An Interview with Annie Aguirre
by Linda Lehman Thomas

Photos by Annie Aguirre

Black-throated Blue Warbler (Taken at Pathways Retreat)

The other week Steve and I were strolling along the main trail at Pathways and saw a dark-haired person with something around their neck walking towards us with their head turned upward, scanning the treetops. As we got closer, I recognized Annie Aguirre who was, indeed, heavily laden with a camera and binoculars.
 
Annie, who works as the marketing and events coordinator for Elkhart County parks, is an avid birder and graciously agreed to a conversation.
 
How and when did you become a birder? 
 
I grew up in the Pacific Northwest where I met an ornithologist studying crow behavior, woke up every morning hearing Osprey breeding calls, and developed a love of nature. I migrated to Indiana in 2015 and soon found a small group of birders that took me “under their wing”.
 
What is your birding practice now?
 
It varies a lot. I am very fortunate to have a job where I can regularly lead bird walks and programs, such as the "Wednesday Bird Walks" (offered on the first Wednesday of every month). Outside of work, I make a habit of keeping tabs on my favorite birding spots. Citizen science research plays a fairly large role in modern birding, and by making these regular check-ins, in a small way, it helps provide a snapshot on the health and overall abundance of birds in our area.

Is Pathways a good place for bird walks? What birds have you seen here? 
 
Absolutely! Pathways has some great diversity in habitat, which in turn, brings a great diversity in birds. So far, I've listed 81 species at Pathways (the entire list can be seen here), since I started in March 2016. A few memorable birds so far include Red-breasted Nuthatch (which I found just the other day), Wild Turkey, Ovenbird, and some incredible up-close encounters with a pair of Black-throated Blue Warblers. 
 
Pathways Retreat's mission statement is to be a spiritual retreat center for rest, reflection and renewal. Does your practice of bird walking provide rest, reflection and renewal? If so, how?
 
Yes, birding definitely plays a large role in my spiritual renewal. When I first moved to Indiana from Oregon in the summer of 2015, things were tough. I was recovering from surgery, feeling isolated, homesick, and dealing with a lot of loss. On a whim, I went on a walk with a group of local birders, who showed me great kindness and quickly welcomed me. During those walks, I didn't really notice the pain from my surgery, and my feelings of loss were replaced by feelings of curiosity, as the group taught me all about the fascinating lives of birds. The birding community helped me find confidence again. As I began to go birding on my own, I let myself reflect and let go of things in my past. Things remain very much the same to this day–birding is a way for me to share a love of nature with friends and feel centered.

One of our values at Pathways is contemplation, our response of awe to the awareness that everything is sacred. Is bird walking contemplative for you?
 
I think nature has an incredible way of providing us with connection–to community, to ourselves, and to God. When I needed support, I found it through a group that shared a passion for nature. Birding has given me a great deal of spiritual and personal insight, as well. 
 
One thing I realized as I started to bird regularly was that observing birds meant observing nature as a whole. The arrival of Dark-eyed Juncos meant that the first snow was close at hand. When I was looking for the last of the season's mulberries, Cedar Waxwings revealed the location of a sun-sweet patch. One time, by paying attention to the warning calls of the birds around me, it even helped me avoid a dangerously close encounter with an aggressive (likely infected) coyote. There's so much out there, and simply by being aware of the subtle things in nature, I feel connected in ways I never did before.
 
Birding has also helped me practice acceptance. There have been times I've wanted to find a specific bird and dedicated a fair amount of time looking, without success. There's been other times I've come really close, but the bird slipped away before I could say for sure. Being left with the mystery like that–of almost knowing–I think carries over to a lot of things in life. It can be frustrating, but also a blessing. Having these kinds of unanswered questions about nature gives me an ongoing passion to explore.

