<![CDATA[THE COMMUNITY HOUSE NETWORK - Journal]]>Thu, 06 Aug 2026 20:36:58 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[Benediction]]>Sun, 19 Jul 2026 16:19:15 GMThttps://www.thecommunityhousenetwork.com/journal/benedictionI am enjoying the movement of the project.  The direction feels right.  It feels aligned.  I am being drawn back into the field of education and it has all happened so serenidipitously.  

I have been working with youth again, and this time it is more focused.  Focused on them personally.  The activities are based in relationship, and focused on the individual processes of development.  I am starting to see the building of the internal structure that I know is what we should be focused on in education.  All of the research is coming back into the conversation in a way it can be not just a theoretical study, but a validated truth.

I am calling back in all those amazing researchers I have loved so much.  Most recently I am digging into the work of Yong Zhao, primarily because of the interests of one of the young people I have had the chance to work with.  It came out of her interest,and reminded me of the power of teaching entrepreneurialism. 

I will write more on Yong Zhao later, or maybe in a blog on the Creative Curriculum site (link here)  

What I have been meditating on lately as I realize I have been following a path not really designed for me (although designed by me) is Why?  Why did I spend so much time trying to build a community center?  What was this detour all about?  

It definitely was a wild ride.  When I look at all we did. I mean the Sober Living alone was a lot. Two transitional housing locations and more than 20 girls (and one guy) having come through our doors.  The Community House with all its 12 step meetings (9 meetings a week)  biweekly Yoga classes, a weekly Women's Group, a worship service.  Then there was the youth programming and events not to mention The Art Garage every Friday! It was a huge undertaking.  I ask myself now, what was I thinking???  No wonder I am tired.

What came out of it.

I met some amazing people.  I connected to real community.  I built something beautiful. 

It was an outline of what could have been, but it impacted the neighborhood.  Who knows the ripples it created.  For one, the houses are now beautiful and lived in.  Before that, the two primary homes had not been lived in for 10 years. From what I was told by the unofficial neighborhood watch, they had been used by addicts to turn tricks.  The neighbor loved the irony that they were being used to help people get sober.  God is good that way.  I shared the other day about the crew of neighborhood kids who have a tight bond, and have ways of connecting that do not revolve around drugs and fighting.  There are a few of the adults who have connected through us.  Those who are anchors for true neighborliness in the community.  I really don't know what the impact of my efforts have been.  It was so incredibly hard, and to me it often felt like so much failure.  But when I meditate on the big picture, I believe it was something more.

The word Benediction has stuck in my mind, and for the life of me I really don't know much about benediction.  
At first I thought it might be like initiation.  I know there have been many times in my own experience that I had to go through a sort of initiation period in a space that was challenging to see if I could cut the mustard.  But this experience was different.  I never experienced a plateau.  It just kept expanding and it seemed there were such greater heights for everything.  The entire project (as I called it) was the experience.

A benediction.
A blessing.
Solemnly blessing and formally dedicating to God.

So let it be that.  I do dedicate this work to God's goodness.  It was the way God intended.  A gift of kindness and charity, and hopefully it will leave a positive lasting imprint for those whose lives it touched.


]]><![CDATA[The Art Garage]]>Thu, 02 Jul 2026 12:00:58 GMThttps://www.thecommunityhousenetwork.com/journal/the-art-garageThis is being written post-event.  I am really in a transition and feeling the pangs of uncertainty and the resistance to letting go of something that is no longer aligned with the vision.  We had the usual BBQ and Tie-Dye since the Art Garage fell on the 3rd of July.  Usually these events would bring out all the neighborhood kids, who were looking to celebrate something and didn't have anywhere to really do so.

The Art Garage was in its inception an organic gathering of neighborhood kids.  I never advertised.  It wasn't on FaceBook.  In the beginning there wasn't even a set schedule of activities.  The kids just showed up.  They told each other about it, and they came and went as they pleased.  Over the years, it became more formalized.  Activities were planned, and the time was set, but there were always informal events, and there were always options to do other activites.

