The Journey Daybook, Inc.

Alumni Adventure in the South of France – Week 1

June 12, 2015

Our stalwart president and international leader, Barbara, and Kaydie Vistelle, a French/American tour hostess from Gainesville, have spent this week with four other Journey Daybook alums touring several small villages, some of them very old, in Provence. Kaydie has booked the same old farmhouse for the years of her tours, the Gite des Tourtetelles, near Carpentras in the Vaucluse district of Provence  – a green, rich, wine producing area. There will be two separate journey daybook groups, each spending a week with Barbara and Kaydie at the gite. Ironically, I have travelled and stayed in this same region over the years and in 2002 led an Adventure with alums (Gypsy and Lois) to many of the same places where the 2015 groups will be. Susan and Lilliam went on one of Kaytee’s tours in 2013. Mary and Jackie have posted several photos and some of their journey daybook pages to Facebook during this week and I have loved seeing them. I hope to include more of them as well as some descriptive text from Barbara in another post very soon. In the meantime, I have posted above a photo of Patty’s journey daybook page made at the wonderful Sunday market in Isle sur la Sorgue. The cool, fast-running Sorgue River runs throughout he center of this picturesque village. The Sunday market is an especially joyous celebration! The market “marchế” has a variety of food, handicrafts, and antiques. (Gypsy spent hours here in 2002 buying “brocantes” to fill up her colorful Cedar Key antique shop!) Patty’s approach to the market was of a more contemplative nature, reflecting the nature of the Journey Daybook Process. It is obvious that the beautiful Vaucluse region of Provence is  especially inspirational for all of us! Jackie’s page, below, seems to summarize the bliss of her week’s experience in Provence.

Beginning of summer

Many organizations are quiet, devoid of meaningful activities during the summer. Not so with the Journey Daybook! As summer arrives, some of our alums are attending a special Adventure to the south of France (more about this on a later post). Groups are attending regular monthly Adventures in our area, and still other alums are taking individual, personal Adventures in our area and beyond.

A special volunteer luncheon was held last week that honored all the volunteers who work at the Florida Women’s Reception Center, the Lowell Annex, and the Marion County Correctional Center. One of our favorite inmates, Erica, who has worked with us for two years, made a beautiful, hand-lettered banner shown above. Erica is a talented graphic designer and a big help to us with our work.The wonderful food we ate was prepared by women inmates from the Lowell Annex who are part of the Culinary Arts Program. Judging from the tasty food, these women will have no trouble serving as chefs and cooks once they serve their sentences. Six Journey Daybook volunteers attended this celebration, three of whom (Ann Gill, Karen Johnson, and Anne Seraphine) are also volunteers with the Mommy Reads program. The photos below shows three journey daybook board members (Susan, Peggy, and Vicki) in front of Erica’s lovely sign.

Specal thanks go to the wardens and staff of the three prisons. We all honor the inmates whose healing and rehabilitation our Journey Daybook alums celebrate.

The Third Graduation

April 19, 2015

Last week our training of 9 participants in the Journey Daybook Process came to a close at the Florida Women’s Reception Center at Lowell, FL. Each new alum received a beautiful, shiny certificate. As you can see from our group photo, everyone seemed especially joyous. What made this graduation extra special for everyone was the inclusion of a participant who was not an inmate but, rather, a long time volunteer at the prison. From our first session back in January, Karen adapted herself to the group and was eagerly accepted. She joined in the discussions and shared her thoughts and emotions in the same generous way as everyone seemed to do. This week, she sent me a reflection of the meaning of the 9-week Journey Daybook training session to her that was very moving for both Barbara and me. I am thrilled to share this beautiful message with everyone here –

“Let us not look back in anger, nor forward in fear, but around us in awareness.” James Thurber

I had considered applying to take the Journey Daybook (JDB) classes off and on for several years, but I always stopped myself as soon as my mind drifted to the prospect of sharing any pages I had done with others. Everybody always politely says that it doesn’t matter if you have skill as a visual artist, but let’s face it, most of the exercises are in the drawing, painting, and design arenas. I finally got over the hump when the opportunity arose to be a member of the third JDB inmate class at the Florida Women’s Reception Center. Why did that make a difference? I have been a volunteer in another inmate program, Mommy Reads, in which we only spend a few minutes with each participant on a Saturday morning. I was really drawn to the idea of being a member of a several hour class that took place over a few months, where there would be an opportunity to get to know the other women better. In this setting I also liked the more egalitarian idea that I would probably be one of the least skilled participants in the class. It somehow seemed appropriate that I would be learning from and probably in awe of the talents of some of the women inmates, as opposed to being the volunteer who is bringing something to them.

