As my time living and working at Maggie’s Place is winding down, and my exit date rapidly approaches, I have been reflecting on all the things I’ve learned and experienced in the past two years. In no particular order, the following is a list of why you should become a MissionCorps member at Maggie’s Place……
When volunteers and donors come to the homes, they often ask in one way or another, “What is your success rate?” By this they typically mean how many moms get jobs, further their education, and are generally stable enough to care for themselves and their child by the time leave. These are legitimate questions; however,…
Living in community with those you serve and those with whom you serve is one of the most unique experiences you can give yourself. You learn very quickly what makes your fellow community members tick. You learn their love languages, their ways of expressing frustration, their likes, and their dislikes. You learn their pet peeves…
Courage has been one of the qualities for which I have consistently requested prayers during my time a Maggie’s Place. You can ask my fellow MissionCorps; it’s pretty much my staple prayer request! I realize how many times I am feeble in addressing certain issues with the moms and holding them accountable to the rules,…
“To love another person is to see the face of God.” That is a famous quote from Victor Hugo’s novel, Les Misérables. If you’ve ever seen the play or watched the musical, I hope you sang those words in your head (as I often do!) when you read them. I ask you now to say…
A few weeks ago, one of our moms here had her four older children—three sons and one daughter— over for a sleepover. While we were making lunch, her kids were having a discussion about what makes a person rich. One piped up and said, “You are rich if you have gold!” while another chimed in…
We talk a lot about Motherhood. This makes sense, after all Mothers are being made day after day before our eyes. Motherhood is something to be celebrated. And yet, what of the fathers? They are just as integral to the lives of these children. True, they do not carry them in their wombs, they do…
#MaggiesPlaceProblems #15 – When you go to answer the door and realize you’re still wearing a cape you found in donations #7 – When you live with 10 women and realize you get awkward around men #17 – When you have so many cute scarfs and only one neck and a short winter…
Today is my Mom’s birthday—my actual mom, not one of the moms I live with at The Michael House who I continually refer to as “my moms.” Today my mom turns one year older (Happy 29th Mom!) and it gets me thinking about how lucky I am to have such an amazing person to call…
“7:00 AM? Really? OK…we can do that, I guess.” The moms had voted an early morning time to open their Christmas presents at the Zechariah House. I knew the MissionCorps would have a late night Christmas Eve. We went to midnight Mass and still had “elf-work” to do afterward. On top of all this, I…