Jess and Aaron organized an appreciation dinner for our new satellite community.
We went to their home, oo'ed and ah'ed over it, noticed how nicely it is coming together, felt the raw energy of joy and potential there, and ate together.
Nini asked for and received permission to lead us in an appreciation exercise. I was very moved to learn how deeply coming to live here with us has affected our friends. They've washedup on our shores after their home burned down, or with relationship problems that felt insurmountable, or with life lessons to learn or with holes in their souls, and they are leaving with far more strength and wholeness than they dared to hope for.
"My daughter is a changed person after living here. She's confident, happy and courageous. She goes up to people when we're at the park and starts talking to them. I know it's from living with you."
These people threw themselves into community in a powerful way: they hosted events and parties, they built things, they supported the other community members as they finished the nearly exceedingly rigorous effort to secure mortgages and they served on committees and initiated co-ops. They gave to us prodigiously. In giving, though, they clearly got much of what they needed. The take-away is that living in community supported each of them in some way that was unexpected, welcome, and transformative.
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