The Journey Daybook, Inc.

Unsung Hero of Compassion

February 18, 2014

JDB Follow-up Adventure at the Florida Women’s Reception Center at Lowell

November 11, 2013

Yes, the prison has a new name! The abbreviation that the Florida Corrections Department now uses is the FWRC. Besides the name change, there have been several other changes in the 5 weeks since our last visit. Last Monday, November 4th, when we reunited with the inmates we worked with in the summer and early fall, we learned that the prison has expanded by 500 women, adding inmates to two formally unoccupied dormitories. This expansion has caused some shifting among the extant prison population.  Some of our inmates have new responsibilities and new prison jobs. Judy has become an inmate-instructor in the GED Program, a responsibility that she has embraced with great enthusiasm. Morgan and Sam are a new dorm, part of the Joy Program, also with new responsibilities. All of the seven women we worked with were thrilled to share the journey daybook pages they had made in our absence. We all made pages together in the fresh air of the visiting pavilion and shared our work at the end of our 3 hours together. Check our the new pages that we made on the Journey Daybook Pages page. It is our plan to return for reunions with the inmates at least every two months.

November 15: Journey Daybook Adventure at Dudley Farm

October 28, 2013

We will have our next Adventure at an historic farm that is a state park in honor of Thanksgiving, fall colors, and harvest activities in our part of Florida. We hope that many JDB Alums will be able to attend this fine opportunity.

Susan Torgerson James, our hostess, sends this invitation: 

JDB Adventure at the Leeward Air Ranch near Ocala

October 20, 2013

Yesterday 7 of us enjoyed a lovely creative adventure at Donna’s home and studio. This was a much-anticipated day and we were rewarded by spectacular, warm weather. Donna, who had just returned from a three day workshop in Sarasota, chose to paint 3 quick studies of hay bales. The rest of us quickly drove across the grassy air strip to the home of private hangar of Pete Eslick where we made pages around Pete’s three airplanes – a small world war II reconnaissance plane that he is restoring, a R V- !0 Ecuadorian plane that he built, and a beautiful red Russian-made stunt plane that he flies in competition. Please take the time to look at the pages that we made that I will post as soon as they are sent along to me.

As always, we enjoyed a lovely lunch in the Leewards hangar, rested, and reviewed our pages. I think that the level of the creativity shown by the 7 of us was extraordinary. There was a beautiful two page narrative two-page spread made by Linda and an upside down Sukhui, the Russian-made stunt plane with upside-down writing made by Joyce. We all loved the experience, basking our fellowship and in the joy and love of our hostess.

Our Last Day – a Journey Daybook Retreat at the Lowell Reception Center

October 02, 2013

Susan just sent me an amazing assortment of photographs she took Monday during our last 3 hour session at Lowell. Since August 19, several of us have spent many hours preparing and presenting the Journey Daybook concept to 12 inmates. (Check the earlier posts to read more about our preparations and early sessions and to see more photos) This week’s first picture shows Monday’s volunteers (Susan, Peggy, Patty, and Vicki) and 9 of the inmates. As you can see, each of us in this new community is holding our journey daybook page made on Monday. If the smiles are any indication of success, this first project at Lowell was a resounding achievement! We are bound to this community of journey daybook alums in a unique way since most of them will be incarcerated for some time. They, however, seem thankful that they are now “JDB alums.” We presented a certificate to each of them acknowledging this fact.

This week’s focus was page design. We reviewed many concepts that were presented earlier in the teaching curriculum and introduced a few new principles. After our teaching time, most of us went out to a shaded terrace to paint in the fresh air. It is beautiful to appreciate how carefully these new alums honor everyone’s need for silence as we work, even though we sit very close together on the benches that are used for visitors on sunny weekends.

These ladies worked with determination, focus, and enthusiasm; although it was during the review of their pages that their skills were most evident They have learned the language of the journey daybook and are able to articulate themselves clearly, talking about their own work and encouraging the other alums through specific and often incredibly inciteful observations.

This work has been very interesting to us. The inmates’ pages are much more reflective than we are used to seeing ( understandable!) The pages are very candid. We are especially pleased that each inmate challenged herself in some way artistically. Some drew and painted cars, cats, and distant houses – all from memory! On the two days that we worked outside, several of our new alums challenged themselves to draw the surrounding landscape. They all became comfortable with the supplies that we gave them and vowed to continue to work on their pages in our absence.

The pages are very exciting.  I am posting two pages here and the rest on the Journey Daybook Pages page.

We are very, very grateful to Satchel’s Pizza for making this project possible through a grant that covered the cost of the art supplies that we took into the prison. I am posting a link to Satchel’s web site here. Please visit the site and patronize this fine Gainesville business. I hope that Satchel’s posts some of the inmates’ work on their site, as well.

Thank you so much for your interest in this social project that gave the volunteers who participated deep personal satisfaction.

Four Weeks into the Lowell Project

September 22, 2013

We are more that half way through our 6 weeks commitment at The Lowell Reception Center, and all of our 12 trained JDB volunteers has had an opportunity to visit the prison for one of our sessions. The prison staff has been very helpful. We see several of the same guards each Monday as well as the education director, Kevin Sawnick, and, sometimes, Warden Poole, who is in charge of programs at the prison.

