Home Sweet Home

Disclaimer: Mom don't take the title too personally. Your house will always be home, but you always told me that home is what you make it ;-)

NYC from the window of the plane

Tuesday August 25, 2009 myself and my three community members (Charlie, Erika, and Alex) all boarded Flight 3159 from Philadelphia to Manchester, NH we were all chomping at the bit to see our new home. We had all heard that it was a nice house, but due to the fact that we are living a very minimalistic life we were unsure of HOW far our expectations should span.

We arrived in Manchester around 2:00 and were greeted with smiles by Fr. Joe and Mike. They dropped us off at our house and the rat race began. We all were running around the house inspecting each nook and cranny to see what the previous volunteers had left us and to jockey for position on each room. The house was SO much more than we had realized. It's a comfortable 5 bedroom home with a partially finished basement, washer/dryer (clutch), and a balcony off of the back bedroom.

The first night we spent with the Augustinians in North Andover who welcomed us with open arms and gave us a great introduction to the area as well as a meal fit for a king. Since that night we have been slowly becoming adjusted to our new surroundings, cooking as a community (sink meat tacos/sausage and pasta), and have each had the opportunity to meet our supervisors/co-workers and seen our new places of work.

Lawrence is still a mystery to us because we have not yet had the opportunity to explore it to the fullest, but we have made some friends with the neighboring youth as well as watched a few great soccer matches across the way from our stoop. It appears to have been a thriving metropolis in its hay day but has since become downtrodden yet still holds a certain zeal.

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both. And be one traveler, long I stood. And looked down one as far as I could. To where it bent in the undergrowth; Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there. Had worn them really about the same, And both that morning equally lay. In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back. I shall be telling this with a sigh. Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-I took the one less traveled by,And that has made all the difference. ~Robert Frost (Born in Lawrence, MA)