The sound and the fury

A new month has begun, so time for a new post. I feel like a broken record saying this but things have been so busy, I just haven't had the time to update you! The FVMs spent the past week on retreat at Mt. Irenaeus. I had no idea how ready I was for a break from Kensington. What struck me most of all while being away in the middle of the woods and at the top of a mountain was the SILENCE. I shared a cabin with one of the Camden FVMs and when we woke up in the morning to the sound of the stove that heated our cabin, I thought it was quiet. Then, I stepped out the door into the snow to absolute and total silence and realized how unbelievably chaotic and loud Kensington is. Now that I am back, the sounds of Kensington are deafening. I am sure they will fade into background noise as they did before, but for now my ears persistently ring with the noise of the el, voices on the street, plates and cups banging against the tables, the phone and doorbell constantly ringing, cars zooming past the Inn, the waterfall of the dishwasher, and people talking in my ear. It's amazing how each of the sounds stand out in the midst of the general roar.

The retreat was wonderful-the friars we stayed with were so kind and welcoming. We had such peaceful days, relaxing together and talking about what makes each one of us unique based on the results of our Myers-Briggs anaylses. It was so much fun being able to talk so openly together and share our experiences thus far. The woman who presented the information to us was probably the sweetest woman in the world, rivaling Sister Jude. She was so kind and genuinely appreciated the time she spent with us.

Now we are back to the grind at the Inn and, in fact, I coordinated the first day we returned to work. It was overwhelming, and not knowing what had been happening during the past week was very difficult. But, 267 people were fed, with only few problems so I consider the day a success.



Today I worked in the office, which I have decided I really enjoy. It gets hectic at times but you really get to be involved in people's lives, hearing their phone conversations and stories, seeing what they receive in the mail, and being the source they seek for information about services. I was able to use my gifts today to write out a birthday card for a woman who can't read. She is a regular and her daughter's birthday is tomorrow. I loved being able to help her do something so simple but so important. When she was explaining to me what she wanted me to do, the man who was talking on the phone piped up and said "Oh that's ok sister, I can't read or write either." Later in the day, another man came to me asking me to fill out some paperwork for him because he also was unable to read or write. It must be such an incredible challenge and handicap at times.

The weather is getting colder and more and more people are asking about blankets. We distribute blankets at the Inn starting usually after Thanksgiving (although an extremely generous donation that came in today may enable us to start earlier than that), making sure that people who need them get them. We record the names of those who receive them to ensure that each person only gets one a month, so that more people are able to receive them. We received a donation today from a church's coat drive: at least 150 coats and jackets of all sizes and styles. While these will certainly not last us through the winter, it is a very good start.

Happy November everyone! I hope you are staying warm wherever you might be!!