With Gratitude

Just this past weekend, four of the Humility of Mary sisters hosted the Immokalee and Miami volunteers for a weekend of reflection, relaxation, and community in Fort Pierce. There was kayaking, barbequing, many good treats, swimming, and quite a bit of laughter throughout. But the most momentous event of the weekend, for me, was when these four sisters led a luminaria service celebrating the continual gifts and special moments that we, both sisters and volunteers, recognize and receive.

Here in Immokalee, the volunteers receive many gifts. We are automatically welcomed into the community by former volunteers, by supervisors at our host sites, and by those with whom we live and work. We have the opportunity to choose our work sites, to have the support of a wonderful program director (who visited here in Immokalee last week), and to have the guidance of a community of women who have dedicated their lives to service and who have a way of gently encouraging us to be the best that we can be. We have HM sisters praying for us back home and HM sisters down here in Florida who care about us so much that they go to great pains to ensure that all six of us have the opportunity to come together for the special experience of kayaking right next to a family of wild manatees (a special moment that I will never forget).

We here in Immokalee are also gifted with the people that we work with every day. I suppose, since I have not done so before, that here is a good opportunity to quickly state my work placements and perhaps a few of the gifts that the people at those places have already given me. Firstly, I work at an alternative school for middle and high school girls four mornings a week. This school is designed to provide both holistic, gender-specific services and an academic education for those young women in Immokalee who are at risk of dropping out of school, substance abuse, juvenile delinquency, etc. Many of the young women here have shown me what real strength can be. Secondly, I work one morning a week as a case worker for individuals who come to Guadalupe Social Services for food or rent assistance. This is very much direct service with the community. And, thirdly, each day, from 2:30pm to 5:00pm, I work with nineteen first graders through the Guadalupe Afterschool Program. These children have taught me and continue to teach me so many things (patience, the need to imagine, etc), and it really is so much of a gift to see them smile or learn something new.

Overall, I am continually amazed at the people who I have come into contact with in the last few months, their capacity to have such open hearts, their drive to learn, and their abilities. I am in wonder at the gifts, consideration, and love continually received and very much appreciate the significance of all these people who have touched and continue to transform my life.

Sarah