Happy October!

It's been too long!

How are you, friends? First of all, I apologize for my slacking as of late. Somehow, I have become incredibly busy. The last couple of weeks have been full of hectic workdays, delicious dinners, and many beautiful moments. I’ll try to walk you through the highlights without getting too wordy. Actually, that’s not very likely. There’s lots to report! Mainly weekend events. So, here we go:

My window makes me smile. 

I should back up a bit, to the weekend before this past one. I mentioned that I did Race for the Cure with people from my office, and I want to say thank you one more time to those of you who donated toward the cause. I was surprised at how emotional I got at the event. There were a lot of survivors there, wearing pink and crossing the finish line in a special lane, smiling proudly. There were also plenty of people walking or running in memory or in honor of someone who has battled breast cancer. This Race for the Cure is the largest on the West Coast, and there were TONS of people; it is truly incredible how many of us have been affected by cancer in some way. I teared up a number of times when I saw people’s t-shirts and banners, many of which bore photos of loved ones who lost their lives to this disease. The event was, for me, a mix of sadness and nostalgia but also an inspiring display of strength and community. I enjoyed walking it with the people from my office and chatting a bit with them, though I’m used to running these sorts of things so it felt a bit strange to take so much longer to complete the course. It did allow for more people-watching, though, and I think the best sight of all was a poodle…dyed pink! I definitely admired the spirit of some of the participants.

After Race for the Cure, which was on Sunday the 19^th, I hung around Portland for quite awhile. I met up with Lizzie for a bit, and we had an amazing chat together and treated ourselves to our first lunch “out” ($6 sandwiches). I savored every bite! We also walked around Powell’s, my “mother ship” (Lindsay P’s phrase) and very much enjoyed the opportunity to burn three hours there. I chatted with Molls, and by the time I met up with a few of my housemates for the 7pm Contemplative Mass at St. Ignatius, I was both exhausted and full of gratitude for the great, full day. The Mass itself was pretty cool—standard Catholic Liturgy, but without some of the extra frills. The lack of a procession made for a more meditative setting, and I liked the stripped-down celebration as it allowed me to just get in a reflective zone for an hour or so. I think some of the pomp and circumstance of Mass is sometimes intimidating to people, and I know that at least one of my housemates who was there with me found this Mass much more accessible. We’ll be back, I’m sure, and we have dinner plans with the Jesuits who live down the street! Also, my Spiritual Director, Joyce, who is amazing, lives in the same vicinity.

See, I find this creepy.

Fast forward through the work week (it was fine). The following weekend was Gresham’s Teddy Bear parade (freaky, actually—teddy bears on the front grills of giant trucks isn’t so much “cute” as it is frightening) as well as Polish Fest, which was free. I made appearances at both and found them each mildly entertaining. Jenna and I also made a visit to Morris House, where we were fed a yummy dinner (such hospitality!) and got a chance to take a tour and chat with some of the people from that community. We’re still all getting to know each other, but I like interacting with the people from the other area communities, so that was a nice way to spend the evening. 

Awesome women in the rain at One Spirit One Call.

On Sunday the 26^th, Lindsay and I attended an event called One Spirit, One Call, which I told some of you about. Basically, an 81-year-old woman in Ireland was infuriated and outraged by a recent Vatican revision to some documents, which put the ordination of women in the same sort of category (severity of sin-speaking) as pedophilia. This seems fairly apparently absurd and inappropriate to me, and there are many area women who feel the same way. The Catholic Church has always been extremely uncomfortable with the idea of women as priests, although there’s no good reason why they shouldn’t be able to serve their parishes in this capacity. Although women are able to teach CCD and RCIA classes, coordinate parish picnics and Liturgical celebrations, and lead retreats, they are not allowed to celebrate the Sacraments—a phenomenon and a double-standard known by some, cleverly, as the “stained glass ceiling.” 

So anyway, this “prayerful public witness” (think Mass-ish meets protest-ish) was a response to this outrageous gesture of discrimination and oppression, and it was organized by women from the Northwest, specifically Portland. It consisted of singing, proclamation of the Word, women sharing their stories, interpretative dance (lost on me), and some community sharing as well. All in all, it was a neat event and I was happy to be part of it, though I’d be even happier if some real change were produced as a result. I think we have a ways to go in that uphill battle, but it’s always nice to know that others feel or think the same way. 

  

We returned home in time for dinner at Jim and Mary Ann’s (two of our support people), which was absolutely wonderful! I won’t say much more except that we consider ourselves absolutely spoiled by our amazing support people and we are so grateful for all of the hospitality, delicious food, and great local knowledge they possess. I will say that I tried mincemeat pie for the first time (not my favorite!) and that there was wine. And brie. And I was happy.

Lindsay and I enjoying a drink at Coffee Time.

