People come and people go don't they Jeff?

These were the profound words from Nancy Mertha, a core member from Red house to me today at their Christmas open house.  She was speaking about one of the support assistants Cathy.  Nancy said, "I am sad when Cathy is not here, but people come and people go don't they Jeff?"

The words made it straight to my heart and it had me realizing how true they were.  For the core members, part of their ministry is welcoming and letting go of new assistants.  There is joy and pain in both.  Many people come in and out of the lives of the community. There is a sense of trust in allowing oneself to be open to new people, to see our vulnerable side.  This works both ways for assistants and core members. There is also great risk from both sides in the annual migration of L'Arche Daybreak. A powerful moment is the time of saying goodbye.  There are many tears and blessings and hugs.  It is like the book of Ecclesiastes.  There is a time for living, a time for dying, a time for greeting and a time for letting go...(paraphrased).

I look back over my 12 years of ministry and ariving and leaving parishes.  There are people you meet and people you say goodbye to.  It is joyful and painful.  It is risk taking to allow yourself to open up to people.  But I believe that God brings people into our lives at certain times to help us to open up to a new experience.  I believe that new assistants move into the lives of core members when they need it most.  It is a time of growth and change for them.  It is also the same for assistants.  I look at my experience here thus far and see how blessed I am that God sent this wonderful community into my life at this time when I needed them most.

People come and people go...assistants already are saying things like "When I leave it is going to be so hard to do this. I love this community".  here is a sense of grief one has to go through when saying goodbye.  Some choose to make L'Arche their home, it becomes so much a part of them.

The photo above is of myself, Sven (middle) and Alexandre (right).  Sven comes from Germany and Alexandre from France.  Three of us have chosen to leave our comfort zones, our family, our friends to come to this community.  Each one of us can speak to the amazing experience thus far and of what there is yet to be lived.  We gather often as a group and in the larger group of assistants for meetings, coffees, days off, waves from vans outside the core member's work, at Dayspring.  There are friendships and common experiences lived.  There is much sharing and a sense of community being built. 

As we continue the Advent season, we meet up with familiar friends,  With Mary, John the Baptist, Joseph, Angels, the new born Messiah.  Each of these biblical people were part of the great story that this season brings us.  It is the story of how God sees it is the time to send a new friend to those who need it the most.

But yes people come and people go Nancy, and aren't we richer for having met them? Until next time!

Jeff