Now having switched locations, everything is different.  The feeling is different.  The location is in a business, not a house.  It is surrounded by businesses, not homes with kids.  Bottom line, I need a different approach.

So the plan is to become more of a clubhouse.  I have already started some homeschooling here, and it is quite successful.  It is amazing in fact.  To take those who are so sick of school and see them get excited to learn again.  To realize that no one will force them, but they can explore their interests and be supported in that path.  It is really what I am meant to do.  So what about the Art Garage?

I think it has to go on the back-burner for a moment.  I am feeling the call to create something more structured, or singleness of purpose.  Like a youth club. It will have to be loosely formalized. It will have to have a set time, and a set limited group of kids.  It should have a general age range.  All of these will be a new challenge for me.

I already have a few ideas, new challenges are good.  
]]><![CDATA[Melody Munson]]>Thu, 28 May 2026 16:00:02 GMThttps://www.thecommunityhousenetwork.com/journal/melody-munsonThe first neighbor I met in my Community on Thrush was Melody Munson.  She lived in the house next door with her friend Stuart.  She knocked on the door and then walked right in.  Sat on the couch and smoked her cigarette letting the ash falling on the floor.

She was so enthusiastic, asking me if I was going to stay for a long time?  I said I was staying and she said, "Goodie!" and then added, "Because the other neighbors had to leave because they were broken in to."

So that was my first meeting, of many many more beloved memories of Melody.

Some of my favorite memories were of her and her friend Stuart.  Stuart was schizophrenic and smoked 5 packs of cigars a day.  He didn't bathe and he would mumble to himself.  My husband was getting rid of a pair of winter hunting overalls.  Made for intensely cold weather.  Stuart wore those bibs for two years straight.  I remember Ed telling him that they were for winter weather when he saw him wearing them in July, and Stuart's response was, "They are all season."  

When I started the original Art Garage, Melody was there.  One of our first activities was paper making, and as I was setting up and preparing the materials Melody came over.  I let her make a practice sheet of paper, and it didn't come out quite right, so I started watching a youtube video on papermaking.  Melody took one look at the phone, and asked if I had made a video of her making paper.  I explained I was watching the video to learn, and she replied, "Oh, that's me making paper".  When Melody decided something was true, that was the end of the story.  I usually went along, since none of her Melodisms would hurt anyone.

I did have to intervene a couple times.  Once when she went to court, and was insistent on the fact that she hadn't done anything wrong, although the street camera had a video of her pulling another woman's hair.  The story is that this woman had sold Melody her Link, and Melody was mad because it didn't actually have any money on it. It didn't register that buying someone's Link is illegal.  All she knew was that it wasn't fair to have been lied to.  Melody had a fierce sense of Justice and Fairness, even if it was viewed through her special lens.

I see Melody as one of the Innocent ones. It doesn't mean she always did right, or was loving.  But she was always authentic.  God was definitely looking out for Melody.  It is so interesting that we have moved to Pekin, and one of the last major hurdles to leaving has been Melody.  I know that she is in Heaven singing with the Miam Kat Band.
]]><![CDATA[Friendship]]>Mon, 27 Apr 2026 18:59:52 GMThttps://www.thecommunityhousenetwork.com/journal/friendshipThe deep desire for loving and supportive community, combined with the desire to reduce suffering, generated the project "The Community House Network".  As I move towards a new opening, one that has shifted more deeply towards a goal of deeping creative expression, within myself, and holding space in community to bring the highly creative people of this world together to share their gifts, I find myself grieving what the vision held that I could not fulfill.

Each soul that crossed my path throughout these 6 years has been the hope of loving connection, healing and community.  Each time the demons within each of us got the upperhand, I fell a bit further into a state of despair.  How much can one person take?  I am sure there are many others who could have done much better, and yet, perhaps this was all about me finding my own limits and boundaries.

