Embracing the Unfinished Work Each Day
A letter from Lisanne Finston, executive director of Gould Farm, originally published in our Spring 2025 print newsletter.
Dear Friends,
Uncertainty seems to define our times. Political shifts, social upheaval, economic and international strains—these moments of instability can make us feel unmoored. Yet, uncertainty is not new. It was present in the early 1900s, when Will and Agnes Gould founded Gould Farm, and it was present in the days following Will’s death a century ago in 1925 when Agnes was left to carry forward their shared vision.
History gives us not just perspective but also tools for navigating the unknown. As we turn to the stories of Gould Farm’s past, we can find wisdom in the resilience of those who walked this path before us.
Agnes Gould: Bearing Grief, Carrying Vision
When Will Gould passed away in 1925, the Farm was still a fledgling enterprise. The loss of its founder could have spelled the Farm’s end, but Agnes refused to let that happen. She kept to her room for two days, then emerged to lead the singing at Will’s memorial service. As one witness recalled, “She emanated publicly and privately a largeness of spirit, a warm, generous idealism expressed with confidence, clarity, taste, and self-deprecating humor” (McKee, A Life of Sharing).
Agnes’ approach to grief and leadership in uncertain times was not about having all the answers. It was about steadfastness in purpose. She chose presence over retreat, showing up each day to maintain what had been built, despite not knowing exactly how the future would unfold. She believed in the power of community, not as a vague ideal but as a tangible way of sustaining both individuals and a collective mission.
What To Do in Times of Trouble
Uncertainty at Gould Farm was met with action—not grand, sweeping changes, but daily, purposeful work. Agnes and those around her maintained routines, focused on hospitality, and continued the Farm’s commitment to labor as healing. They practiced faith—not necessarily in a religious sense for all, but faith in the process, in small steps leading somewhere meaningful.
They also sought support. Agnes was not alone in her grief; her sister Caroline Goodyear, along with others, became part of the leadership that carried Gould Farm forward. They turned to friends and advisors for guidance, understanding that resilience is not about solitary strength but about interconnected support.
They embraced patience. Not every challenge had an immediate solution, but they did not let that paralyze them. They understood, as Agnes wrote, that “Life will become a pleasure instead of a pain, and earth will become like heaven, when we simply do the work before us, love those around us, and trust” (McKee, A Life of Sharing).
The Parallel of Personal Recovery
Every guest who arrives at Gould Farm is living in uncertainty. There is no clear roadmap for healing, no guarantee of a smooth path. But like Agnes in the wake of Will’s passing, they choose to take a step. They show up, even in fear and doubt.
There is a deep courage in taking the first step toward healing, just as there is in leading a mission through uncertainty. When a guest milks a cow for the first time, bakes bread in the kitchen, or takes a walk in the woods after a hard day, they are practicing the same quiet resilience that has carried Gould Farm through a century of change. “Gould Farm may not meet any single definition or conform to any model, but as one of its leaders has stated: 'Perhaps it would seem that Gould Farm will continue to wander in an ill-defined spiritual wilderness, but I think we will end up participating in the definition, in defining rather than in being defined’” (McKee, A Life of Sharing). Healing, like history, unfolds slowly over time.
Let the Work Unfold
In 2025, we find ourselves in another time of transition, with questions unanswered, challenges to face, and work to do. But perhaps, like those before us, we don’t need every answer to move forward. We need only the willingness to begin, to take small steps together, and the patience to let the work unfold.
Agnes Gould did not know in 1925 how the Farm would evolve over the next century. She only knew she would continue. And so, today, we can take heart as we do the same.
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