We recognize that we are being blessed abundantly this year, and I think that one of the greatest graces of this year thus far has been the opportunity to witness generosity as I’ve never quite experienced it before. It’s strange to be on the receiving end of so much giving and not be able to give back in a material sort of way. I think this is an important lesson, though, and a two-pronged one: first, it’s important to be generous, but it’s also important to know how to receive generosity; in graciously accepting things that are truly unearned and seriously unnecessary, I am able to let someone else shine and I am humbled by the love of near-strangers even though they know they won’t be repaid. After all, we shouldn’t give love only when we know we’ll be repaid. I think the second lesson here is that I have to be creative in my “giving.” This year, I can’t treat someone to dinner or coffee even though they treated me to something previously. I can’t buy expensive birthday or Christmas presents (sorry!). Instead, I have to think of ways to show the people in my life that I love them—creative ways that don’t cost a lot of money or rely on materialistic gestures. This calls for a re-examination of what it means to express love, and it draws me into a greater appreciation for the people who continually show me support and care although they know that I could never reciprocate that in exactly the same way. It’s not always about keeping tabs—this year, it can’t be!

Hard to read by candlelight!

In a spirit of abundance, my community tried something new last Tuesday: an energy fast. For one day, we used nothing (except our refrigerator) that needed electricity. I got ready in the morning by candlelight (NOT easy), ate in the dark, skipped my shower (the other option was a cold one), and went to bed incredibly early after realizing that I couldn’t read very well without the light on. I think this was a particularly useful experience for me because this is the reality that many of my clients face. As our busy energy assistance season gets going—and it has!—it’s important for me to be somewhat sensitized to the situation my clients are in. Granted, I could only get so close to their experience because ours was artificial and we couldn’t re-create the legitimate stress that they endure, not knowing if and when their heat or their lights will be turned back on. Still, this was definitely one way to get in touch with the role of technology and electricity in my life and to notice the ways that I can detach a bit from that on a more regular basis. 

Fasting, in general, always seems to do this; in “depriving” us of something, it also creates a space where that thing was. So, if we fast from swearing or offensive language, we have an opportunity to fill that space with thoughtful silence or affirming words. If we fast from junk food, we can fill that space instead with something healthy and nourishing. Similarly, if I fast from electricity and technology to a certain extent, I create a space for conversations and Bananagrams by candlelight with my community! This seems to be the whole point of simple living in general—and the reason that it shouldn’t be viewed as something that is merely depriving us. I’ve found myself being much more creative, much more relaxed, and much more reflective because I’m not filling every second with busyness. By emptying my world of certain things—TV, extensive involvement in consumerist culture, listening to music every time I’m in my room, and so on—I find new spaces for spontaneous conversations in the kitchen, long dinners, craft projects, exciting free events I might have otherwise overlooked, a deeper appreciation for simple things, and a greater valuing of people and relationships rather than material things. So, simple living is about “depriving” myself in a certain way; actually living on an $80 personal stipend is certainly part of the point. But an even bigger lesson for me is ideological, too: this realization that simple living can also GIVE me a whole lot.

Pretty amazing. The guy to the left was getting DOWN.

Speaking of free things: last week Thursday, I found myself experiencing pure bliss at ColdStone’s event, “the biggest ice cream social in the world,” where I got a FREE bowl of ice cream. DELICIOUS. Also, after that amazing experience, my housemates and I went to an event called Last Thursday, held every month on Alberta St., a trendy district I can only sort of compare with Madison or the east side of Milwaukee. But there were things that I would never have seen in either of those places because this was a genuine street fair, complete with “organic cotton candy,” flamethrowers, drag queens, and all sorts of other sensory overload. It was pretty interesting, to say the least. I got a beer for $1 and passed up all of the other hipster purchases that I probably could make myself if I really felt inspired. The best part, for me, was the people-watching… and the price tag (free!). This was Portland at its quintessential best.

The ladies of GSham with Karen at her house after dinner.

On Friday, one of my co-workers had us for dinner. Her name is Karen and, because the world is small, we recently figured out that her best friend (who lives in New Zealand) is my housemate Colleen’s aunt! Karen is 58, retired, a Chicago native but a very wise resource in terms of all things Portland, and an extremely active and culturally aware lady. She comes into EPH two afternoons each week to practice her Spanish and help us out, and it’s GREATLY appreciated because, these days, I simply can’t get anything done. I have a list a mile long of people I need to call and I just don’t get through it because the people walking in the door take precedence over that To Do list. When Karen’s there to help with making résumés or doing notarizations or energy assistance applications, I can actually get things done. She’s great, and it was so sweet of her to have us for dinner. Her two sons are grown and she really enjoyed having us all at her house; my housemates enjoyed her grilled shrimp and loved meeting her, and I was happy to share her! We’ve been so blessed with delicious dinners from people who are amazingly supportive of us and the work we do. We’re not an easy presence; in fact, we’re a bit overwhelming when you get us all together. What’s more, the Rooster (Daniel) couldn’t come to Karen’s, so we were one chatty bunch of women that evening. Her husband Dave handled it in stride (these men are amazing!).