Disentangling from the neediness of those who would still see me as their primary survival resource has been painful and full of emotional turmoil, for me and those in the community. I have been called a liar, a traitor, and a number of other unpleasant names in this last round of change.  Nevertheless, it is what I have to do for my own sanity.  

This has been the most lonely time of all.  Those who I thought I could help, are now nowhere to be found.  Realizing that I was never a friend, never an equal, but always a resource, is a hard pill to swallow.

I made a decision that this next phase will be all about equal realtionships and collaboration.  Let it be so!

​From John 15:15-17

15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other.
]]><![CDATA[New Location Art Garage Revival]]>Mon, 23 Mar 2026 15:26:51 GMThttps://www.thecommunityhousenetwork.com/journal/new-location-art-garage-revivalWe have expanded, contracted and expanded again as we move our annual Opening of the Art Garage to our new location at Anaprana Healing studio.

It is a big transition into a big and beautiful space.  Nothing has been done yet in preparation of the space, so it will be a collaborative effort and will also probably look a bit haphazzard for our opening week.

No worries, we have muddled through all these years.

This is bringing me back to our start.  The very early days of simply saying yes to the opportunity that was presented to me.  The desire to do something meaningful in the world, and to help bring more joy, connection and community into our little neighborhood evolved into a for real non-profit.  

What a journey it has been.  I am filled with gratitude for what I have been able to give back, and now I am looking towards how to keep this vision alive.  Looking to new arenas to inspire, uplift and heal.  We are all neighbors.  Love Thy Neighbor!

Check out the story of our beginnings here.
https://thethrushaveartgarage.weebly.com/about.html

]]><![CDATA[Reflections on 2025]]>Mon, 29 Dec 2025 14:20:34 GMThttps://www.thecommunityhousenetwork.com/journal/reflections-on-2025It seems like the end of the year is a great time to reflect and revise.  This year has seen many explorations of where and how we can serve our local and the greater community.  

Our Neighbors in Need program was a success. 

Since we no longer had our connection with the Midwest Foodbank, we helped our neighbors with with food both by taking them shopping and to local pantries.  We also helped with phone cards and most recently provided working stoves to those without. 

Our beloved neighbor whose house burned down stayed with his family at our house throughout the holidays, and we are committed to helping him rebuild his home.

We helped a local ministry make a start on a house of worship, providing a new roof for thier building in the roughest part of our neighborhood.  There they will provide spiritual guidance and services to uplift those who have lost hope, not to mention hot food and drinks for those in the neighborhood. 

Maybe my favorite project was the lawncrew. We gathered some of our teenage boys together and got them started mowing lawns.  We provided free lawn care to many of the residents who could not afford to help, and thanks to the help of the Neighborhood Mini Grant program getting lawn-mowers and other lawn care equipment that was put to great use.

The youth programming expanded beyond our neighborhood borders.  We worked with families who were brought to us through the courts, having them work with their children on the Ambassadors of Kindness program.  It was beautiful to see the parents talking with their kids about forgiveness, courage and respect.  What a great way to connect in this era of cell phones and texting.  

We ran our Opening Week at the Art Garage as usual with hatching of our baby chicks, and had a closing week of activities as well during the Fall Break.  Both week long activities were filled with creative activities and connection of our local neighborhood kids.  

Maybe the most rewarding and challening was our work with the Dream Center.  We began running the Ambassadors of Kindness program in April and then continued into their summer program, where we added our Conceptual Math program.  Both programs were revealing and brought a deeper understanding of how we can meet the children of this generation.  Areas of growth, for sure.

I am excited for what is to come.  Wait for the next post to see our new mission statement for 2026.

]]><![CDATA[Don't Ask Permission to Share Your Gifts.]]>Thu, 24 Jul 2025 09:02:27 GMThttps://www.thecommunityhousenetwork.com/journal/dont-ask-permission-to-share-your-giftsI had a mentor tell me once, it is better to beg forgiveness than to ask permission.  I have a deep awareness that there is value in this statement.  Too many people will throw a wrench in the machine to tell you why something is impossible.  What if the Wright Brothers listened to all the naysayers.  There is nothing that blocks the success of a vision more effectively than a set of rules that are supposedly created to protect you.

