Letter to the Editor: Desert Sage Sells

To the extended Crestone community: Residents of spiritual centers, householders, visitors, & friends,

A short 19 years ago, my wife Ling, our partner Charles, and I assumed ownership of the Desert Sage Restaurant.  Essentially yearly visitors to our spiritual center (and by extension to the Sage), we learned at the conclusion of a particularly powerful retreat that the restaurant was for sale.  At that moment involvement in this central piece of Crestone held an irresistible appeal, and almost without thought we jumped, moving to Crestone with our two boys, while Charles remained in southern California.

Open, warm, and welcoming, the Crestone community is also a protective one; the subtleties of its social/spiritual/energetic fabric can be fragile and vulnerable.  The powerful land and vast sky are held in balance in the hearts of Crestone residents.  As newcomers, we were scrutinized, but gradually we became part of the Crestone community. 

Now we are passing the baton to new owners, individuals who share the values of community life and will bring fresh motivation to enrich and extend the activities of the Desert Sage.  We all can look forward to new growth of the best Crestone has to offer to each other and the greater community.  

We offer profound thanks to the host of employees whose openness and warmth connected to each diner and added immeasurably to the atmosphere we strove always to maintain over the past 19 years.  In particular, we gratefully acknowledge the 16 years of loyal service from one who is now our dear friend, Donna Gohr, whom so many of you also know and love.   

Our work at the Desert Sage opened us and our two sons, Jigmei and Jamyoung, to unexpected love, warmth, support, and friendship from the Crestone population.  Equally important, the extraordinarily diverse activities of our new friends and acquaintances taught us so much, and our boys thrived in this stimulating atmosphere.  Our hope is that the doors have swung both ways, and that we ourselves have contributed to individual lives and to greater Crestone through the sincere intentions that have inspired our daily work.  

With full hearts of affection and gratitude for all,

Tshering Dorji

Ling Wang

Charles Samuelson