“Dad, I am moving into a convent.” These were the words that exited my mouth as I looked up from my phone back home in Denver in the summer of 2022. While I had known that I would be moving up to Tacoma in the fall, this was the first time I actually had a specific location. It happened to also partially fulfill my dad’s long-standing desire that I save him some stress (and hair) by entering into Catholic religious life. 

I had just graduated from university and three months prior realized my passions were leading me in a different direction than the one I had been planning on. Suddenly it was September, and I was joining a number of core members (adults with intellectual disabilities) in their home at L’Arche Anawim. 

Since then, I have been subjected to a beautiful crisis of identity as I have begun to face the inadequacies I used to be so good at running from. To put it simply, I can’t seem to hide from myself here. 

My days can sometimes feel repetitive, and the answers to my questions don’t come quickly. And yet, there may lie an answer. I was reminded just the other night that I did not come here to find out where I am to go next. I simply came here to be with the people, the laughs, the tears, and all the other trouble we find ourselves in. 

For the first time in my life, I have no plans for how the next few years are to go. I do not have target test scores or grades. I just have myself and a whole lot of time to test out the water in my well. And while this is freeing in many ways, it can feel like a failure through the lens of a society that demands we have and achieve goals. 

Of course, this gray area is where L’Arche operates best. In this area we all try to be and accept one another for being our true selves. We continue to grow and develop in our own ways despite the mistakes we will inevitably make. And most importantly, we recognize that the only place we can truly be is in the present, together. 

For you who read this newsletter, thank you all for your ongoing support for L’Arche. For your love, your curiosity in the happenings of our community, for your conversation and prayers, and for the role each of you play in our journey!