I know very little about the structure of politics, and for the most part I have tried to steer clear of this bureaucratic nightmare.  I was reading some social science study on committees and effectiveness.  There was a direct negative correlation between the number of members of the committee and the efficiency with which they were able to make decisions.  That means the more people involved in the decision making the LESS effective they were.  In some cases, things never get decided.

I am not a control freak, despite what some may say.  My two top core values are freedom and brotherhood.  I believe deeply that each of us is created in the image of God, and has been given unique gifts to share with the world.  As each of us learns how to share our gifts, the world becomes a better place.  My goal, if any, is to help others discover and embrace their own gifts.  I can't tell you what they are, but I can help you discover them.  

The Community House was built based on this idea of Individual Idealism and Independence, and Invidivuality is a critical piece of this work.  Nonetheless, it seems I am being called to participate in local politics, and so today I have a meeting with Alex Carmona, District 2 City Councilman.  He reached out after my letter to the Mayor, which by the way was received with a rather glib response about how WhatsHisHead is working tirelessly to serve the community.  Funny story, Linda confronted one of the Grass Police with their ruler this past Monday while he was measureing a bit of tall grass that had grown up next to a pole.  The neighbor works two jobs and is not neglegent.  She came over to the Community House fuming.  She is a red-head!  Good timing because it was Monday, so I sent the Lawn Crew.  I didn't have to get permission from the Councilman, I didn't have to fill out any forms.  I was informed of a problem, and we addressed it.

Don't ask permission to do the right thing, just do it!  Hopefully getting involved with these bureaucrats won't come back to bite me in the butt.
]]><![CDATA[Citywide Clean-up]]>Sat, 12 Jul 2025 15:55:20 GMThttps://www.thecommunityhousenetwork.com/journal/citywide-clean-upNow that I am on the Neighborhood Association, I get information about events being hosted by the Department of Community Development.  So, I was more than happy to get our crew together and show up to support beautifing the neighborhood.  And guess who was the represntative at our site.  None other than "the-man-himself", Joe Dulin.  

What a bit of luck on my part, as I was able to talk to him.  There were only a handful of us there, and so it wasn't like I was stopping him from anything, but you could tell I made him very uncomfortable.  Well he should be.  He should be totally uncomfortable.  He receives a huge paycheck, and after our conversation, I am pretty sure he knows NOTHING about developing community.  He was dismissive, lied and made excuses, never once acknowledging or even considering what I had to offer regarding alternatives to the punitive measures in place.  

So I decided I should write an open letter.  I may even submit it to the Journal Star.  Who knows.  

​_____________________________________________________________________

Subject: An Open Letter to the Department of Community Development

To:  Joe Dulin

Re:  Community Development


I am writing this letter to share some of the ideas that I have generated through conversations and connections with community members in the Altamont neighborhood and surrounding areas.  First I will share what our community is currently doing.  Through the generous neighborhood mini-grant we have been able to purchase lawn equipment that are being used by our local teenage boys to help neighbors who for whatever reason may be unable to care for their lawn.  Some of them are able to pay, many of them are not.  Nonetheless, we are building goodwill and helping relieve some of the stress of our community members, while at the same time giving our at-risk teenage boys something constructive to do with their time.   We are extremely grateful to the Department for making this possible.

This letter is about what we feel the department itself can do to build positive connections with the members of our community.  Right now, there is a great deal of animosity within the neighborhood towards what is referred to as the “Grass Police”; those employees who go around and measure the grass with yardsticks, not acknowledging the individuals who may even be standing in the yard.  This aspect of the Department is the most notorious in our neighborhood and others.  A ticket from the Grass Police causes a great deal of distress, and serious financial hardship for our community members who are on a fixed income.  A 100$ ticket, even reduced to 50$ could mean the inability to make rent, or buy food for the month.  This truly is a social justice issue as poor neighbors are more severely burdened with these policies.  One of the first lawns we serviced was a neighbor who is an amputee.  She had a mower, but it broke, and she had no money to pay someone to help.  We have many examples of neighbors in similar situations.

