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Everyone has a story that will break your heart. And, if you’re really paying attention, most people have a story that will bring you to your knees.
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Articles for Colorado Vincentian Volunteers
COVIVO Blind Cafe Reflections #5
Colorado Vincentian Volunteers had the pleasure of hosting The Blind Café Experience for about 70 of our incredible #CVVAlum and current volunteers. It was a powerful evening of dinner in the dark, rich conversation, an active music listening experience, and of course, lots of companionship.
The Gift of Community: A Letter to a Future Volunteer
Savor the good times, and yes, even the challenging times. Community is absolutely incredible, and so much more than a simple definition could ever capture.
Called By Name #VincentiansofWherever #IamVincent
“The measure of our compassion lies not in our service to those on the margins, but in our willingness to see ourselves in kinship. And that means the decided movement towards awe and giant steps away from judgement.” -Greg Boyle, SJ A few weeks ago, I walked into a...
God With Us
An Advent reflection, I can do that. It will be beautiful; all starlight and inspiration. I clear my plans for the evening, no record keeping, grading or lesson planning, no dishes or laundry. Inspiration needs quiet and time and putting the ‘to do’ list to the side....
Living Fully
A Tribute to the “Pioneers” – Dan Paulus and Amy Rupiper Taggart As I sit here and write this, I look out my window on this sunny day appreciating all of God’s wonders. It is a quiet day for me. I have the day off of work and my children are at school. I have the...
Fruits of the Earth
Lettuce, peas, green beans, kale (…so much kale), parsley, carrots, peppers, spinach, tomatoes, struggling eggplants, spiders, weeds, bees, killdeer bird eggs, and butterflies — all of these find a home in my 10×10 community garden plot. Although I watched my mother...
The Pile of Rocks: A Camino Reflection
I picked up a rock from the shore of Lake Superior to leave on a mountain in the north of Spain. That’s normal, right? This wasn’t just any rock. It was the most-perfect skipping rock, and though Lake Superior produces many skipping rocks, this one fit my hand just...
Vincentians of Wherever • Shiny Distractions
Last summer and fall, we were fortunate to get several visits from my wife’s brother and his girlfriend. They would come through town often en route to various destinations around the country where they could visit national parks, climb, fly fish, and enjoy the...
Unbreakable: Vincentians of Wherever
I composed this poem thinking about the ties to service and those less fortunate that my service with CVV instilled in me. There are so many things in the world that try to pull us out of our purpose of being companions on the journey and so many circumstances in the...
Befriending the Other #IamVincent
Coming to the Midwest I expected to jump right into a new community. I had moved many times before and was generally good at the whole “making friends” thing. But it suddenly became harder after living intentionally with nine souls that intricately became connected...
Pardon Your Servant
“Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else,” (Exodus 4:13). Moses’s words at the burning bush have always resonated with me, in younger years before I appreciated the audacity of his request, I was struck by his humility and humanity. Moreover, I was...