Support, and what that means

Since August, in additional to serving full-time at a day shelter for women and children in Portland, OR, I've also been living in an "intentional community." What I mean by that is that I've been living with six other full-time volunteers, and we've all decided to live with each other for the year, sharing community expenses and committing ourselves to being more than just roommates. We are investing in each other's lives and experiences, are present to support each other and encourage each other, and most importantly to celebrate with each other and share each other's joys. In a society that is so focused on individualism, we've decided to focus on the strength that comes from community.

On Mother's Day, the agency where I serve, Rose Haven, held the First Annual Reigning Roses walk to raise money to continue serving vulnerable women and children in Portland. It was a very fun, very long day. I had been asked to see if I could gather some of my community members to volunteer at the walk, but I was nervous to ask. They all serve full-time at their agencies as well, and we all like to have weekends for self-care and adventures. However, I asked for their help and they pulled through. Four of my housemates came to volunteer for nearly six hours on their Sunday in order to support my and my agency. They got to meet so many of the people I work with and talk about every day, and thus were able to get a better understanding of what my day-to-day is like away from our home, which is a more intimate kind of knowledge than I'd realized before that day.

We were all tired after a long and early day, but I came back from the walk with a heart full of gratitude--a gratitude that came from feeling more strongly supported than I'd felt in a long time. It means a lot when family supports me, but there's something about having friends support me that really strikes my heart. They don't have to support me, but they do, and that feeling is incredible.

From left to right: Jared, Caroline, me, Katrina, Sean. Aren't we cute?

A Reflection on Simple Living

Since August, I've been living as a member of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps Northwest. A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to have dinner with some members of Jesuit Volunteer EnCorps, a volunteer program for those over 50. Here is a reflection I wrote about that dinner--I'd love to hear back about other people's experiences with living simply.