By Evan Miller

Does this match your experience? On my first visit to Pathways I was surprised. I was surprised because I walked out the trail behind the retreat house, down the narrow strip of land between arbor vitae and spruce, and discovered that the path opened to a much wider and deeper space with woods, cottage, labyrinth, and meadow. It was like opening one of those Russian dolls, to find another doll hidden within that opens to reveal yet another treasure
 
I think I learned on my first trip that the open area east of the spruce trees was land that Pathways did not own, and that someday it might be developed outside of Pathways control. That seemed problematic. It didn’t take much imagination to foresee land use that would impinge on the quiet treasure of the woods.
 
In those early days, Pathways existed as 10 acres leased from Steve and Linda Thomas, as the area bordered in white in the satellite photo. (The retreat house is at the bottom of the photo. The top of the photo is the north edge of the property.)
 
Four years ago, Steve and Linda bought another 4 ½ acres, the area bordered in yellow in the photo below. Since then, Steve cleared the land of invasive brush and is planting it for additional spaces and paths to add to Pathways. This essentially expands Pathways land to 14 acres.
 
But all this time the space in the middle (bordered in pink on the photo) was owned by a neighbor, purchased back in the 1990’s with the intent to build one or two houses on it. In the summer of 2016 this neighbor let Pathways know that they had decided to sell it, and we had the opportunity to acquire it.
 
An anonymous donor, hearing of the situation, donated the funds to purchase the land, and we closed on the property last fall. This expands the total land under Pathways management to 17 acres!
 
In accepting the donation, the Pathways Board of Directors decided to let the land “be still” for three years before making decisions about how it will be used. We have, however, mowed a path on it so that it can be walked and prayed on. (In addition to maintaining the path, we’ll also be removing woody invasives, so it won’t be completely untouched.) You can access this path from just east of the Retreat House or from the main path at the point where it splits and enters the woods.
 
Speaking for the Pathways Board of Directors, we’re grateful that so many things have come together to make this possible. Thanks be to God! 

By Linda Lehman Thomas

It’s 5:18 a.m. and I’ve lain awake in bed for over an hour, wrestling with myself.  I awoke with the thought that, “It’s time.”  Time for what?
 
Yesterday was the open house celebration for the expansion of Pathways Retreat.  This little retreat center that emerged from a spiritual friendship—which began as a seminary class requirement—is now going “public.”  The text for the service yesterday was from The Message:
 
            …You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. 
            God is not a secret to be kept. 
            We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. 
            If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you
                        under a bucket, do you? 
            I’m putting you on a light stand.
            Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand – shine!
            Keep open house; be generous with your lives. 
            By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God.  (Matt. 5.14-16)
 
During the service I shared how years ago the executive board consulted with Stanley Kropf about expansion and the question that stayed with us from that encounter was, “Is this a private or public ministry?”  In other words, is Pathways a private place for Julie and I to do ministry with a small group of people or is it a public ministry, involving the larger community?  The answer to this question has many ramifications: legal, organizational and financial, to name a few.
 
As the board listened and discerned, we sensed the latter: this was to be public. So we took a next step by inviting several spiritual directors to be associated with Pathways.  We didn’t go looking for spiritual directors who needed a home.  Rather, when we looked around us they were already there, waiting alongside the path.  So now we had more support, both administrative and ministry support, to go public.
 
The next step was clear.  More physical space was needed to make room for more people.  Much to our astonishment, the design for this space became clear and finances were provided by the generosity of many individuals, churches, businesses, and a grant.  So, yesterday Julie and I said good-bye to our private ministry and acknowledged that we’re going public with this – as public as a city on a hill.  It’s time and we’re ready.
 
I’m not awake in the wee hours of the morning wrestling with this.  No, rather, I’m wrestling with the idea that this means it’s time for me to personally go public as well.  I sense I am called to share my thoughts along the way. These thoughts are sometimes quite entertaining to me, but for all of my life have been kept inside. 
 
This idea is scary and feels rather presumptuous.  I’m aware of a fluttering anxiety in my stomach, and yet I can’t sleep because the deepest part of me knows it’s time for this too.  So this blog starts today, the first day of Pathways Retreat’s going public.  Something is right about it.  Here we go and we’ll see what it becomes…