Willa White's Blog

One of my favorite places in Lily Dale is the Lake Pavilion.  Some folks call it the Boat House, but it doesn't store boats so I call it by its' more graceful name.  In my opinion, it is a space that deserves grace because decades ago the swan house used to be next to it. Perched on the shore of Cassadaga Lake near the Maplewood Hotel, the Lake Pavilion has a bench that wraps around the inside perimeter and with the picnic table stationed there as well, there is plenty of seating.  Various folks fish from it - in fact, this summer my older son caught six fish in a row there (or maybe it was the same fish over and over, haha). In the more recent summers, my mother has taught a plein-air art class series at the Lake Pavilion and the Friday night drumming circle has gathered there. My family enjoys stopping there on our walks around Lily Dale.  My children ooh and ahh over the small schools of fish gathering for morsels.  Swans and kayakers glide by.  The sky and water

This month, I will be teaching a spiritual development class at the Jamestown Community College (JCC) Jamestown NY campus: "Rediscovery of Women's Health:  a Personal Journey" - Wednesday September 25th from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Join us in this special informational session for women only , where your instructor will give an overview of holistic techniques for reproductive health and talk about honoring our female cycles - from fertility, to pregnancy, to childbirth, and beyond. We will discuss many exercises, techniques, and informational resources that are available for women, including various forms of massage, bodywork, pelvic care, and fertility awareness. You will discover a new and dynamic relationship with your own body as it becomes guide, gauge, and a source of knowledge, vital radiance, and well-being. The concepts within this class reflect the instructor’s personal findings and experiences. Her goal is to raise awareness so that women are infor

My family and I were enjoying a walk the other evening.  The weather was warm and thunderstorms were predicted.  You could feel the water hanging in the air waiting to be released. As we approached what seemed to be a stone in the road, it moved.  Actually, it hopped.  "A toad!" my son said with delight.  We continued on our walk.  Several feet later up the same street, my husband said, "There's a toad!"  And my son spotted two more nearby.  Each street we walked had toads in the road like stony sentinels of the evening.  In the semi-darkness of our twilight stroll, we greeted many toads.  It became a festive game of who-can-spot-the-toad-in-the-road first.  Their bumpy skin is so reminiscent of a stone in the darkness until they hop for the sides of the road, scrabbling to the safety of the grass. "Why are there so many toads?" my son asked.  "It will rain soon.  And they like the rain, " I replied.  "When we get home, I wil