Voices of Western Colorado: Gather

We Asked These Western Slope Locals to Weigh in on This Topic.

LISA GANORA

Lisa is the author of “Herbal Constituents: Foundations of Phytochemistry.” She teaches in schools, conferences and online, and also founded the Colorado School of Clinical Herbalism (CHCS). Now that she has retired from CHCS, her heart resides at Eldeberry’s Herbal Education and Retreat Center in Paonia, which she founded.

“Here is where we gather: not only the wild and cultivated bounty, but also we gather spirit and connection with each other and all our relations. We honor and respect the life that flows through all beings, the living waters, the vital air, the warming sun and the life-sustaining and healing gifts of the earth. We gather in community, sharing our stories and skills, learning together and reconnecting with the flow of energy through this beautiful land and the plants that make it home. Every day we are reminded here that we humans are nature — the ‘environment’ is us! — and we work not only to gather, but to heal, cultivate, regenerate and support this beautiful little farm.”

JOEY EARLY

Joey Early is the marketing manager at RockyMounts in Grand Junction. Early is fairly new to the Western Slope and loves that he found a place where there is opportunity to make a difference.

“I believe the word ‘gather’ is synonymous both in cultural concept and semantically with community; that is truly the core of what makes us all human. Without community we cannot grow or create progress as a people. We struggle even for survival without banding together to create something greater than the sum of its parts. Gather (or gathering) is the act or habit of creating and maintaining that community. Without that ability, we can find ourselves lost in this world. To gather is one of the roots of what it means to be one people.”

ZACH MAHONE

CONNIE MAZZA

Connie Leaf Mazza and her husband Anthony started Village Bagel out of their home in 2016. Two years later, Village Bagel turned into a brick and mortar eatery in Edwards.

“The word ‘gather’ actually embodies the reason I decided to open the bagel shop and devote my life’s work to the art of old fashioned bagel baking. I wanted to create a cozy place where people meet their friends and family and share a nourishing meal together — a place that is warm and welcoming to all. To gather, in my mind, is to connect with others on a fundamental level (after all, what is more fundamental than eating a meal together?). To gather is to discover just how similar we all really are. Sharing a warm, handmade meal helps facilitate connection on a simple, primitive scale, and just as importantly, helps the individual slow down and connect with the present moment.”

Compiled by Emme Fredericks

Originally published in the Fall 2021 issue of Spoke+Blossom