Do not say these stories are too beautiful to be true. They are too beautiful not to be true. Let them persuade you that the lives you live, and the world in which you live them, are made up of beauty and marvel and splendor. The only thing that does not exist is the commonplace."
-- Katharine Lee Bates, Myths and Enchantment Tales
Perhaps the best measure of living youth, in people of any chronological age, is to find that, against all odds, one still honors his innermost dreams, or has yet to put away on some dusty shelf those most intensely personal (and thus most priceless and irreplaceable) of visions, that once sustained her and even gave brilliant color to her days. Yet the world can be a hard place and the years take their relentless toll, and it is easy to contract into"practicality" when the last clinging vestiges of hope might seem only a torment. Yet deep inside we cannot help but hope for something more. And it can come and it does come, and it is different for everybody, and it shows up most often when and where least expected. Our primary goal in extending hospitality through Lost Reef Cottage is to provide you and your companions with a simple,superb, and uncomplicated lodging experience so you can best enjoy Miami.
But sometimes a place to stay, even one most excellent, is more than just that. And we cannot presume to imagine what you may or may not find here, but I will tell you this: the place is imbued with prayerful intention, every single detail of art, architecture, and nature (and there are many!) reflective of our ongoing quest for that unnameable and ultimately mysterious ever-unfolding Greater Harmony. That is our intention, at least. And, the kind and gentle ancient Earth is much honored here.
In a sense we have endeavored to create, sustain, and tend to a sanctuary, a place of peace and refreshment in a trying and troubled world. And we have absolutely no agenda but your comfort, safety, and relaxation. We very much hope that as your stay winds down to its end you will leave feeling somehow more refreshed and even hopeful than when you first stepped through our gate.
-- Katharine Lee Bates, Myths and Enchantment Tales
Perhaps the best measure of living youth, in people of any chronological age, is to find that, against all odds, one still honors his innermost dreams, or has yet to put away on some dusty shelf those most intensely personal (and thus most priceless and irreplaceable) of visions, that once sustained her and even gave brilliant color to her days. Yet the world can be a hard place and the years take their relentless toll, and it is easy to contract into"practicality" when the last clinging vestiges of hope might seem only a torment. Yet deep inside we cannot help but hope for something more. And it can come and it does come, and it is different for everybody, and it shows up most often when and where least expected. Our primary goal in extending hospitality through Lost Reef Cottage is to provide you and your companions with a simple,superb, and uncomplicated lodging experience so you can best enjoy Miami.
But sometimes a place to stay, even one most excellent, is more than just that. And we cannot presume to imagine what you may or may not find here, but I will tell you this: the place is imbued with prayerful intention, every single detail of art, architecture, and nature (and there are many!) reflective of our ongoing quest for that unnameable and ultimately mysterious ever-unfolding Greater Harmony. That is our intention, at least. And, the kind and gentle ancient Earth is much honored here.
In a sense we have endeavored to create, sustain, and tend to a sanctuary, a place of peace and refreshment in a trying and troubled world. And we have absolutely no agenda but your comfort, safety, and relaxation. We very much hope that as your stay winds down to its end you will leave feeling somehow more refreshed and even hopeful than when you first stepped through our gate.
Our little slice of Miami "jungle": the garden just inside the gate, seen from above.
An industrious red-crested woodpecker who's taken up residence in the top of a once-great palm lost to that damnable Katrina. I'm up on the roof, so we're eye-to-eye. "I Live here," I can imagine him saying. What's your story??"
Anything is possible here. All of that, of course, is up to you, because we have merely "set the stage," and although we are available should you need us, it is our intention generally that your privacy be safeguarded, and that you be left to your peace. It is in this setting of the stage that we have taken the greatest care to do our job well. Whatever fruits you might find there are now yours for the taking. No demands are made of you, nothing required. None whatsoever. There's enough of that outside the Gate.
