I sometimes describe Peace House Community as a magical place to work. Usually when I say that, I mean that working here provides me with a wonderful feeling of contentment that can’t easily be explained. Occasionally, however, I mean that PHC produces something that completely baffles me, like a magician pulling a rabbit from a hat.
When people thank me for what I do at PHC, I usually reply that I really don’t do much. I make sure we have the raw materials we need to keep PHC open, but the community that develops, the fun people have, the acceptance that they experience are all beyond anything I can “do”. We invite an insanely diverse group of people to come together, and something wonderful happens as a result. And I can’t explain how it happens. To give you just one example, I would never have introduced a fashionable retired white female volunteer to a former gang member from St. Louis and expected them to bond over a shared interest in glass blowing. But it happened.
As we come to the end of another year, I want to genuinely thank all of you who have supported us with your prayers, your time, your expertise, your compassion, and your finances. You are as much a part of our community as anyone who walks through our doors. The magic that happens here wouldn’t be possible without each person making their own unique contribution. Peace House Community is well-named. Before anything else, it is a community, a gathering of people who connect and who welcome each other, whether they are physically present or not. Just as Sister Rose still contributes to PHC’s atmosphere 20 years after her death, each of you contributes as well.
Thank-you.