A Sample of Post-Graduation Life Part 1: New Adventures in Boston, MA
“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle.” –Philo of Alexandria
I am now in my fourth week of work in the Life Together program in Boston, MA., a program funded through the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts. It is designed around intentional community living, spirituality, and social justice work/community organizing. There are 23 fellows spread across the state. I am living with 7 other interns in a beautiful house in Brookline, MA. During the week, we balance our individual work at sites across the city (some of us work at churches, some at non-profits) with house community meals and worship, leadership and spiritual development, and (of course) a little Boston fun and exploration. I am working at Grace Episcopal Church in Medford, MA. It is a wonderfully diverse and dynamic congregation. I will be co-teaching a class for children on Wednesday evenings as part of a community meal and fellowship program, and will have opportunities to engage the congregation in environmental and economic justice projects. I am so excited.
I landed at Logan Airport on August 11 excited and immersed in anticipation of what was to come, but I couldn’t ignore the butterflies that were in my stomach. What if I don't get along with my housemates? What if I'm making a mistake? However, the butterflies were immediately stilled when I was met by Eileen, the woman who was to meet me at baggage claim and take me to my house. She is a supervisor for one of the work sites where Life Together interns serve. She and her husband gave me a wonderful New England welcome, complete with a homecoming gift featuring Cape Cod potato chips, marshmallow fluff (which was evidently invented in Massachusetts), and a Dunkin’ Donuts gift card. When we left the airport and passed the Charles River, Boston University, and the old English-style row houses, I began to get very excited. We arrived at 40 Prescott , my residence in Brookline, MA, and I was overcome with the feeling of possibility. I met my roommate, a very kind and hospitable young woman from Cleveland, Ohio. Over the weekend I spent time with my new housemates (there are 8 of us altogether), exchanging stories and goals for the future and for our year together. I got the chance to explore some of the local neighborhood and the greater Boston area, a place I am already very much in love with.
The following Monday morning signified the beginning of a two-week long training with all 23 fellows, including the other Brookline community, and communities in South Coast and Lawrence, MA. Training was far richer an experience than I expected. I pictured having lots of logistics thrown at me, and many people standing in front of me and discussing what Life Together was all about. There was some of this, but there was far more opportunity for spiritual reflection and meditation, small group discussion, and lots of discussion of our own stories, and how our personal life narratives are connected to the work we want to do in this year of social justice work, spirituality, and intentional community. I already feel deeply connected to my roommates, and I know that this year will be a great year of growth and spiritual depth in my life. Perhaps you’re picturing a group of young adults sitting in a circle and signing “Kum Ba Yah,” perfectly content and blissful in all circumstances. There is a lot of laughter and “good times,” yes. But this stuff is tough. Willingness to be vulnerable with a group of people from different ethnic, religious, social, political, and family backgrounds is difficult. It requires a great deal of prayer, of patience, and an acknowledgment that we are absolutely reliant on God’s work through us. But as Brother Curtis, a monk in the Society of St. John the Evangelist in Boston told us, “it’s the best.” One of our training days gave us the opportunity to hear about intentional living with Brother Curtis and another monk. They are incredibly kind and wise people, and had such welcoming spirits. The quote I listed above, from Philo of Alexandria, has been on my mind a great deal since coming here and starting my work at Grace Episcopal Church in Medford, MA. We are indeed all one, despite the societal boundaries that are placed between economic, social and racial classes in a dog-eat-dog culture (I have been especially mindful of this while reading "Nickel and Dimed" this week- if you haven't read it, you should). Brother Curtis shared his insight that if we knew the effort required for another to simply get out of bed each morning, we would bow at their feet. Bringing about social change in a broken world takes tremendous humility. I am discovering this each day that I get on the train to go to work, in the people I work with at Grace Church and in the everyday interactions I have with the people of Boston. My housemates have already been sources of inspiration, challenge and hope. I am so, so blessed to be a part of this community.
