June held so much in tension for us here at L’Arche. During June, we saw the summer solstice, and it always catches me by surprise, because the longest day of the year comes months before the hottest days of the year. Even the Earth needs time to warm up and tells us good things take time.

We started this month at the Dash’s on Hertel for our Community Night, snacking and laughing, and telling stories about what it has looked like for us to be cared for well. From there, I was blessed to lean on different kinds of community throughout the month. I spent a few days meeting with the leaders of the L’Arche communities in Boston, Cleveland, Erie, Long Island, and Syracuse to learn from established communities and make new mistakes, then led our first Creativity and Care event at the Burchfield Penney, making art, taking a free docent-led tour of the galleries there and telling stories about the moon. I helped lead a workshop at the SANYS conference on navigating difficult conversations with family members with the SAGE group, a group of “Self-Advocates who Give Enlightenment” who meet at 1021 Broadway, and was delighted to join in a community with so many disabled leaders so fully in their power. We had the absolute pleasure of spending time with Mike Rogers at Voice Buffalo and recording a Lunch and Learn talking about what communities of care means to us here at L’Arche.

And yet, our month has been so complicated holding these joys while processing incredible challenges. We’ve had personal losses, transportation troubles, staff shortages and medication changes in our community that have shaken what life looks like. Alongside this, the Senate is voting today on a bill that, according to the Congressional Budget Office, would cut $1 trillion from Medicaid, and take health insurance away from 17 million by 2034. We’ve had hard conversations about what entering into war would mean for us and how to navigate fear on van rides to and from events. 

And through all of these challenges, we learn to hold to what matters, and show up for each other in all the ways we know how. A German assistant I didn’t know who works at L’Arche Chicago reached out to me after realizing her travel plans were upended by changes to her visa, and knew she had a safe place to stay in any place that had L’Arche. On the way to our song circle last Monday, Rebecca told me how excited she was to see the group because “I really like the way they treat me.” These are the kinds of spaces we make for each other in hard times. Spaces we can ask hard questions in, because we know we are safe and seen together. 

Be well,

Andrea With

Community Leader / Executive Director at L’Arche Buffalo