As I near the halfway mark of my service in Denver, above all, I am tired. 

I get frustrated with myself for it. Why am I so tired? In college my days were longer, my commitments more taxing, and my schedule more hectic. Why is it that here it is so much harder to stay energized? 

BY LAUREN HUNTER

Small talk is usually one of my favorite things. I truly enjoy having conversations that stem from the basic get-to-know-you questions (Where did you grow up? What do you do? Wait, you ALSO love Dolly Parton?!), because I usually have a ready answer. However, during the opening retreat at the Motherhouse, I found people asking me questions that I had no set answers to. Mainly, these questions were about my work placement.

I remember eating meals in the dining room at the Motherhouse, sitting with different Loretto Community members, as we chatted and tried to find what we had in common. One of the things that we could easily connect over was volunteer work, as they had dedicated their entire lives to service. The Sisters usually asked me about the work I would be doing at my placement, Briya Public Charter School. And despite all the research I did for my interviews with Loretto and Briya, and all the email communication I had with my supervisor over the summer, I found that I had a hard time answering their questions about what my placement would be like. Of course, I knew what my job description was. But I felt like I wouldn’t know what to expect from my placement until I started my job. In fact, I was nervous. What would my students be like? What about my coworkers? Were my teaching skills actually good enough for this job? I had no idea.

​​The mountains here were formed much in the same way everything is—from lava. 
Scalding hot anger determined to run its course. 

But the lava here they keep contained. Trapped between cinder block walls, in chains, unable to rage then cool on its intended path.  

In here, they like to keep it cold. To kill germs, prevent disease, they say. But everything here is already sick. 

BY ADELE MCKIERNAN

Last month, I decided it would be essential for me to wed myself. Not in theory, in practice. This wouldn’t be a thought experiment; it would be a marriage. And there would be a ring, flowers, an outfit, vows.

I’m acutely aware that I’ve been known to make grand declarations for best-laid plans every now and then. My mom likes to tell the story about how I declared resolutely that I was moving away to join the circus—the first she’d heard of this—to my pediatrician during a routine physical. My college friends (used to be able to) recount the number of times I’d vehemently sworn off dating to “prioritize personal growth”. Then there were the many times I was sure I’d be married by spring. I’d convert to Judaism. Move to Israel. Move to Ireland. Become a nun.
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So, being adamant about my self-marriage scheme wasn’t off-brand— it was dramatic, and sensational, and romantic—it had all the markings of a classic decision inspired by familiar surges of equal parts fear and hope. Both absurd and logical and somehow a very good and not particularly great idea. But the whole thing was atypical in one critical way.

​BY BECCA KRASKY

Our fall retreat day opened with listening to Good News by Sweet Honey in the Rock, and an invitation by our facilitator, Rev. Anne Dunlap (UCC) to embrace the good news: good news that we were about to spend the day, together with about forty volunteers and staff from several other Christian service-year programs, reflecting on how white supremacy and institutionalized racism surround us in Denver. 
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What are you up to these days?

"I’m currently the Pathology Clerk for a law firm in beautiful Athens, GA. I live with my partner, Dean, and our (fur) baby boy, Ringo. In my spare time I play Dungeons & Dragons, listen to podcasts, and dance Baile Folklorico."

How does your year as a Loretto Volunteer impact your life today?

"My year with Loretto has taught me that even when I feel insignificant when fighting for a greater cause, my presence and my energy still makes an impact. My attendance at a community vigil or volunteering  for a few hours at a local nonprofit may seem unimportant in the moment, but I know that solidarity in any form has a strong ripple effect."

What is a favorite memory or highlight from your volunteer year? 

"I think my favorite memory from my year was when a client farted in my face as she was getting up and reaching for her walker. It sounds completely absurd and it’s a bit of a long story, but in that moment I completely froze and thought to myself, “I have absolutely no training for this.” Haha! I realized that moment summed up a lot of my year, there were many difficult/strange/hilarious moments that no amount of training in the world could have prepared me for. In those times all you can do is be genuine and do your best. The client apologized, of course, but she said she wasn’t ashamed. '$&!@ happens!' she explained. All I could do was shrug and laugh because she was totally right, $&!@ DOES happen. 😅😅"

What's one resource or recipe you'd recommend to our current volunteers?

I recently found a recipe that shows you how to make box brownies taste homemade. I think this would be a godsend for current LoVos who are trying to treat themselves while still ballin’ on a budget!
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By Gabriele Eissner

Ubuntu. I am because you are. 

I came across this word in my high school history class. I was fascinated by it. Despite having roots in ancient Africa, the concept of ubuntu is most well known for being a guiding philosophy of post-apartheid South Africa. There is no word in the English language quite like it. In fact, living in an individualistic society, there isn’t even a concept quite like it. After a brief period of wanting the word tattooed on my arm, I forgot about it.
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