Years go by and you typically don't even bat an eye at the events that pass. Today that is not the case. This year has been one of trials and tribulations that have transformed me in such a way that I am finding it hard to convey the gravity of it all. As most of you know I have been serving a year as an Augustinian Volunteer in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Going into this year I knew of the area only to the extent that it is an economically challenged city with an extensive cultural history. Now I just know it as home. A place that where a piece of me will remain forever.
I have formed a great number of friendships and alliances with my students and I am blessed to have been able to see them grow and learn each day. Though I have been a teacher to them, the education I have received throughout this year is irreplaceable. I look at these innocent young men and I see that they come to school with an open mind and great love for the lives they have been given. No matter what situations have been placed at their table they embrace it as if there isn't a worry in the world. There are only a few weeks left in the duration of my commitment and though I feel as though I am abandoning them I know that my service will continue in another place with another individual who needs a little guidance.
A year living in community with three other AVs who I am proud to call my family has been an incredibly easy task. Every morning it feels as if I have been here for years. Working, cooking, going on mini vacations, and praying with these great people seems only second nature now. We have had the pleasure of breaking bread with the local Augustinian Friars each week. They have extended such hospitality and included us in their lives so simply it's not a simple task to express my gratitude to each one of them.
Shortly down the road I will be back in my city, living the life I have wanted for so long and not moving on, but implementing all the lessons I have learned this year in whatever calling I find next. Thank you to everyone who has made this year special either by your words, actions, or support.
