22 O J AI M A G A Z I N E | WINTER ‘23‘23
EDITOR’S NOTE: WINTER 2023 You live on through the love you left behind, in the eyes of those who speak of you at the distant whaling outposts. — from “Jonah” by Robert Peake
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ou can learn a lot about Ojai by the way we live, but there are also lessons to be learned from the way we say goodbye. Perhaps I’m leaning into my Maude years (Harold and Maude, 1971) more than I should, but there is nothing like a good memorial to give one an appreciation for others, and a fresh grasp on what we are living for. Maude asked the big questions, and being in the questions business myself (Ojai Valley News, Ventura County Sun), I’m a huge Maude fan.
MAGAZINE
E DITO R/P UBL ISHER Laura Rearwin Ward A S S IS TA NT EDITOR Karen Lindell A RT DIREC TOR Paul Stanton WRITERS Karen Lindell Perry Van Houten Mimi Walker Barbara Burke Dave LaBelle John Fonteyn Peter Deneen
Gusts of our own mortality can bring our lives into focus, (memento mori). With our daily constructs torn down by loss, we are forced to listen, to slow down, and we are given the chance to reset. In the fall, our community came together en masse a few days after the sudden loss of a very young man we all knew. We came together in the same space, in the midst of our confusion and grief, to cry in community. It was an affirming event because we drew support standing by our neighbors and feeling the interconnectedness of the Ojai Valley. Together we ached for and celebrated our memories of the young, talented, and sunny friend Benny Schurmer. Whenever we come together to celebrate life — the one we’re having or the one we’re missing — we can go forward, knowing we do so together in our small town. Those we knew remain in our communal hearts. The stories in this Winter’s issue share the urgency of a need to say what needs to be said before it’s too late. These stories are clearing the air, commemorating rites, and holding up the fleeting moments of life for close consideration. A few illustrations of this theme are found in our cover story about well-known mother-daughter duo Diane Ladd and Laura Dern (pg. 28); in Man of Sorrows (pg. 56) — a father’s story of loss; and in a rite of passage: A Crown Wedding (pg. 66). Demystifying the Hurriquake (pg. 76) puts the now in context of geologic/seismic time. Dharma Farming (pg. 86) explores the deeper meaning of growing crops and the thoughtful work of food production. We offer a collection of stories to give you pause — to interrupt your thoughts — to honor our loved ones, our rites of passage, our happenstances, and to celebrate life.
Laura Rearwin Ward
P RO DUCTIO N SUPPORT Tori Behar, Mimi Walker Georgia Schreiner A DVERTISING Linda Snider, director of sales Ally Mills, account executive CONTAC T magazine@ojaivalleynews.com ojaivalleynews.com/magazine 206 N. Signal St. Ste. G Ojai, California 93023 @ojaimag
Cover photo: Victoria Stevens
With affection,
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