I was not disappointed. In the first session President Barbara Beynon described the JDB process, taking special care to emphasize that journeys may be outward or inward. Obviously this is especially fitting in the prison setting. While we make a point of not looking up details about the pasts of the class members, we know the reality is that most of them face ten or more years in the FL prison system; usually several with whom we work have life sentences. One of the beauties of JDB is that none of that matters. It especially did not matter to me. I had only the most basic intellectual understanding of concepts like warm or cool colors, value or gesture, mirror or window images.   I was glad that making pages is essentially a solitary process, helping me to resist my tendency to compare and envy other participants who may or may not have relied on theory but who seemed innately to make such creative and clever and intense and meaningful and beautiful pages. Even those who chose not to draw or paint something recognizable made wonderful explosions of color, sensing implicitly that there was no right or wrong in the outcome. Several participants said that JDB gave them a few hours each week when they could forget that they were in prison and just focus on being present in a calm and supportive environment where they were allowed to play or reflect and where each woman could attend to her own needs and desires.   For me that was a lesson in consciousness that would have made any Buddhist smile.

It is impossible to be a prison volunteer and not come away with feelings of gratitude for things we often take for granted. Some of the reasons were clearly reflected in the pages of my classmates. One regularly painted fruits and vegetables because she missed eating them in the prison meals. Another had bursts of color to offset the drabness of the required uniforms. Occasionally the pages showed inner despair and loneliness.   One particularly poignant moment came when one of the class members became aware that we bring our own toilet paper to the prison and she asked if she could have just one square. She touched it gently and then rubbed it on her face, relishing the softness of something she had not felt in that way for a long time.

It is perhaps trite but nonetheless true to say that these women are our sisters, neighbors, cousins, and friends. Each of us has made poor choices in our lives at one time or another. Who can say what those choices might have been had they been compounded by poverty, addiction, mental illness, or abuse? To use the JDB parlance, my personal journey during this training was to realize that I need to stop looking out the window and pointing the finger at others for the unprecedented and unconscionably high rates of incarceration in this country. As a society we have made choices with unintended long term impacts on families and children and it is time for me to look in the mirror and reflect on what I can do to make a difference.

And yes, the art.   One of the early JDB exercises is to draw and paint your own shoe. Much to my surprise, when mine was done, it actually looked like my shoe! My own personal JDB triumph! If it is true, as Malcolm Gladwell asserts, that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to achieve mastery in a field, I figure I have at least 9, 980 to go. Or as Greg Anderson has noted, “Joy is not found in finishing an activity but in doing it.”

Karen Johnson, April 2015

An Adventure at Art Alley

March 20, 2015

JDB Alums met on Sat, Mar 14 at Art Alley: Allison LeBaron’s pottery and painting studio. Allison began with a short tour of the pottery and painting areas where she does her own artwork as well as teaches both disciplines. Then, we were treated to a throwing demonstration on the wheel. Allison makes it look so easy! Pamela and a couple of others tried their hand at throwing, Mary made a hand formed piece, and the rest of us sketched the colorful surroundings. We met afterwards at Cafe C for lunch and conversation. Be sure to check out the pages we made on the Journey Daybook Pages tab.

Below, in the left, we work on the wheels. On the left, Alison demonstrates hand building.

Training Retreat at Cedar Key

January 31, 2015

Two weeks ago, the Curriculum Committee hosted a Facilitator Training Retreat at the Cedar Key United Methodist Church parish hall in Cedar Key. This gathering was quickly organized in order to formally train 6 alums, preparing them to present all 7 of our units at all retreats, including those at the Florida Women’s Reception Center at Lowell, FL which will begin in early February. At the same time we invited two newcomers to be trained as new JDB participants. Our newest alums are Pamela and Charlie. We accomplished a tremendous amount of work and even had time to make pages. Below I am posting Pamela’s page. The rest of the pages are posted with Journey Daybook Pages. Methodist Church members: thank you so much for lending us a wonderful training site!

Laughing and Drawing at the Laughing Chicken Farm

January 26, 2015

This Saturday, board member Jean, planned a lovely, innovative, food-oriented Journey Daybook Adventure at two Trenton institutions. Twelve of us met for lunch at Hobo’s restaurant where we enjoyed a selection of soups, salads, veggies, fries, and local fish at this excellent simple restaurant. Afterward, we proceeded to The Laughing Chicken Farm where Robin and Bill Papp nurture and harvest a large selection of organic and sustainably raised poultry, goats, and sheep. They sell their meat products and beautiful eggs at farmers’ markets in the Gainesville area, where several of us have met them in the past. Robin is also a fine painter. We scattered over much of the farm. This journey daybook page was made by Susan shows the innovative moveable “chicken house,” an old R V. Watch for more pages made by other alums. These will be posted on the Journey Daybook Pages page.

Check out the blog post that was entered by Robin Papp on her Laughting Chicken Farm blog. There are photos of our Saturday group drawing, painting, and reviewing our pages at the farm last Saturday.

