End of the Summer Traditions

This is getting too close to the end of the summer for me. It is interesting how I can tell that it is the end of the summer. It used to be the fact that there were less mosquitoes at the cottage and the nights began to get cooler. The back-to-school sales also remain a good sign. What strikes me most this year is an entirely different tradition than putting on more layers of clothes or buying back to school supplies.

This summer and last, I have lived in community. This is a community that is constantly aware of change and accepts it, while not necessarily liking it. The end of the summer tends to be the time when there is the most change. Our community leader called it "the changing of the guard" last night, and in a way he's right. The people who live here are so important. We call those who live here permanently core members because they are at the core of our community. The rest of us are simply assistants.

It is the core members who have the ministry of welcoming and also of saying goodbye. The assistants are the ones who are welcomed with open arms at the end of the summer and then sent off with tears when they are forced to go back to their respective locations. Many of the assistants do not want to leave after spending any amount of time here.

Prior to coming to L'Arche, I had my own end of summer traditions. These involved getting through the last of the summer books I wanted to read, getting ready for school with new pens and notebooks and buying back-to-school clothes. Now as an assistant, it involves attempting to detach a part of my heart that is so securely in the community. I don't have the money to buy new clothes to go back to school, but I make due with old ones and hand me downs from friends. The new school supplies still bring me a measure of joy, but not enough to cover the pain of having to leave. There is also the tradition of packing and attempting to figure out which city all of my things are in. That is one of the problems with living in three places at once.

Traditions have always been important in my life. They are a way for me to mark the days and make small events more important. I'm beginning to understand the importance of traditions in a community such as this one. While there is a tradition of goodbye, there is also a tradition of welcome. Those who leave can leave with the knowledge that they will not be forgotten and that they are loved. That is what makes this end of summer tradition even more important for everyone.