This summer, I had experiences of connection that I am very grateful for. I missed a few opportunities too, because everything seems to happen at once! I would have liked to be in two places at onetime, but I think the webs of connection will bring new opportunities to meet again!
On the topic of webs, I have always enjoyed spider webs. I even have a sort of relationship with one particular web. It is at the end of a dock on a ladder that I have used to go swimming. I haven’t used that ladder for a few years, because I now have a different way to get into the water, but I am sure the web is still there. It is a big, intricate and beautiful web that catches a lot of morning dew. And the morning sun puts rainbows in the sparkling drops of water. But I used to have to knock that beautiful web down to use the ladder. To my joy, it was always back the next day. Just as big and beautiful as the day before. Generations of resilient web makers have been and still are at work.
This summer, webs of connection allowed me to reconnect with friendships that are as resilient as those web makers. Friends that live in different cities and states and sometimes we don’t get together for years at a stretch. But when we do, just like that beautiful resilient web, we are instantly connected again. And not just in our memories, but in the here and now. We quickly fill each other in on current joys and heartaches. When we leave our hearts are full and when we are apart, we know we are still there for each other.
This meaningful feeling of connection also happened during a family trip to Norway. There we met with a few relatives we had met before and many of whom we had not yet met. My family; husband, children, son-in-law and 5 year old grandson made the trek together to attend a family reunion and see where many of our ancestors came from. Southern Norway is absolutely stunning. Beautiful mountains, waterfalls, fjords and sea. I had the profound experience of walking on the very land my Grandmother, Great-grandmother and Great-grandfather walked on before leaving family in Norway to come to America. Many generations before and after them are connected to this same land. Cousins took us by car and boat. A palpable web of connection still brings tears to my eyes–a connection to both family and land. My Great-grandfather dreamt of owning farm fields and eventually he did–in Wisconsin. That land is still in our family too. I knew my Great-grandfather and Grandmother well, and remember them as fun and happy people. I am told that my Great-grandmother missed her family and Norway every day after she left. They left because my Great-grandfather needed enough land to farm and there wasn’t farmable land to be found in Norway. Too many beautiful mountains. I wonder if her grief for lost connections contributed to her early death.
Connections refer to being joined, linked or related in a variety of ways. Connections can be between thoughts, ideas, people and places. And they can ground us. At one point in Norway, my mind’s eye showed me a spider web of connections between land, people, art and ideas–all around the world. I realized that while a spider web seems fragile, because we can knock it down, it is also incredibly strong. It has more tensile strength than steel–meaning it can absorb larger amounts of energy before breaking. And it can be stretched to 4 times its original length before breaking. The resilience of the spider allows it to eat the old web and rebuild it quickly.
We also learned that like most developed countries, the people in Norway are experiencing unprecedented levels of loneliness across age groups.. Learning how to make meaningful connections in this fast paced and mobile world is needed to help humanity thrive.
Hope & A Future’s TIIN model is designed to rebuild connections, to create a resilient Family Of Friends. We believe that bringing Humanity back into how we live includes compassion and generous behavior. We actively work to listen to each other, explore ideas, music, art and movement. Our intentional intergenerational goal is to be there to help each other and learn along the way. Bringing humanity back into the equation helps each of us live exceptional lives. Intergenerational living offers an exciting opportunity that not only combats loneliness but also brings generations together to live their best lives. Spoiler alert, the helper gets helped too! Purpose and belonging are needed as much as food, safety and security by all age groups. In their absence, mental and physical health suffer. Please imagine a neighborhood that helps all age groups learn to capacity, live healthy life-styles, enjoy the arts and explores creativity, while working and problem solving together. If you have trouble imagining it, please come visit us at Hope & A Future!
We have worked for over two decades to develop the ideas for this pioneering neighborhood. This month we will not have our regular pot-luck and house concert. Instead we are inviting friends who have had loved ones who have lived or are living here, volunteers and donors. We want to honor the people who have honored us, by being part of this beautiful place. We will share the story about the history of our land and see the web of connection between those who have come before us and the Family Of Friends we have become.
We are working hard to move forward to complete our vision for our TIIN (acronym for a Therapeutic Interactive Intergenerational Neighborhood where most of the therapy comes from the creation of meaningful social connections.) All that 
now stands between us and building the needed structures to complete our pilot project is money. Much of the project pays for itself–such as the housing for people 55 and over. But donations are needed to close a financial gap that will allow us to offer affordable multicultural, bilingual daycare for children birth to pre-K and afterschool as well as affordable adult daycare. These spaces along with a few other indoor and outdoor spaces we are fundraising for are open to the greater community for a variety of age appropriate and intergenerational events. We would also like to pay down some of the debt for planned workforce housing so we can offer more affordable rent. If you are interested in learning more, please visit the Get Involved page of our website or contact us. Our zoning will expire in the spring of 2026, so we hope you will consider helping us–so we can break ground by spring!
Please enjoy our new book; Hope & A Future, available here. This quick read tells the story behind what we are doing. We are happy to join your bookclub to discuss this book. Please contact us if you would like to make arrangements. Reading and sharing our book and leaving a comment helps us spread the word too!
Until next time, I encourage you to connect with friends and curl up with our book!
Karin