I have not written in over a year I felt it only far to my Belfast family that I let you know what I have been up to this last year!
Dancing: Well as you can imagine I have not stopped dancing since I posted last I finished a peace based on interviews form Rita Livingstone’s and Satie Heart. I performed the dance in Utah, and in FL with Braided light dance project. I was a member of there company for the remainder of 2011. I showed my work with them as well as thought dance classes and performed in other work. Over the summer I predicted a Show called “Legend” (the title was so in honor of Jenny) I made 4 dances and Meredith levy wrote 4 short plays. In between the pieces blogs former YAVs had written where read allowed. All together the event had a hundred people there and we raised close to $600 for the YAV program. It was important to me to talk about my time in Belfast with the people who had helped me get there and where my church family. I will be honest it was hard for me to talk about my time in Belfast at first. Not every one wanted to hear and much more than it was great. So I started to heal by dancing and sharing that dance with people I love moved me through a wilderness of transitioning back in to the USA.
see a film of the dance "Wee hearts of the Shankill" http://vimeo.com/23378858
Living: Well I have worked in many places over the last year. I finished up my time at Wolfson children’s Hospital in August. There I worked with a program called Godly Play we told the stories to children whom where chronically Ill. I love this work but hospital work is varying darning. I became close to many of the children and teens. I had one patent a 15-year-old girl. Who I would go and see 2 times a week. She was in the hostel for about 6 months on and off. Her favorite story was the Parable of the great Pearl so at lest once a week if not twice a week I would tell her the story of the kingdom of heaven and how we had to give up every thing we have for it. Sadly in May she went into a coma I held her hand and recited the parable of the great pearl to her and reminder her of the kingdom of heaven. She died a few days later. The power of the Godly play stories in these kids lives I will take with me where ever I go however my heart aced a little to much to stay on at the hospital even thou they would have kept me.
Than I worked at a residential School in VA so I moved my self and my belongs back to VA. There I lived with 10 girls between the ages of 11 and 16. Who have learning difficulties vary similar to my own learning disability dyslexia. I loved these Kids and the staff I worked with. My favorite part was that I got to teach dance and drama for an hour a week. The 10 kids I worked with put on a show at the end of the semester of both dances and plays. I was thrilled to see kids remember line who struggle so much with words. And exploded in to dances. I did struggle there as well I was eating in the dinning hall and with my food restriction with allergies I was just making my self sick and I was not the high energy person I usually am. So when a job opportunity came to work in a church as the coordination of christen formation. Working with Sunday school and youth in the same city as a few of my best friends I felt I was being called to move again.
I now live in my own apartment with a kitchen where I can cook lots of allergy free foods I’m back to baking my own bread. I could not be happier my new church family at Christ Episcopal church of Roanoke has been vary welcoming and they have helped me get set up in a new apartment. My rector is also a Hollins grad and she is smart and cares greatly for the member of the church. I also love the work I am writing a curriculum for the middle school Sunday school class. Meet with youth and plan events like pancake dinner. (I know breakfast for dinner is a little weird in Belfast be we love it!) I also get to keep working with Godly play is the curriculum the church use for Sunday school for there younger children. So far I have enjoyed the people the most getting to know them. I had a youth spoil your dinner night where I got to meet with some of the youth. And we played games like whaaa and I even tried playing the MOO game. When I am not working at the church I am teaching dance class at the Roanoke Ballet Theater.
Loving: Lots of things have also been changing with my family and friends. Rachel spent the summer working with the homeless in NC. She feels a real call to work with the homeless and now feels more of duration in her future ministry she is now in her 2nd semester of seminary. Meredith is now a senior at Hollins working on her BA in theater she has written a play and is staging it her self and has performed in 4 shows this year. My brother Trevor and soon to be sister in-law are getting married in May and the whole family is in the wedding. Also my parents and the boys have also had a big move. My Dad got a new job as the head of pastoral care in Allentown PA. It is a 23-drive hour from FL where I grow up. My mom has started with a new Church and the twins a new school. It has been a sad times but also a new beginning. However I am still not used to FL no longer being where we will spend Christmas. I am excited to visit them however Allentown is where my Dad grow up so we have family there and my Godparents are there as well. I feel vary at home in VA I get to spent a lot more time with friends whom I have missed the last few years. I feel settled for the first time since leaving Belfast. Rob another Belfast YAV who was in my group and I are now dating He is in seminary in Richmond VA. I love that we now live only a few hours away and can visit and spend time together I was able to here him give a sermon at his home church and spent Christmas spent between each others families. Andy also lives in VA and Rob and I visit with him when we can. Meredith lives 20 mints always and we actually have a hard time believing that when we say goodbye it’s not going to be 3 months till we see each other again. I have reconnected with friends from collage and am dancing again.
Hoping: I am hoping that wherever you are you have been as blessed and have felt the last few weeks. I spent a lot of time in the wilderness wondering where I was meant to live and what I was meant to be doing. Feeling vary lost. However I feel I would not be so grounded now and with a sense of perspective if I had not fought throw so much wondering.
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