I hope this blog can be a means of expression for the people, projects, and experiences I undergo in this year of service.
I am now in my fourth week of work in the Life Together program in Boston, MA., a program funded through the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts. It is designed around intentional community living, spirituality, and social justice work/community organizing. There are 23 fellows spread across the state. I am living with 7 other interns in a beautiful house in Brookline, MA. During the week, we balance our individual work at sites across the city (some of us work at churches, some at non-profits) with house community meals and worship, leadership and spiritual development, and (of course) a little Boston fun and exploration. I am working at Grace Episcopal Church in Medford, MA. It is a wonderfully diverse and dynamic congregation. I will be co-teaching a class for children on Wednesday evenings as part of a community meal and fellowship program, and will have opportunities to engage the congregation in environmental and economic justice projects. I am so excited.
I landed at Logan Airport on August 11 excited and immersed in anticipation of what was to come, but I couldn’t ignore the butterflies that were in my stomach. What if I don't get along with my housemates? What if I'm making a mistake? However, the butterflies were immediately stilled when I was met by Eileen, the woman who was to meet me at baggage claim and take me to my house. She is a supervisor for one of the work sites where Life Together interns serve. She and her husband gave me a wonderful New England welcome, complete with a homecoming gift featuring Cape Cod potato chips, marshmallow fluff (which was evidently invented in Massachusetts), and a Dunkin’ Donuts gift card. When we left the airport and passed the Charles River, Boston University, and the old English-style row houses, I began to get very excited. We arrived at 40 Prescott , my residence in Brookline, MA, and I was overcome with the feeling of possibility. I met my roommate, a very kind and hospitable young woman from Cleveland, Ohio. Over the weekend I spent time with my new housemates (there are 8 of us altogether), exchanging stories and goals for the future and for our year together. I got the chance to explore some of the local neighborhood and the greater Boston area, a place I am already very much in love with.
The following Monday morning signified the beginning of a two-week long training with all 23 fellows, including the other Brookline community, and communities in South Coast and Lawrence, MA. Training was far richer an experience than I expected. I pictured having lots of logistics thrown at me, and many people standing in front of me and discussing what Life Together was all about. There was some of this, but there was far more opportunity for spiritual reflection and meditation, small group discussion, and lots of discussion of our own stories, and how our personal life narratives are connected to the work we want to do in this year of social justice work, spirituality, and intentional community. I already feel deeply connected to my roommates, and I know that this year will be a great year of growth and spiritual depth in my life. Perhaps you’re picturing a group of young adults sitting in a circle and signing “Kum Ba Yah,” perfectly content and blissful in all circumstances. There is a lot of laughter and “good times,” yes. But this stuff is tough. Willingness to be vulnerable with a group of people from different ethnic, religious, social, political, and family backgrounds is difficult. It requires a great deal of prayer, of patience, and an acknowledgment that we are absolutely reliant on God’s work through us. But as Brother Curtis, a monk in the Society of St. John the Evangelist in Boston told us, “it’s the best.” One of our training days gave us the opportunity to hear about intentional living with Brother Curtis and another monk. They are incredibly kind and wise people, and had such welcoming spirits. The quote I listed above, from Philo of Alexandria, has been on my mind a great deal since coming here and starting my work at Grace Episcopal Church in Medford, MA. We are indeed all one, despite the societal boundaries that are placed between economic, social and racial classes in a dog-eat-dog culture (I have been especially mindful of this while reading "Nickel and Dimed" this week- if you haven't read it, you should). Brother Curtis shared his insight that if we knew the effort required for another to simply get out of bed each morning, we would bow at their feet. Bringing about social change in a broken world takes tremendous humility. I am discovering this each day that I get on the train to go to work, in the people I work with at Grace Church and in the everyday interactions I have with the people of Boston. My housemates have already been sources of inspiration, challenge and hope. I am so, so blessed to be a part of this community.
I hope this blog can be a means of expression for the people, projects, and experiences I undergo in this year of service.
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