I love Mt. Hood. What a beautiful day!!

My weekend continued to be absolutely wonderful despite the fact that I had no plans. On Saturday, I went on a hike with Daniel, Jenna, Colleen, and Lindsay. We went to the other side of Mt. Hood (and found sunshine!) and did a hike of 8 miles or so (not sure, actually) called Elk Meadows. After an uphill path led us through eight switchbacks, over some narrow dirt trails, and past beautiful mossy trees, we found ourselves gazing at a lovely meadow. The fall colors are just starting to peak out, so the landscape was sprinkled with spots of bright crimson, and it was a perfect clear, warm day. We were treated to the best view of Mt. Hood that I’ve seen yet (see picture), and we had such a good time. I was so grateful for my community that day because not all communities are up for spontaneous hikes. Part of the reason I wanted to be in the Northwest was because I envisioned this part of the country as a big breath of fresh air, and that’s exactly what Saturday was. We returned home for a lasagna dinner and a relaxing movie. Perfect.

Daredevil!

Finally: Sunday! I went to Mass with Lindsay at Downtown Chapel, a parish right in the middle of Portland that consists mostly of homeless or low-income people, many of whom struggle with addictions and other issues. They are a support and strength network for one another and the homily was definitely geared toward them but relevant for all of us, focusing mostly on persevering in hard times by depending on God and asking for even a small dose of faith. It was a really special experience and I hope to be back. We got lucky, actually, because it was their annual picnic day and so Lindsay and I, after a brief stop in Powell’s (I can’t NOT go), went to the picnic and feasted on some amazing food. We also saw Lizzie and other Mac House people there, so it worked out really well! I had a concert to get to (I’ll explain that soon), so I then took the bus to the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall and enjoyed a beautiful show with the Oregon Symphony Orchestra and Hilary Hahn, a violin phenom I’ve seen once before (totally a fluke) with Josh Ritter. She is incredible and it was absolutely amazing to see her playing with the OSO because they put on a really great concert every time. 

As for how I found myself here: Fr. Don, a priest we met at our dinner with Jim and MaryAnn, had a ticket and was planning to go until he got sick. He and Linds, my housemate who has played violin for years and has been adoring Hilary Hahn for as long, had discussed the fact that they were both going to this concert. When Fr. Don got sick before the show, he called to see if Linds had purchased her ticket (she had already done so) or if anyone else in the house could use his since he wouldn’t be able to make it. I gladly stepped in, having no Sunday afternoon plans and knowing full well that Miss Hahn is spectacular. I found myself next to three strangers (Fr. Don’s friends), who were welcoming and sweet. I loved the show and the chance to sit and enjoy some beautiful music for an afternoon. How lucky am I?! Moreover, how generous are people?! No one should feel badly for us—we are incredibly taken care of here!

The "Schnitz." It's gorgeous inside! So is Hilary Hahn!

In general, less exciting news, I should tell you that the gym membership situation is up and running and we’re in a routine. I go in the mornings with Linds and Lindsay and am currently introducing both of them to weight training, which they’re really grateful for. I love my morning workouts, although it’s getting harder and harder to get up because it’s so much darker in the morning than it was at the same time just a month ago. Also, youth ministry is promising to be exciting. We had our opening night last Wednesday and celebrated Mass together. We didn’t break up into our small groups so I didn’t get time with my eighth-graders, but I did meet several of them (they seem wonderful). I kept flashing back to my youth ministry experience at St. Raphael’s and remembering all of the people who are still so important in my life. I realize that most of the kids I work with this year won’t remember what I teach them, just as I don’t remember too many specific Life Nights, but they will remember me if I am a relatable mentor for them. That’s an exciting opportunity. Lastly, I have been reading a ton of poetry this month and it’s really  making me happy. More importantly, I’m writing again after quite a dry spell, so that’s cool too. (If you want to see poems, let me know.) So, all is well. Community is good and I consider myself blessed to be a part of our household. We’re still getting to know each other, but I think we’re doing quite well.

I love you all. Thank you for reading all of this!!

Shout-outs:

Grandpa: you amaze me.

Mom: thank you for the dental supplies, on behalf of all of GSham.

Bee: happy ALMOST birthday!!!

Midnight Run: I thought of you on Miles for Meals day. I miss you all.

Catí: it was beautiful to talk to you tonight. You inspire me. Te quiero mucho, amiga.

Have a fabulous week!

Amanda

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