At last, I make my way to the point! Meet Christine and her 2 1/2 year-old daughter Angel. She and Anne spent a short stay at the Cottage in February. After she'd returned home I was delighted to receive the following e-mail, reprinted with her kind permission. It struck me as a "Wow!," how she says so much with so few words. It is true that certain "big" ideas, or perhaps those closest to the heart, cannot be expressed with any number of words: those ready to hear won't need them, and for others no amount of verbiage will suffice. I am big on the idea of "reading between the lines," for I tend to perceive through a window of the spiritual and am drawn to the ideas of "connection," "touch," and the exchange of energy as the most frequent expressions of Grace. I am an artist and a healer (and so is Alan, though he'd never say it) who is forever engaged in the process of reminding others that they are, as well. In music, literature, and poetry, as in dreams, it is often in that space "between" that the real power of the expression, and its core message, really lies. Without further ado, here they are, and Christine's email follows below:
At last, I make my way to the point! Meet Christine and her 2 1/2 year-old daughter Angel. She and Anne spent a short stay at the Cottage in February. After she'd returned home I was delighted to receive the following e-mail, reprinted with her kind permission. It struck me as a "Wow!," how she says so much with so few words. It is true that certain "big" ideas, or perhaps those closest to the heart, cannot be expressed with any number of words: those ready to hear won't need them, and for others no amount of verbiage will suffice. I am big on the idea of "reading between the lines," for I tend to perceive through a window of the spiritual and am drawn to the ideas of "connection," "touch," and the exchange of energy as the most frequent expressions of Grace. I am an artist and a healer (and so is Alan, though he'd never say it) who is forever engaged in the process of reminding others that they are, as well. In music, literature, and poetry, as in dreams, it is often in that space "between" that the real power of the expression, and its core message, really lies. Without further ado, here they are, and Christine's email follows below:
I was with Anne, along with my daughter, over the weekend. I felt at home at your cottage.
Let me just say that I lived in Miami for a few years....after living in Pittsburgh all my life. The energy of Miami does not fit my personality (I live in Tampa) now. At any rate, your cottage was such an oasis, that I forgot that I was actually, in what I feel is, chaotic Miami. I felt transported back to how Florida was supposed to be.
My daughter, who's 2 1/2, felt right at home as well.....and in the 2-year old way, shared that by sleeping fairly well in a new environment. :)
Your use of space was just so amazing! Everything just worked! Please give me the light count, if you have it! :)
Life has taken me into the somewhat stereotypical suburbia lifestyle......I have accepted this and honor this....yet somewhere in my soul there is a need for a refreshing taste of the arts and simpler living. I have grown to accept my "mixed life" as I feel my current experiences allow me to stay grounded to explore Earth's joys.
I'm somewhat of an old-soul, 30-year old hippie wanna-be.......I crave too much structure to respond fully to that "need." :)
Your cottage allowed me to experience just the right amount of bohemian, I suppose is the term most suitable!....creating the balance in life that I so enjoy!
Thank you for opening a part of your home to us. We WILL be back next year....and any time we're in Florida!
Let me just say that I lived in Miami for a few years....after living in Pittsburgh all my life. The energy of Miami does not fit my personality (I live in Tampa) now. At any rate, your cottage was such an oasis, that I forgot that I was actually, in what I feel is, chaotic Miami. I felt transported back to how Florida was supposed to be.
My daughter, who's 2 1/2, felt right at home as well.....and in the 2-year old way, shared that by sleeping fairly well in a new environment. :)
Your use of space was just so amazing! Everything just worked! Please give me the light count, if you have it! :)
Life has taken me into the somewhat stereotypical suburbia lifestyle......I have accepted this and honor this....yet somewhere in my soul there is a need for a refreshing taste of the arts and simpler living. I have grown to accept my "mixed life" as I feel my current experiences allow me to stay grounded to explore Earth's joys.
I'm somewhat of an old-soul, 30-year old hippie wanna-be.......I crave too much structure to respond fully to that "need." :)
Your cottage allowed me to experience just the right amount of bohemian, I suppose is the term most suitable!....creating the balance in life that I so enjoy!
Thank you for opening a part of your home to us. We WILL be back next year....and any time we're in Florida!
Hugs!