The drill for each week is clear to us – We arrive an hour before our presentation with our 12 inmates. This time starts with the process of passing through prison security, which can be quite involved. Then, we set up the projector and computer for the program and arrange the books we have brought as well set up the materials and supplies for our participants. The third week’s presentation was “Writing in the Journey Daybook” and Barbara was the presenter. As is our usual practice, we made journey daybook pages after the presentation and then finished the 2 ½ hour session with a Review of our pages. Susan brought her camera and took some photos, documenting the afternoon’s process, showing some of the pages, and also capturing the enjoyment on the faces of some of “our inmates.” This project continues to inspire those journey daybook alums who are part of project. The inmates continue to be enthusiastic, expectant, open, and engaged in the JDB practice.

Be sure to check our the journey daybook pages produced at The Lowell Reception Center on that page. Thank you everyone!!!

Our New Service Project

September 04, 2013

We are in the midst of holding 6 introductory retreats at the Lowell Reception Center: a maximum security prison for women with many innovative programs that is located near Lowell, in Marion County Florida. A group twelve JDB alums have been working with an equal number of specially selected prison participants. These ladies were selected from some 200 interested inmates who came to a presentation we made at Lowell in July. Each week a group of 4 rotating JDB alums meet at Lowell and carry in and out of the prison the special materials that are needed for each week’s presentation.

 On the first day we met with our inmates, we gave each of them a journey daybook and the art supplies they will need to work on their pages. Earlier in the summer, several of us met at Susan’s house for lunch and to make the beautiful books with handmade paper covers and the special Zerkall printmaking paper that our newest JDB participants now use. To pay for these materials, we received a most generous grant from Satchel’s Pizza, in Gainesville, as well as several anonymous private donations. During our first week, on August 19th, we presented the Introduction to making Journey Daybooks to our eager inmates. During the second week, they were introduced to Drawing in the Journey Daybook. In the last 4 weeks, we will present the units of Writing, Painting, Collage, and Design of the Page. Already, those of us who have been to Lowell are experiencing a strong sense of solidarity with these lovely, appreciative ladies who are learning to make journey daybooks during their private journeys that describe journeys of sight, sound, feelings, thoughts, and memories.

More to come . . .

NOW & NEXT

August 20, 2013

Two of our Journey Daybook friends are offering a one-day retreat at the end of September that are sure to excite many of our alums. Below are all the particulars –

A time to reflect on your hopes, dreams, and possibilities for the year ahead

offered by

Diane Farris and Sandy Reimer

Saturday, September 28^th, 2013, from 9am – 2pm

 During this day of respite and renewal, you will have the opportunity to walk the labyrinth, to mindfully create a collaged vision board for this next chapter in your life, and to share a vegetarian lunch together at Diane’s home on Kanapaha Prairie.

Both of us experience walking the labyrinth as a rich practice for reflection, refreshment and clarifying intentions for the time ahead.  Diane is an artist who finds imagery to be central in her life, and Sandy has found the vision board process to be a powerful tool – and rich reminder – in discernment.   Though we have created labyrinth services and done dreamwork together, this is our first workshop, and we are very excited about it.

Sandy Reimer is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ (recently retired from the United Church of Gainesville), who is working in spiritual direction, coaching and consulting. She is co-author of The Long Winding Journey Home and The Retreat Handbook and has edited well-received seasonal collections for spiritual reflection for Advent, Lent and summer. She has extensive training in spiritual direction, contemplative prayer and dreamwork. You can find out more about Sandy at www.theunfoldingpath.weebly.com

Diane Farris, PhD, is a photographer with work in public and private collections. In Gainesville, a number of images from her Sandhill Crane series can be seen in the permanent collection at the Orthopedic Center.  She teaches workshops in narrative photography and wrote and illustrated In Dolphin Time, Type Tales and the recent Dream Images, with Jeremy Taylor.  She is also a counselor in private practice.  You can find out more about Diane at www.dianefarris.com

The fee for the workshop is $75, which includes materials and lunch. (Sliding scale available – please ask.) Please email either of us through our websites with questions.  If you would like to participate in the workshop, please email Sandy at:  reimer.sandy@gmail.com  Your check, made out to and mailed to Sandy at 1752 NW 17^th Lane, 32605, will secure your place.  Enrollment is limited to 10.

“May all that is unlived in you

Blossom into a future

Graced with love.”  John O’Donohue

A Journey Daybook Alum travels to Viet Nam

July 24, 2013

For the second time in just two years, two of our original journey daybook alums have travelled to Viet Nam. Mary Anna took this long trip in 2012 and you can scroll down under Journey Daybook Pages and look at her pages. This time, Donna, who lives in Ocala, took a month-long pilgrimage with her brother, sister-in-law and her nephew. I will ask her to write a longer description of her experience, but in the meantime, take a look at her pages, also on the Journey Daybook page.

Journey Daybook Adventure at Ichetucknee Springs State Park

July 20, 2013

Yesterday five Journey Daybook alums, tagged the “Golden Girls” floated down the Ichetucknee River for 3 hours while two of us looked on – cheering, painting, swimming, and photographing. The first photo shows four of our “floaters” at the beginning: the spring put-in spot. Susan took photos with her waterproof camera during the 3-hour trip that turned from clear and warm to rainy and cool during the last half-hour. Patty, our leader, is front and center below, smiling and lending her great enthusiasm to the day. As you can also see, several people made pages during their float time. Vicki is in her “boat’ while the others are in the distance, lead by Robin. Take a look at our pages on the Journey Daybook Pages page.

Yeah! Such challenges we endure and surmount!