Emily and Derrick
How We Met
(Emily) I am an art teacher at Kimberton Waldorf School and have been blessed to live at Kimberton Hills since July 2018. The longer I have lived here, the more I have valued all that it has to offer, and the more I want to contribute to its vibrant future. Derrick arrived as a volunteer in November of 2020 after his position as the photo lab assistant at the Maryland Institute College of Art was discontinued due to Covid. He did not want to be confined to the computer and felt a pull toward working the land. Being a seeker of spiritual truths, he had heard of Camphill and the founder of Anthroposophy, Rudolf Steiner, through multiple avenues. One of my wishes in moving to Camphill was to study Anthroposophy with other people. Derrick and I independently joined the same book study and enjoyed grappling with these intriguing and important ideas. Because of our artistic backgrounds, we also had an instant understanding and became good friends. We had opportunities to work on artistic projects for the Village and for my school several times. After being friends for a couple of years, I invited him to join me at a concert at my school. As we enjoyed the students sharing their musical talents, I was overcome by the feeling of recognition that I had found my life partner. I later learned that he felt the same.
Our Engagement
Everyone asks me if I knew he was going to propose...as unexciting as it might sound, I did! We both felt so clear about this that we were very honest with each other and had all of the important conversations right up front. However, I did not know how he might do it. In May of this year, we attended a Camphill Youth conference in Scotland. I had ALWAYS wanted to go to Scotland and had yet to have an experience of traveling outside the country. It was incredible on so many levels! After a very inspiring conference, some new friends generously offered to take us sightseeing. Little did I know that there was some plotting and conspiring afoot. May 15th was a cold, cloudy, misty day (as usual in Scotland) and I was to see my first real castle, or I should say, the ruins of it, majestically overlooking the cold North Sea. It was once a stronghold and is famously known for being the place where the clever Scots bested the English when they were trying to abscond with the Scottish Crown Jewels. At the base of these massive cliffs, just as the sun rayed through the clouds, Derrick got down on one knee and asked me to spend the rest of my life with him. Delightfully, a couple nearby on the beach took notice and captured the moment for us in a photograph!
Our Wedding
To share our joy with the greater village, we had an engagement party in June. Everyone brought food and beautiful cakes and we were surprised by some hilarious games to test our compatibility. We are just in the beginning stages of planning our wedding, but one thing we know is our deep desire to celebrate here with our Camphill community. It will be full of folk dancing, live music, singing together, and fabulous food, perhaps potluck style. We both feel blessed to have so many friendships that have been a part of our unfolding story, and we look forward to celebrating together next Spring.
Emily Jones & Derrick Collin