Today at the Citywide Clean-up event,  I had the opportunity to meet Joe Dulin face to face. Although I have had several conversations with him by phone, face to face is usually more effective.  This was not the case today, however, as I shared with him the ideas of our community.  Rather, I was met with a complete dismissiveness, and a denial of the experience of both myself and my neighbors.

When I talked about our community members being afraid of getting tickets, he stated that according to his statistics, for the most part only landlords are getting tickets.  I have direct experience and knowledge contrary to this statement.  As I continued to share some of our ideas, I was repeatedly met with denial and dismissiveness.  I asked him to consider that the focus of the department could be shifted towards one of service rather than punishment, and this would build goodwill rather than the current fear that is associated with the department’s actions.

I am writing this letter in hope that someone will consider alternatives to the punitive measures in place.  It is clearly possible to do better, building connections with residents rather than simply ticketing them.  Joe Dulin said, there was no way they could just fine landlords and not homeowners, or tenants, which seems to demonstrate a complete lack of imagination and ability to understand what it means to create healthy community.  

Community requires connection, and relationship.  Those existing staff who measure grass, could get to know the residents.  Information about those who are high-risk, could be gained through conversations with other organizations.  There is plenty of information out there, for those who want to know.  Or even better, they could just go door to door and get to know people.  

My hope is that this letter will not be dismissed, but be seen as the call to evolve towards a greater service to Peoria communities in need. 

With great hope and in service.

Always,

Abigail Larrison, PhD. EdD.
President:  The Thrush Avenue Neighborhood Association  






]]><![CDATA[4th of July Fun.]]>Sun, 06 Jul 2025 19:05:46 GMThttps://www.thecommunityhousenetwork.com/journal/4th-of-july-funWe have always had some sort of gathering for the 4th of July.  Even before I started the Community House when we were just the original Art Garage, we had food, games and connection on the 4th.  The 4th is also special to be because it was when our family would have its reunion and it was always held at my parent's place in Chicago.

So it is an honor now to continue the tradition of connecting.  This year it feels especially important since for the kids to have continuity and to know that we are still here for them.  They arrived with friends this year.  It was double cheeseburgers for everyone, baked beans, spaghetti and watermelon from Ethel, and waterbaloons and tie dye for fun!

These moments, as small as they are, are big memories.  Small but sincere, that is the name of our game.

​Love Thy Neighbor.
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]]><![CDATA[Coming Together]]>Tue, 01 Jul 2025 09:42:18 GMThttps://www.thecommunityhousenetwork.com/journal/keeping-moving-in-the-midstWe have celebrated the 4th of July almost every year since the start of the Art Garage.  Even before the Community House was a thought in my mind, we had BBQ and sparklers with the kids on the 4th.  

Maybe it is because I am a patriot at heart, or maybe it is because we always had our own family reunion with Sue and Dad on the 4th, but I love this time to connect with friends and neighbors.  

School starts so early these days, and so this is a chance to have some fun before its back to the books.  We are linking it in with one of our four scheduled Neighborhood Association meetings.  I ordered signs for the Association, and asked a few folks to put them in their yard, and I created a page on this website for the Association to use.  

We also got shirts for the lawn crew, and so I will have the kids tie-dye them.  Perhaps this will inspire them to want to step up and help.  Fingers crossed.

I kindof like that the project has extended into something that could survive without having to run the full non-profit end of things.  This is a lot more than I could have anticipated.  I have had a crash course in learning everything I could need to know about these things, and yet, I still know so little.  

Nonetheless, I continue to walk by faith and allow the awareness of God's hand in my actions.  
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