The Rhythm of Life

The term has officially begun!  One of the most important things here, one that we emphasize as much as we can with the students and with ourselves is the rhythm of life.  There is a strong emphasis here on the seasonal rhythm which is emphasized especially in the fact that we eat out of our own garden.  All students and staff must be aware of what is growing currently.  Grocery stores are more confusing than we may realize - seeing all food available to us all year, it is easy to forget that not everything grows at all times.  Also, in some seasons, certain foods are in abundance - which means currently that we are eating apples at almost every meal.  This may seem simple but waiting for food to ripen and being aware of when it does helps to settle all the students into their lives.  We also have a very constant daily rhythm that we follow.  Each student and co-worker is given a timetable that we then follow for the entirety of the year with very little variance.  This timetable includes showering slots, times for calling home, jobs, and leisure time.  Of course, for many of our students, especially those with autism, a scheduled life is essential to their very ability to move comfortably through their day.  But this daily rhythm is by no means for them alone.  I find myself also very comforted by the rhythm of constant meal times and regular jobs.  It has only been a few days here and already I can feel my body thankful for the even life here.  This is not to say that each day is not varied - only to present that that there is a cycle to things here.  My house mother pointed out to me that we all breathe in a rhythm and that is most natural to us all - why not model our entire life after such a pattern.  One of my students is very happy to be able to tell me what season it is every morning.  He is not bored that for months at a time, his answer will not change, he is merely happy that the season passes day by day.

Life has become much simpler for me here.  I feel as if each day is longer than I can even pull myself through but then as I reach the end and reflect back on what I have done - it hardly seems packed.  Today?  Today was the singing of a song, the telling of a story, and then cutting apples in the yard with the some of the students for drying.

It is a beautiful place here.  It is a good place.  It is a healing place.  One of the mottos of the Mount is "Our work is our prayer, our prayer is our work."

         I do not doubt for a moment that I am in the right place.