[RivCompanions] An email gone astray?

[Virginia Brown]

Dear Companions,

I spoke with Cathy a little while ago and learned that she attempted to
send out this email to the Professed list, and while some received it, some
apparently did not.  As she suggested, I'll try sending it again and we'll
see if it works.  Cathy raises some significant issues which I think have
been on several minds in various forms, so please do read it and join in
the conversation.

Love,
V

On Wed, Jun 25, 2014 at 8:13 AM, <susanna601 at aol.com> wrote:

> I voted YES - but I have some different questions that were not clear in
> my mind, and which I posed to Susie.
> Susie and I have discussed this. V and I have talked briefly as well.
>
> But Susie said that she did not receive this when I sent it to all the
> professed, so I have corrected the figures and am sending it again.
>
> Please, let's discuss this as unemotionally as possible - and on this
> list. This is NOT a concern that the novices and postulants need to be
> engaged in at this point...
>
> We now owe ourselves $80,000.....That nearly empties the "development
> fund" that Virginia set up for Rivendell when she received a large chunk of
> money from her Aunt's estate. That just means we have spent nearly all of
> the $100,000 she gave to the Community after her Aunt's death, and it means
> there is no more to be had - so we need to husband whatever resources we
> still have carefully.
>
> My concern was/is simply this: How do we repay ourselves without
> increased, steady income?
> Our monthly repayment is now not just the $365 Susie mentions, but with
> the other loans, the total repayment is close to $1,500/mo.
>
>  The financial aspect of this is essential to consider, since Virginia is
> also looking to move to Houston and her *retirement income will need to
> go with her* to finance a small apartment. She needs the quiet and
> privacy of her own space. She has already researched cost of living
> there. She and I talked briefly about this yesterday. Her income will NOT
> remain in Dunnegan when she moves.
>
> Once we take Virgina's income out of the equation, is there enough*
> regular* income from Susie's retirement, from retreats, from Companions,
> to pay this amount AND keep up the other expenses of the house? (We have,
> of course, lost also the Diocesan support for room/board and Virgina's
> leadership of George Herbert)
>
> There will be $15,000 left in the "development fund" and approximately
> $6,000 left in the savings account (Susie couldn't remember exactly how
> much, and I don't know) -       Is that enough reserve in case of emergency?
>
> I am still concerned about the long-term financial viability of Rivendell
> (the house) without a real plan for its long-term use and income. I know we
> have dreams and ideas, but that is not quite the same as a plan.
>
> Again, please, *I am not attacking Susie, who is my friend; I am not
> denying the need for a tractor. I am not "siding with" anyone or against
> anyone. *
>
> I am asking questions we need to be *able to discuss* without just saying
> to Susie, "whatever you want is fine" - because that puts a huge burden on
> her to make all the right choices when she is not sure what Virginia thinks
> or, for that matter, what God intends -
> OR to say to V, "whatever you say is fine" - which puts an identical
> burden on her to speak up when she is unsure, but reluctant to disagree
> -  and is herself unsure about God's purposes in all this - and when the
> two of them do not see quite eye-to-eye it leaves them both struggling to
> decide how to proceed -
>
> Everyone needs to engage in this conversation, because it affects all of
> us - The question of planning, actual, hard planning for our future in
> Dunnegan HAS TO HAPPEN, and preferably first among us.
> The consensus at Chapter was that we should keep the property and there is
> now a consensus that we should incur more "debt" or spend most of our
> remaining resources - whichever way you want to put it -
>
> But it is not fair to leave all the details about how this ACTUALLY works
> out to Susie and Virginia alone just because for the moment they are the
> only ones who live there and it is easier to dump the whole thing in their
> laps.
> And no, I do NOT have any answers, either. But that does not obviate the
> need we *all* have to have a serious conversation about this -
>
>
>
>
>
>
>  -----Original Message-----
> From: susanna601 <susanna601 at aol.com>
> To: RivCompanions <RivCompanions at justus.anglican.org>
> Sent: Tue, Jun 24, 2014 8:49 am
> Subject: Re: [RivCompanions] Vote needed
>
>   *I vote yes, but I do want to be clear about the internal loan status -*
> This is my understanding from what Susie wrote: When we buy the
> tractor, our debt (to ourselves) will be approximately
> $80,000.
> We will have approximately $15,000 left in the development fund which will
> only slowly
> recover.
> That leaves us no financial wiggle-room should something else come up.
> What I do* not* see is the *total *amount of the MONTHLY loan repayment,
> for all three loans.
> I'd like to be reassured that whatever it is, that the monthly total will
> not exceed what we can comfortably re-pay ourselves.
> Cathy
>
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