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December 2013 Update from Springwater Center

Eben Gulick

It is with great saddness that we share the news of the passing of Eben Gulick. Eben spent time at the Center in 2008 and again in 2011. During his first stay he provided help and companionship to Toni Packer. When he returned some years later, he was instrumental in beginning the process of archiving her recorded works, until illness forced him to leave and seek treatment. Our deepest sympathy goes to his family.

Upcoming Events

Retreat December 28 - January 3 - space remains in this seven-day retreat with Stephan Bielfeldt taking place over the New Year's period. The quiet beauty of Springwater in the winter is wonderfully conducive to sitting meditation--and a welcome respite from holiday busyness. For more information about Stephan, please click here.

Jan. 5 - 13 - the Center will be closed from Jan. 5 - 13, 2014

Retreat Jan. 17-21 - this three-day retreat takes place over the Martin Luther King Day weekend. The talks will be recordings from the Center's archives by Toni Packer. (See below for more news about the archive project.) Wayne Coger will be available to meet with individuals and groups. Please click here for more information Wayne.

Feb. 1 - All-day sitting 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. All-day sittings are an excellent introduction to the Center's meditative work. This day of meditation will have a talk by Wayne and opportunites for individual and group meeting. Lunch will be provided. A modest donation is requested for attendance.

Retreat Feb. 15-22 - with talks and meetings with Wayne Coger. This seven-day retreat takes place over the Presidents' Day weekend. It will be followed by a two-week quiet period from February 23 - March 7.

To apply for retreat, please click here.

Memorial tributes to Toni Packer

Tributes to Toni from her friends and family are being posted on her page on the website as they are made available. They include not only words spoken at her memorial in October, but also other submissions received in print. If you did not speak at the memorial and would like your own appreciation of Toni and her work to be posted on the web site, please email it to info@springwatercenter.org, attention Susan McCallum. Eventually it is planned to have a booklet of tributes and appreciations of Toni available at the Center. To read tributes on the web site, please click here.

Joining staff

We are happy to welcome Center friend, neighbor and former staff member Debra Lewis who has returned to staff, working in the kitchen.

Project to Create a Digital Archive of Toni's Talks

Progress is being made on the project to create a digital archive of the recorded talks of Toni Packer. A commercial enterprise in Rochester will begin converting decades of reel to reel tapes to digital format, preserving them and making them available to a new generation of listeners.
Annual Appeal

Warm thanks to all who have responded to the annual appeal with donations or dues payments. Your support of the Center and its work is greatly appreciated. If you have not yet donated and would like to do so now, please click the Donate button on the web site.

Board of Trustees - Call for Nominations

The terms of two trustees expire in June. Sally Woodmansee, who has served for many years, would like to give the opportunity to a new person. The other trustee, Sam Nelson, who is also the head of the finance committee, is willing to continue to serve. Please send nominations for trustee to Wayne Coger at the Center by March 15. Elections for the trustee positions will be held at the Annual Meeting June 29.