As we come to the end of 2024, I find myself thinking, “Wow! That was just last year? A lot has happened in just a year!”
You may or may not know that at this time last year L’Arche Tahoma Hope was living into a lot of uncertainty. We were in the process of closing down our beloved home Anawim, some of our core members had moved into other L’Arche houses, and some core members were awaiting new housemates. In addition to all of that, we were in the middle of a search for a new Community Leader. We even wondered who would manage the Farm and our Inclusion and Integration programs. To make our way through that uncertainty, we often had to remind ourselves of Rilke’s advice: “Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves.”
Maybe you have had times like this in your life too? I’m betting that you have. I’m also willing to bet that your connections to others have helped to sustain you through times of uncertainty.
In the years that I’ve been at L’Arche I have discovered that having connections–living in a community–involves genuinely listening to someone with an open and honest heart. Sometimes this looks like sharing dinner at the table with people you hardly know or sitting with someone after they just heard difficult news. Living in a community is writing a card or giving a small gesture to someone to let them know they’re not alone. It’s showing up to places like church, community night, or that one person’s birthday party. It’s taking someone to a music concert, making them a quilt, admiring their outfit, or signing I love you in ASL. Community happens when we each show up to mutual relationships with one another.
I hope you enjoy the glimpses of our shared community at L’Arche Tahoma Hope in this latest issue of eSoundings. You’ll find a portrait of Farmhouse, a home that LTH purchased decades ago. You’ll find information about a Tacoma city grant awarded to L’Arche Farm and Gardens–a place where we operate the only employment program in the greater L’Arche USA Community. You’ll also get the chance to view our Annual Report from 2023 with the names of many wonderful donors and supporters like you. You’ll see information about our upcoming 31st Annual Auction with its Mardi Gras theme. (I’m looking forward to seeing you there!)
Perhaps best of all, you’ll get to see the smiles of our core members at our Halloween and Thanksgiving celebrations. It is my sincere hope that you can share in our joy as we all continue to live into the questions together. You are an integral part of this person-centered and relationship-focused organization that meets people of all abilities exactly where they are. It isn’t always easy to live the words of our charter as we find “unity in diversity, strength in fragility and freedom in interdependence.” It isn’t always easy to create spaces where everyone belongs, but the rewards in those smiles are immeasurable.
And it sure helps to know that you are on this journey with us. Thank you so much for that.
