Presence and Bewilderment: in atlanta now, oh jeez

November 15, 2012

in atlanta now, oh jeez

So, I haven't posted since I was in Jacksonville. My last post was in my moment of digging in for what felt like "the long haul" of 1-2 more months there in Jacksonville. I was ready to get on to the "real" next step - why must I sit here and deal with daily life some place else, when I'm really just preparing for life in the next place? As the words "stay with me, remain here with me, watch and pray" soaked into me, I realized that, ah, yes - this was the whole point of being called to L'Arche - to be present with people, to watch and pray.

And of course, even as I felt the angst of having to "sit still" for a couple of months - they turned out to not be so still. I went away for a week of Exploratory Retreat, I preached at Community Night (on dirt!), I accompanied Ann at the Harbor House Community Retreat, I helped with the hiring and admission process for L'Arche Atlanta, I went on vacation with Greatfull House to Atlanta, I started taking RSVPs for a small piece of the very big L'Arche International General Assembly, I made plans for my trip to Nashville to get commissioned as a United Methodist Deacon and chat with folks in Nashville about my L'Arche experience thus far.

Um, what happened to "stay with me, remain here with me"? Well, I feel like I did live into that call - I found peace in that phrase to sustain me in my remaining time in Jacksonville. And even in the midst of those Harbor House and non-Harbor House activities in my last month or 2, I think I was able to remain fairly "present" to those around me. My time there was immensely formational. I love the core members and the assistants there. I've since been in touch with folks, and gotten to see a few who've come up to Atlanta for the International Assembly and other trips. I will love L'Arche Harbor House forever, it will hold a very fond place in my heart.

And now, I've been in Atlanta for 5 months. It feels like it's been a very long time, but sounds like so few months. A lot has happened - namely, we've started a L'Arche community. I'll leave it at that for now, but I'm hoping this post will re-hook me into somewhat regular posting. Now - onto a daily check-in with Tim, some communication and documentation work, and then on to picking up core members in the afternoon.

Peace upon peace upon peace.
Jessica

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About Jessica

From Texas, via Arkansas, Chile, and DC, I completed a Master of Divinity program at Vanderbilt Divinity School in 2010. I am now a provisional Deacon in the United Methodist Church in the Tennessee Conference.

After a year and a half of work as a Live-in Companion with 2 men with intellectual disabilities through a secular agency in Nashville, sharing life and being formed by L'Arche communities in Jacksonville, FL and Mobile, AL, I am now sharing life as House Coordinator in our newly founded L'Arche Atlanta.

What are intellectual and developmental disabilities?

Intellectual disability: formerly known as mental retardation, is characterized by impaired intellectual functioning and limited adaptive behavior.

Developmental disability: a condition that is significant and ongoing, begins before age 22, and substantially limits functioning in daily activities of living (may or may not include intellectual functioning). Some physical disabilities would fit in this category. So does autism (primarily social adaptive), though it can be accompanied by intellectual disability.

Examples of developmental disabilities include autism, brain injury, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, fetal alcohol syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome, spina bifida, and Williams syndrome.