Un Circo Magico, A Magic Circus

December 08, 2014

Below is information about a Christmas gift and arts support opportunity that was sent to the Journey Daybook for your consideration and to include on our blog by Kim Howard, a JDB Alum and good friend who lives in Idaho –

A Magic Circus is a beautiful BIG book written in both English and Spanish that would be appropriate as a Christmas present. We need to sell more books to support Entreamigos, a recycling and educational non-profit and pay for my ticket down there to organize another book.

In, 2014 I volunteered my illustration services to Entreamigos for seven weeks, 45 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta, living on the jungle of Nayarit.  We put together a children’s picture book about Cirque du Soleil founder, Gilles Ste Croix’s generous leadership and direction in building a circus of garbage with new talent of the San Pancho village people. I go back on Jan 23 for two months to volunteer on a new book.

The story takes place in San Pancho, or San Francisco, Nayarit, MX.  It is the fictional story of a real story about Gilles Ste-Croix, founder of Cirque du Soleile, a retired clown, who comes into San Pancho and witnesses a hurricane that tears through the little seaside village. He teaches the children how to put on a circus and saves the animals dying in the estuary. They have been ravaged, as has the village,  by the garbage and mess of the storm.  A circus is grown out of the clean up of San Pancho and the village becomes healthy and beautiful again.  With trapezes of plant and fallen clothing lines, and magical broken mirrors and glass and tin cans, the children rebuild the town and the color and life comes back!

The art is created by the children and volunteers of Entreamigos under my tutelage and hand.  And the story came out of actual events.  It is a large full color hard bound book, and only 500 have been printed in this first round.  It is a limited edition book.

The book costs 30.00 plus shipping. The check needs to be written to me:

Kim Howard and sent to the below address.

Kim Howard

420 San Badger Drive

Hailey, Idaho 83333

My email is kimhow111@gmail.com

Lost November

December 05, 2014

November was such a busy, rich, and engaged month for our non-profit that I haven’t had a moment until now to make some important posts. So . . . here is a belated update –

Four of our volunteers started off the month with another meaningful JDB Adventure to the FWRC. Unfortunately, without a camera, there is no visual record of this visit; however, we had remarkably strong fellowship with 12 of “our inmates,” including time with Misti, a member of Group 1. This opportunity was a thrill for us and the group since we hadn’t seen Misti for several months. At 4 PM when we had finished making and reviewing our journey daybook pages, we carried out 8 of the inmates’ journey daybooks to display at the Marion County Cultural Alliance presentation that happened for us on November 11.

The MCA event was a great educational and publicity opportunity for the Journey Daybook, principally around the social aspect of our work with at the Florida Women’s Reception Center. This beautiful evening (a wine and cheese party and fundraiser for the Marion County Arts Alliance) was arranged Nancy Moskowitz and Jessica McClune, who are both active members of both organizations. Nancy is also a JDB alum. Many journey daybooks were exhibited but the most popular ones were the books produced by the prison inmates. Guests poured over their hand-made books during the social time. The more formal presentation was a question and answer session that was moderated by Jessica with contributions by me (Peggy Herrick), JDB founder, Nancy Moskowitz, Judge Jim McCune, the husband of Jessica, and the vocal audience that consisted of many JDB alums. After hearing the professional and personal observations of Jim and other members of the audience, we were all SO gratified and thankful for the impact that our project offers to incarcerated women. And, we learned a lot. Our gratitude was especially expressed to Mickey Singer of the Dharma Foundation and to Satchel’s Pizza in Gainesville, who have provided the funding that make this work at the FWRC possible for us.

Finally, also in November, we held an introductory retreat at Camp Weed in the middle of the month. At the close of this beautiful time for instruction and making journey daybook pages, 4 new journey daybook alums were added to our ranks: Janet and Thelma from Gainesville and Edie and Millie from Cedar Key. I have included a few photos here that show some of our two-day activities. One of these photos shows Mary enjoying some valuable “retreat time” in the warm sun. Please make sure to check out the Journey Daybook Pages page to see some of the wonderful new pages that were produced by new as well as “older alums.”

Peggys Watercolor Demonstrati

Contemplation

Our final Review

Journey Daybook Alumni Adventure “Prison Style”

August 16, 2014

Last week 6 of the Journey Daybook volunteers returned to the Florida Women’s Reception Center near Lowell, FL for a Journey Daybook Alumni Adventure, “prison-style. “ The Warden and Director of Education gathered all but one of the inmate alumni for our 3-hour follow-up session. (Sadly, Morgan was sick.) It was wonderful for all of us to be together again, to catch up with our evolving lives, to quietly make journey daybook pages together, and to share our work with each other.

We received the encouraging news that several of the inmates had completed all the pages of their hand-make journey daybooks. It was a happy, affirming, moment for us when we realized that the JDB Process is being regularly practiced by these women who, by their own statements need and relish solitary, reflective time. They definitely find this time in the pages of their journey daybooks. For us, this development means that we need to make many more books – service work that we will gladly do!

The photos below show our group as we assembled and worked on August 11th. You can see some of the journey daybook pages on the on this blog’s journey daybook page.