. Then, it was time for conversation. If you have noted anything much yet about how we foster our small “zones of peace” mission, you have no doubt realized that community (community meaning a group of any size, more than the two) conversation is a huge part of how we proceed. Give Sue and I any opportunity at all for conversations on peace-building and how we can achieve that end and we are ready to go. From church or synagogue board members to the local police chief or peace activists, from coffee shops to meeting podiums, we are, metaphorically, always dressed and eager for the next conversation. We simply love it! And we seem able, even adept, at encouraging the dialogue with others who are of like-mind; making peace a reality, thinking globally, acting locally. With Paul, we had an invigorating mental and verbal workout. And, I learned a few tips about how I can polish up my word skills to enhance the cause, helping conversation move from “snags to synergy.” (“Snags to Synergy” is topic number three in our “Coffee House Conversations Series” which I will be telling you about in future postings.) The grand finale of the day was donations galore from Paul to our Habitat For Healing Remodeling Project. We came away with Sue’s car trunk and back seat filled to capacity and a promise of being able to make a return trip for more after we update our next “Wish List.” Even a truckload of stuff if we want. What a day! Thank you so much Paul Kellett!

Memorial Day Week-end: taking stock of what we've got -- and --

Broken fence, lawn to mow.
Home Sweet Home

Our Core Volunteers are away this weekend. And, me? I’m re-learning how to live, again, up in the mountains, writing to my heart’s content like I could not away from here. My spirit wasn’t free in town. If I had any doubts, I have truly proven to myself – I am country! As you know, “you can take the girl out of the country, but….”

Sue has gone to a grandson’s graduation. Sam and his wife, Kathy, are doing their church and family stuff in Hagerstown, U.S.A. Kathy was a dear to come out here and help Sam when he put up our falling down front gutters. (But she wouldn't allow pictures.) On an earlier trip of Sam’s she sent us some treats; flowers, plants and berries to add to our re-newed gardening efforts. We are grateful that she came, grateful for her gifts – and – that she so generously loans Sam to us as she does. Lorrie – love -- is putting her time in at a job she detests. Board member, Lisa, is creatively and skillfully giving generously of her time to develop our #2 blog, soon to be posted, as family needs allow.

This week the mountain laurel has been in full bloom -- gorgeous. Sue has been out here working with me, gardening and general fixing up. She also has been putting in some quality time building relationships in town for gifts in kind donations; friend building with generous potential donors; some of that with Lorrie as a team, some on her own. Lorrie and Sue have started to develop fundraising strategies. As a team, we are very new at this -- and -- challenged, but having fun learning. This past week Lorrie was recovering from pneumonia. So Sue went off on her own, building community support for the remodeling project. And we missed Sam – and – Kathy.



It smelled so bad

Five hours later, ta da!

In Sue’s role as the head of our Habitat For Healing Remodeling Project – with fourteen years behind her as manager of the Non-Profit Building Supply -- I think she must know everyone in town who has recycle - able treasures for us. I don’t know what we’d do without her as my right arm – though she customarily sits on my left. Her qualifications are purr-fect.

I, personally, am blessed beyond measure to have Sue on this peace-building, community-building journey with me. (For example, take a look at her hard work with the refrigerator cleaning project. She probably put in a full day’s work, taking down the old frig that was all smelly from old, decaying food left in it from the fire. Could this kind of effort be the reason for which she got her master's degree in public health?

That frig sure was a "health hazard." I'm glad somebody had some cleaning skill. I did not and was overwhelmed by the task.) While everyone is away -- and, I’m out here writing – and – contemplating our next program and project development steps, it has gotten clear to me that it’s time for an updated assessment of what we’ve accomplished so far this year with our Habit For Healing Remodeling Project and our other New Horizons Small “Zones of Peace” Project.

In the past year while I was sojourning in town and away from the mountain, we accomplished an enormous amount, contributing our community bridge-building efforts to local issues, and being wonderfully rewarded by the results achieved. The "Saving Centennial Mission" was the best!

Now that we’ve accomplished that – and – gotten our Habitat For Healing Remodeling Project off the ground, we need to take a step back and ask ourselves as well as others, “How can we now best help our various communities; locally, regionally and nationally, expand their small "zones of peace"? Where do we want to go from here? We’ve got a dream; building small "zones of peace" everywhere. Now, how do we best manifest it?”

Having trotted around Ecuador for about six weeks last year, without knowing a word of Spanish, I, for one, am fairly certain that I’d just as soon do our building in the U.S.A. for now and keep my passport on idle for awhile. Traveling to South America brought me a enhanced appreciation for things American. Even, if we aren’t quite perfect here.

From the mountains,
Anastasia

Lots to learn -- at least for me

We are a bit over a month now into our Habitat For Healing Remodeling Project. So much has happened – and we’ve just begun. First and foremost, we (or could it just be me) need to learn how to adequately and appropriately show our appreciation to our contributors. Me – I’m inclined to gush, thinking I’m not offering enough back. So that’s one of many things I’ve got to learn as we move ahead; how to show gratitude in just the right way. Changing light bulbs might be another.

Imagine, then (with my tendency to not say or do enough – or, go to the other extreme and say or do too much) how I responded to Remodeling Project Manager, Sue deVeer, taking down a ceiling fan/light from her house – and – putting it up – totally on her own in my fire damaged kitchen.

