Letter from Jenny: January 2026

Everything you see has its roots
in the unseen world.
The forms may change,
yet the essence remains the same.

Every wondrous sight will vanish,
every sweet word will fade.
But do not be disheartened,
The Source they come from is eternal–
growing, branching out,
giving new life and new joy.Why do you weep?
That Source is within you,
and this whole world
is springing up from it.
~ Rumi

Dear Springhouse community,

I have spent much of the past two weeks alone—by the river, with the forest and the moon, and with my soul. I have been contemplating my relationship with the Source that the Sufi poet Rumi speaks of, while also reviewing old letters, photos, and stories from the past twelve years at Springhouse. Much like the leafless trees around me, this time has revealed much. 

The Source—or mystery of life—that Rumi and many wisdom traditions point to has been central to my life and vocation for thirty-five years. In the mid 1990s, when I was living with cancer, a dear mentor gave me a book by St. Teresa of Avila, who came to know the Source of her life through devastating illness. Over the past two weeks, I have returned to her book The Interior Castle and to her central teaching that the greatest adventure in life is the one we take within. This inward journey is not for the faint of heart—and it is worth every step.

It is not easy to speak about this Source—something I have experienced, known, and come to trust more than anything. All wisdom traditions point toward this mystery, and none will ever fully define it. I respect its vastness and trust the many paths that lead toward it. For me, story is the most honest way forward. Story allows me to point toward something I will never fully understand in this lifetime. 

In 2018, I started writing monthly letters to this community. My letters are filled with stories–many of which explore my relationship with this mystery I speak of. One from December 2018 reminded me that while life—and Springhouse—are always in motion, the core essence of our mission has not changed. We have always been about awakening to the deepest source of strength and life within ourselves and learning to live from it. Beginning with the founders, and carrying on with all of those who have been at the heart of co-creating the guiding principles of our community, the true leverage point for change has always been the soul. Here is that December 2018 letter. In it, I described this Source as meaning and purpose.  

Dear Springhouse family,

I write to you this sacred season with gratitude. There is so much to be thankful for, and like my favorite poet Rainer Maria Rilke writes, just “Being here is so much.” I am thankful for all of you and all the ways that you show up to make Springhouse what it is.

I have been meeting with people around the region, learning more about education, and sharing about who Springhouse is. What I think makes Springhouse most unique is that we orient everything we do around something deeper. This is not new, but ancient, and this deeper thing I am coming to understand is meaning and purpose. We know that every person on the planet came with an inner call to be what they came here to be; to rise to and fulfill their deepest potential. 

As an educational institution, it is our responsibility to invite or draw that calling out from within. I met recently with the administration of a regional public school district. We had a great conversation and as we talked, one of the administrators said “Education is an agent for cultural change.” I couldn’t agree more. To cultivate a healthier culture, Springhouse chooses to orient around meaning and purpose, and around values like connection, resiliency, and integrity. The need for this orientation is great and Springhouse is doing its best to respond to the call.

Thank you for creating a healthy culture with us. I know it is not easy and I could not be more grateful for your support as you walk with us on this journey. I will leave you this blessing from one of the most important teachers of my life, the late Irish theologian John O’Donohue.

On Waking

I give thanks for arriving

Safely in a new dawn,

For the gift of eyes

To see the world,

The gift of mind

To feel at home

In my life,

The waves of possibility

Breaking on the shore of dawn,

The harvest of the past

That awaits my hunger,

And all the furtherings

This new day will bring.

Thank you for all that you do to support Springhouse. We could not do it without you.

With gratitude,

Jenny

There are many ways to point toward the source of life and its power. It matters deeply to me to do so with honesty, clarity, and confidence. I honor the mystery and the diversity of how this Source is known and named. My hope is to continue living and speaking with clarity and confidence about the power of surrendering to life as I experience it through the Earth each day.

I spend a great deal of time contemplating our primary purpose—the core of who we are as the Springhouse community. In our founding years, we devoted many hours to clarifying our identity and how to articulate it. Today, we find ourselves returning again and again to that primary purpose—especially among staff, teens, and Trustees. 

St. Teresa of Avila writes: Within you there is a well. Within you there is a living spring. After all these years, our reason for being remains the same: to live more deeply aligned with the power, beauty, and strength of life. Even our name points toward this purpose. Springhouses protect, support, and make useful the water that rises from the ground in mysterious and trustworthy ways. This Springhouse in Floyd County seeks to do the same—by blessing, inviting forth, and caring for the unique and eternal source of life that lives within each being.

To move toward a world where all life thrives, we know that our greatest leverage point of care is the Source of life itself. We are not alone in this knowing. Many wisdom traditions speak to it. The Earth remains our greatest teacher in aligning with life and allowing it to move through us. When we do, we become more connected, more respectful of diversity, more creative and resilient. We live with greater integrity—and with a deeper, more sustainable commitment to justice for all.

It is important to me to keep this Source—or living spring, as St. Teresa calls it—in the light. Over the next year, my letters will explore this mystery through story, metaphor, and wisdom traditions. Thank you for walking this journey with us, and may we move forward remembering that, though we are different, we all belong to life. May we live in great reverence for and care of that fact.

With love,
Jenny