"The love and mercy given to us, because God desires us to have it"
This is the definition of Grace. When I hear the word, I see the face of a 93 year old woman, named after a virtue that fits her so well. Just as her name is defined, she is a constant reminder to me of the love that God bestows on all of us, not because we deserve it, but because He desires us to have it.
I met Grace on my first visit to Marycrest Manor during my freshman year in 2013. Marycrest is a convalescent home in Culver City run by the Carmelite Sisters that provides skilled nursing services and residency to the elderly who need extra care. As a new volunteer, I was paired with Grace as a resident who the sisters thought I would pair well with, and have visited her almost every week since.
Marycrest introduced me to service in a way I had never considered in my previous service experiences. I have been transformed by the service of presence and accompaniment.
The residents have showed me that service is not always about action, but being with, sharing and learning from another human soul.
This has lead me to a deeper understanding of human dignity. Very often, the elderly are forgotten about or abandoned. Hearing their stories and knowing the lives of the residents has shown me what value every human being has, the word of God that each resident has to speak with their life. I have been honored to share my life with the residents and in turn, I have witnessed their unique stories and incredible journeys - each which come together beautifully to create a community that has profoundly impacted me.
Hearing about Sal’s New York lifestyle and love for UCLA, playing Rummikub with Imogene and Eleanor, hearing about Imogene’s travels to the Grand Canyon and beyond, Listening to George play the harmonica, and Mary’s constant chatter in the background. My experience as a volunteer has been filled with joy.
I frequently act as a volunteer for the art program each Wednesday. As several residents face physical or cognitive disabilities, I assist them along with other volunteers in creating beautiful works of art. The residents have creative and artistic visions to reflect and helping them to put their ideas into reality has been a life-giving and incredible experience. Art empowers the residents at Marycrest to know their own creativity and capability. I have witnessed the impact this program has in their lives.
Sometimes Grace and I do art together. We talk about her many children and grandchildren, sit together as she talks to the Marycrest pet birds, or take her on a walk along the bluff as she prays. No matter what she may be facing that day, she greets me with a warm smile, wearing a collection of holiday pins I have made for her over the years on her sweater, and she thanks me, telling me of the love she has for me.
"Grace : The love and mercy given to us, because God desires us to have it"
I am reminded of this by the way that she radiates love and joy through her presence and heart. Her word of God has been clearly spoken into my life.
As the women and men of Marycrest have entered my life, I have been able to recognize the great importance of kinship and compassion for our world. As Father Greg Boyle writes, “Compassion isn’t just about feeling the pain of others; it’s about bringing them in toward yourself. If we love what God loves, then, in compassion, margins get erased. Be compassionate as God is compassionate, means the dismantling of barriers that exclude”. When we recognize the divine word of God each human life has to offer, we are filled with compassion for those people. We can stand with them, and as he continues to write “situate ourselves right next to the disposable so that the day will come when we stop throwing people away”
In August, I will be moving to Mobile, Alabama to serve a year with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in a L’Arche community - a home for intellectually disabled adults as an activity center team member. Although this experience will be unique, I am thankful for the foundation Marycrest Manor has given me to move forward in the work of empowering individuals living with disabilities, bringing voices and life to those are are excluded and silenced.
Today was my last day at Marycrest and while I hope my path will cross with it again someday, I am thankful.
I am thankful for Grace, who has filled my heart with love every week for three years, reminding me of the visibility of God's love all around me.
I am thankful to all of the residents of Marycrest, whose hearts and stories have been fixed into my own.
I am thankful to the ones that we have lost along the way - Winnie, Margherita, Celeste, and Imogene.
I am thankful to the women and men who have showed me the true meaning of kinship, compassion and accompaniment, I leave them with gratitude to have witnessed the sacredness and gift of life through their eyes.
I met Grace on my first visit to Marycrest Manor during my freshman year in 2013. Marycrest is a convalescent home in Culver City run by the Carmelite Sisters that provides skilled nursing services and residency to the elderly who need extra care. As a new volunteer, I was paired with Grace as a resident who the sisters thought I would pair well with, and have visited her almost every week since.
Marycrest introduced me to service in a way I had never considered in my previous service experiences. I have been transformed by the service of presence and accompaniment.
The residents have showed me that service is not always about action, but being with, sharing and learning from another human soul.
This has lead me to a deeper understanding of human dignity. Very often, the elderly are forgotten about or abandoned. Hearing their stories and knowing the lives of the residents has shown me what value every human being has, the word of God that each resident has to speak with their life. I have been honored to share my life with the residents and in turn, I have witnessed their unique stories and incredible journeys - each which come together beautifully to create a community that has profoundly impacted me.
Hearing about Sal’s New York lifestyle and love for UCLA, playing Rummikub with Imogene and Eleanor, hearing about Imogene’s travels to the Grand Canyon and beyond, Listening to George play the harmonica, and Mary’s constant chatter in the background. My experience as a volunteer has been filled with joy.
I frequently act as a volunteer for the art program each Wednesday. As several residents face physical or cognitive disabilities, I assist them along with other volunteers in creating beautiful works of art. The residents have creative and artistic visions to reflect and helping them to put their ideas into reality has been a life-giving and incredible experience. Art empowers the residents at Marycrest to know their own creativity and capability. I have witnessed the impact this program has in their lives.
Sometimes Grace and I do art together. We talk about her many children and grandchildren, sit together as she talks to the Marycrest pet birds, or take her on a walk along the bluff as she prays. No matter what she may be facing that day, she greets me with a warm smile, wearing a collection of holiday pins I have made for her over the years on her sweater, and she thanks me, telling me of the love she has for me.
"Grace : The love and mercy given to us, because God desires us to have it"
I am reminded of this by the way that she radiates love and joy through her presence and heart. Her word of God has been clearly spoken into my life.
As the women and men of Marycrest have entered my life, I have been able to recognize the great importance of kinship and compassion for our world. As Father Greg Boyle writes, “Compassion isn’t just about feeling the pain of others; it’s about bringing them in toward yourself. If we love what God loves, then, in compassion, margins get erased. Be compassionate as God is compassionate, means the dismantling of barriers that exclude”. When we recognize the divine word of God each human life has to offer, we are filled with compassion for those people. We can stand with them, and as he continues to write “situate ourselves right next to the disposable so that the day will come when we stop throwing people away”
In August, I will be moving to Mobile, Alabama to serve a year with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in a L’Arche community - a home for intellectually disabled adults as an activity center team member. Although this experience will be unique, I am thankful for the foundation Marycrest Manor has given me to move forward in the work of empowering individuals living with disabilities, bringing voices and life to those are are excluded and silenced.
Today was my last day at Marycrest and while I hope my path will cross with it again someday, I am thankful.
I am thankful for Grace, who has filled my heart with love every week for three years, reminding me of the visibility of God's love all around me.
I am thankful to all of the residents of Marycrest, whose hearts and stories have been fixed into my own.
I am thankful to the ones that we have lost along the way - Winnie, Margherita, Celeste, and Imogene.
I am thankful to the women and men who have showed me the true meaning of kinship, compassion and accompaniment, I leave them with gratitude to have witnessed the sacredness and gift of life through their eyes.
