Hello everyone,
Ed filling in one more time before Hilary arrives back from her well-rested vacation.
I’ve been listening to a lot of Nina Simone lately. More than usual. The beauty, strength, and sheer determination of her voice and power of her words are inescapable. “Everything Must Change” is her interpretation of a song by Benard Ighner. The ballad is a reminder that life is a constant transformation, to sit in awe of those transitions, and that all things are interconnected.
Today, the new nonprofit Orcas Senior Center (OSC) is celebrating its acquisition of the Center’s operations and co-management of the building from the three-island Senior Services Council of San Juan County. This exciting change will allow the Center to focus its attention solely on the Orcas community’s needs and services. Join the Center’s Board Members and Staff at 4:00 pm today at 62 Henry Road for the celebration. I hope to see you there.
The restaurant scene is picking back up as we come out of the depths of winter. I know. It doesn’t feel like it today, but we’re getting there. The New Leaf Cafe opened brunch back up last week, and they’re getting dinner on the tables next Thursday. Matia and Monti are doing a little side step shuffle in the village. Monti will be moving, solely, into the old Roses Deli space, and Matia will take over their dining room. Matia will open up on March 3rd, with Monti opening in the near future. There are also divine smells coming out of the old Voyager space. If you miss Jon and Sara’s amazing sammies, you won’t be disappointed by The West Side Kitchen. Pay them all some love.
We’re also seeing a good deal of movement of folks transitioning off island, lately. All of them have built powerful legacies on the island. Most recently, Steve Jung and Susan McBain will begin a new, bright, and exciting chapter. They’ve been full time residents since 2010. Upon moving here, they immediately jumped in and found ways to serve Orcas. Giving time to so many and in so many ways. Of note, Susan spent 10 years at the Orcas Island Food Bank in various roles. Steve gave time to both the Orcas Community Resource Center (OCRC) and OICF, with eight years at OCRC and over a decade with us. And these are just the highlights.
Personally, Steve has been one of those people in your life that leaves deep, meaningful, and impacting impressions on you. The kind that forms a change in how you see the world. I thank you for that, sir. You will, forever, be my knight.
As you can see, Orcas is full of transition these days, as it always has been. Change can be hard, if you let it be. It can also be full of beauty and wonderment, if you open your heart to it. Walk into it. Eyes and heart wide open. Embrace it.
Everything must change
Nothing remains the same
Everyone must change
No one and nothing remains the same
Young becomes old
Oh oh, mysteries do unfold
‘Cause that’s the way of time
Nothing and no one remains the same
There is so little in life you can be sure of
Except the rain comes from the clouds
Sunlight from the sky
And hummingbirds do fly
I leave you with a video of compiled photos of Nina Simone and “Everything Must Change.”
Onward,
Ed