Not Your Ordinary Easter Pic

Happy Easter! You might have been expecting coloured eggs, bunnies, or even chocolate to feature on the L'Arche blog this time of year. Not so! We've had an exciting Holy Week, including a walk across Belfast to the Antrim Road where Thomas and Matthew paused to enjoy the boxing ring at Kronk's Boxing Club. Maria said "We are walking into our future today, " as we set off from the Ember on Good Friday with Eliana and Johanna from L'Arche Dublin filming for a documentary video. I'm pretty certain she didn't mean that Matthew and Thomas would become boxers. She meant the we were walking out into the unknown, the future, the life that awaits after Good Friday's loss. For me, seeing these men in the ring, friends having a laugh, illustrated the unexpected joy and fun that might be out there for us.

Helen and Jillian

If you are a regular reader of this irregular blog, you probably also know Helen and Jillian. Did you remember that they celebrated their respective birthdays this week, along with Noah? There is a spring chick club in our community! I wasn't lucky enough to speak to Helen on her birthday but Jillian reports that she was at her Auntie Ray's for lunch and Auntie Ray gave her "nothin'" to eat! With a bit of wheedling, I was able to prise out a snippet of information: there was a "cuppa coffee" involved in Jillian's family celebrations. Aha! I didn't think Auntie Ray would let Jill go without.

Easter is nearly here. We will head for the Giant's Causeway on the annual pilgrimage Thursday and by Scott's reckoning there may be 35 people. The forecast is for rain so we are praying for a little break in the showers for our picnic. We shall be thinking of all of you--especially all those who have journeyed with us on other days, in rain and sun--and wish you all spring chicks and Easter Life.

Wish You Were Here

St. Patrick's Day at the Allotment. Sewing spuds and seeds, grilling grub, and keeping warm as a community.

And Singing and Dancing

The posts have been few and far between as Megan is on maternity leave and often forgets her camera or to get to the blog to let you know what has happened. Aren't we all lucky that the community worked so hard to make this a real Holiday to remind her to tell you about it?

Happy Christmas, Happy New Year and Joe is outta here.

This isn't just another Christmas table runner. This is Joe's leaving gift: a stole embroidered by Georgie's mum. Georgie is a boy who is blind and his mum earns money for his special school fees with her embroidery work. Joe was given the stole at his leaving prayer at the beginning of December. He is on his way in a few weeks to the Phillipines for work and he is excited because he recently learned that a group of people are working to begin a L'Arche community in the town where he will be living. He's taking a bit of us with him and we hope that we'll soon have new L'Arche friends to be hearing about from him.

Ah, but we'll miss the craic with Joe. Who will make the salmon pasta, the tiramisu, the origami, the reservations for lovely Japanese lunches? Maybe someone will but not with the same panache as our Joe. He has been such a regular feature, friend, volunteer, in the Ember. Did I say we shall miss him?

Christmas this year was simple and sweet. Kristkindle started the flame of the holiday, and on Christmas Eve the Ember team laid on a lovely spread including the traditional smoked salmon and a gorgeous Czech fruit bread. Gabriella took the lead in distributing gifts from under the tree and we enjoyed the presence of Helen's family and Jillian's dad. We missed Dora and Edith, for the first time since the Ember came to be, but it was wonderful to have so many faces around the tree that had been there last year this time. Jim and Baby Aodh, the eldest and the youngest present, lit a candle together and Maria gave the blessing that her father used to use: May we all be together in this place this time next year.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

For what are you thankful?

It is no secret that L'Arche Belfast has and always has had an American element or that Americans love Thanksgiving. Giving thanks is not an American institution, however. On Thursday some of us will be far away, some of us will be at a dinner dance at Edgecumbe (!), some of us will be eating veggie roast and longing for Tofurkey. We'll all be holding for one another all the things that have been given to us in grace.

Here are a few things for which we here in Rosetta are thankful:

Helen moved into the Ark on Monday to her new space and her new routine.

Faythe and James are spending this Thanksgiving with Faythe's family.

Noah and Octavia are both enjoying and doing well at school and playgroup.

TV license, money, books, shoes, cups, plates...

Friends.


We are wondering, friend, what gratitude you might be harbouring in your heart this week.
Go on, post a comment.

Bus Rides and Grass Skirts

For those friends of ours who are friends of Sharon Ryan, we wanted to let you know of the death of Doris, or Wee Doris as Geoffrey called her, last week in Boston, USA. Many of us were touched by Doris's friendliness and support by phone and post in the years Sharon spent in L'Arche and indeed afterward. Through Sharon, she inspired us and will continue to inspire those who hear about her or meet any of her eight children. We share with you from Sharon's eulogy for her mum two passages that relate her practising the kind of love we aspire to in our community:

My brother tells the story of his first day of kindergarten when my mother bundled him up, and set him off to face the bus with courage, then she ran after it in tears as it drove off....When the bus driver pulled over to let my mother say one more good-bye, and to calm my brother and the other kids who were now crying, he asked my mother if it was her first to head off to school. My mother said no--it was her seventh.

[P]eople...felt better after they spent time with my mother and... felt immediately at home with her....Because she was comfortable with herself, she made others comfortable. She had what people these last days have been calling sparkle, spunk, a sense of fun, humor. She danced, she sang, she yodeled, she played games, she laughed, she wore grass skirts. She was cheeky and young. She made every day a holiday, my sister said. She had a joie de vivre--a joy of life--that she acquired early and never lost, even when times got tough. In those times, she told us that you better laugh so you don't cry, and she practiced what she preached.

Please join with us in embracing Sharon and all the Ryan family as they carry Doris's joie de vivre on into the future.

Turning Straw into Gold

Your friend and mine Thomas Kerr took on the role of Scarecrow in a production of The Wizard of Oz last week. The weeks preceding and all through this week, thoughts of that important character, and Thomas's imminent suitability for the role, have been running through my mind like the much-loved cinema version.

The scarecrow was the first friend that embraced Dorothy as she began her journey to Oz in search of home. He didn't think twice when she invited him along on the journey to ask for what he most wanted. They were off! And scarecrow loved her throughout, even risking his greatest fear--fire--to save and support his friend.

When asked for a review of the night, Thomas simply said it was "Good!" Everyone enjoyed it and Thomas's favourite bit was having the cast dinner before the production with all of his mates: sausages! Others commented that Dorothy definitely took centre stage but that Thomas did himself proud and the costumes were something.

Thomas did me proud just by accepting his part, one that fits his loyalty and supportive nature, to create a night of golden enjoyment for the people of Belfast. If I can rustle up an official photo from Orchardville, I will post it on the blog for you.

Larry's Birthday II

Especially for those of you who like a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday. And Gwen.

Larry's Birthday I

From the tie...

to the tea party...

From the 40 helium balloons to the chocolate cake, it was a wonderful day. Larry called himself a "Happy Man" and we were all glad to celebrate with him because he makes us Happy People.

If you like details, we can tell you that there were tray bakes and friends and fish & chips and burgers and lasagna and beer and coke and ice cream and Larry's brother and sister-in-law and wee nephew and a slide show! NICE!