Presently Present: Spokane Update 5

Once again, there has been a long delay, but plenty has happened during the past two months. Winter arrived (and is hopefully on its way out). We had another retreat in McCall, ID. I have a spent a lot of time working evenings. I have gotten to know patrons better.

Perhaps most shocking to me is the sense of calm I feel at work. That is not to say that I never get stressed. I have had to break up several fights, and I have had to intervene in arguments and other exchanges. However, I have a much stronger sense of confidence in what I am doing. I am reminded that presence is a powerful force of connection. As always I try to use a person's name as often as possible. They in turn use mine. Connection. I have found though that this can become draining. I put myself at the front of most things, and I attempt to do most tasks on my own. That mindset does not work when one is working with a population that is very needy. I have had to learn to step back and let others handle certain things.

I have had the joy of working with some amazing volunteers. While I am participating in JVC Northwest, these volunteers give of their own time. Many work other jobs, and come an evening or two a month. Others are looking for ways to give back, and they volunteer several hours a week during the days. Regardless of when they volunteer, the House of Charity could not function without their help. Several volunteers have been coming for years, and these volunteers offer plenty of wisdom. One for instance noted that JVs tend to bottom out during February and March simply from the stresses of work and everything else. He was quite correct. This has been a difficult time. The colder weather has brought a lot more people to the shelter, and budget cuts have caused a lot more people to fall through the cracks. As I mentioned above, I am learning that I cannot fix every problem, and I must step back occasionally and let others help out.

Community life has been good as well. We had a retreat in beautiful McCall, ID in February. I would not have imagined that Idaho would have such amazing scenery, but look at some of the pictures below! We have all become very busy during the winter season, and as a result we are unable to spend as much time together as we did initially. However, this makes the time we get to spend together, much more special. I greatly enjoy our community dinners, and even better when we get to go out and explore Spokane. Once it warms up, we will have plenty to do to keep us busy!

Enjoy the pictures! Peace, from the Pacific Northwest!