Oh, my. Oh my. I was so impressed and bursting with gratitude all over the place for her lighting up that kitchen that been in the dark since the fire. On this same subject – gratitude – one apparently appropriate way for our appreciation to be expressed – mine, Sue’s, our board, supporters and etc. etc. – is that shortly we will be posting a “volunteer appreciation” spot on this blog.

And -- postings to acknowledge our donors – cash and gifts in kind – by linking from our blog to their online sites, if they permit. I do hope I learn to get it that that just might be enough, even more than enough -- for our donors who, no doubt, are giving from their hearts anyway.

Thanking everyone, again, for your generosity,
Anastasia

Re-building Our Home-Base

April 15 was the kick-off date for our Habit For Healing Remodeling Project.

Since then we have been putting much time and muscle out here to bring our training and healing center back to life and rekindle our original vision. By April 30, we had made enough progress for me, Exec Director, Anastasia, to move back into my quarters. What a welcome home experience that was!

Now -- we are almost full-steam ahead for the remodeling project. Give or take many needs from energetic onsite volunteers, gifts in kind and $$, we feel embraced by abundance already. Contributions of time and labor (and lol) by Remodeling Project Mgr, Sue deVeer (upward of 50 hours for her in April), hard working, dedicated volunteer, Wilbur Smith, and our dear friend and plumber, Tony, got my living quarters ready.

Friday night April 30, I slept in my own bed. I woke up the next morning to the birds chirping, busy, busy in conversation with one another, and the wind in the trees rustling. I felt like I was in heaven!

A week later, we had four volunteers (plus me) diligently working away. Wow! Community- building are we – our small “zone of peace” in Harpers Ferry. We got much accomplished. Sam Hawbaker, our friend from Hagerstown, brought his strong armed, carpenter friend wiz, “Anonymous.” Together they installed two very heavy, brand new huge doors (donated to our cause). That was an all day job.

Sue, Wilbur and I spent the day raking leaves, planting flowers and plants etc. etc., Stage one of bringing our sacred fire circle back to life. Etc. etc. etc.

We are so happy and blessed at our Habitat For Healing.

Hope you will soon be joining us out here soon.

New Horizons' Announces "Habitat for Healing" Remodeling Plan

PRESS RELEASE for immediate release April 12, 2010
HARPER’S FERRY, WV. APRIL 12, 2010:

New Horizons Support Network, Inc., sponsors of the Small “Zones of Peace” Project, announced plans today for its next major endeavor, the Habitat For Healing Remodeling Project. The renovation undertaking will ensure that New Horizons will, once again, have a home base for its community development and violence prevention training programs. New Horizons is a locally-based, non-profit organization, offering leadership training through its Small “Zones Of Peace” Project initiative. It will officially launch the project April 15, 2010.

Throughout the coming months, an all out remodeling effort will be carried forth at New Horizons’ Harpers Ferry Retreat Center, the Habitat For Healing. With volunteer leaders organizing into project teams, full-scale renovations will be geared toward cleaning up, repairing and a general fixing up of the existing structure as well as the surrounding grounds. New Horizons has been blessed with a beautiful mountainside property on which to develop a training and retreat center.

Set on ten mostly wooded acres just above the C & O Canal, the Potomac River and the historic town of Harpers’ Ferry, the New Horizons’ Habitat For Healing retreat center is one of the organizations’ greatest joys as well as one of its biggest challenges. In its naturally restorative environment, the Center will offer community development education, leadership training, community gatherings, camping and hiking. New Horizons’ Small “Zones Of Peace” Executive Director and Founder,

Anastasia Rosen-Jones who makes her home at the center, conceived of the current projects during the years 1998 – 2003 while she was blind (See Frederick News Post, August 6, 2006, page C1). As a result of her blindness during those years, Ms. Rosen-Jones took an eight year sabbatical from her work as a psychotherapist and an about-to-be published author. New Horizons programs ceased to operate at this point and the Harpers’ Ferry project faced a major setback.

In 2008 a fire on the property held up remodeling efforts. Nonetheless, Ms. Rosen-Jones was far from idle during her time of blindness. Unable to see clearly she speaks of these years as a period of “awe;” a time in which, unable to see even her own face, she found herself able to constantly see the presence and hear the voice of a Higher Source. From this experience Ms. Rosen-Jones felt herself being guided to create small “zones of peace” in communities, if she should ever be able to have her eyesight restored.

After a series of seven eye surgeries restored her eyesight in 2003, Ms. Rosen-Jones began creating what was to become the Small “Zones Of Peace” non-profit project. In 2006 she formally established the initiative’s present mission which is still evolving.

The Small “Zones of Peace” Project takes its name from a quote of Mahatma Gandhi about “carving out zones of peace in our personal relations where violence and deceit won’t be used.” In every action that is carried out in the initiative’s programs, especially on the land, the day-to-day principles of this quote are consistently applied. They are most obvious, however, when individuals and groups team up to work at the retreat center, or as Ms. Rosen-Jones does, living on the land, modeling and teaching the essentials of “awe.”

In order to carry forth Ms. Rosen-Jones’ vision and re-establish the retreat center for New Horizons’ programs, volunteers who are willing to work on the remodeling project as well as monetary donations to purchase building materials are now being requested. The goal is for the Habitat For Healing remodeling project to be completed in time for a re-opening set for April, 2011.

Contact: Sue DeVeer, Project Manager, suedeveer@juno.com