Shadowlake People

Donna Belay Eggleston, VA dbelay@i-plus.net

Submitted:   October 2001

I spent a gypsy childhood moving between Northern Virginia and Florida.  Graduated Radford College 1968 with a BS in Home Economics and married Ron Belay.   We have two children Bryan, 28, a biologist living in Alaska, and Matthew, 24, a landscape architect currently working in Nigeria.  I taught home economics locally for 8 years; spent ten years home with our children on an organic farm, remodeling the old farmhouse, and creating crafts for sale; worked in teacher evaluation for the state of Virginia for two years.  In 1985 bought a house to remodel for resale.  When it was sold I bought another.  People began to ask me to work for them.  I got a contractor license and Innovative Design and Construction was born.   I now work for Shelter Alternatives, a custom builder in Blacksburg, doing remodeling and warranty work.

Ron and I lovingly divorced in 1998 agreeing we had had a happy and successful 30-year marriage, but agreeing our very different goals for the second half of our lives were better served apart.  My loves are gardening, reading, dancing, spending time with friends.

Having moved so often in childhood, sometimes three times a year, I lacked community and a firm sense of home.  It was only after we lived on the farm that I learned to carry home inside of myself.  I have a strong interest in creating the sacred space "Home" in a soulful and sustainable way.  About six years ago I read the CoHousing book and recognized a viable plan for conscious community planning and living.  I visited a community and felt as if I were home.  I went to a national workshop "Building Sacred Places and Sustainable Communities".  I spent a lot of time considering, visualizing, and talking about this idea.  Then one night my son Matthew stood me up for dinner and as I perused the bulletin board at Gillie's, I saw the flyer "Cohousing Meeting 7:00 Blacksburg Library".  It was a quarter till...