Yesterday afternoon, I came home and there was a strange car in our parking lot. That actually happens pretty much every day, so I wasn’t alarmed or too concerned.
Our house coverage volunteer informed me that a woman who used to live here had stopped by, and was in the backyard. I immediately racked my mind for donation requests made by alumnae moms, and tried to place a name or a face with the vehicle in the lot.
When I went outside, I found her sitting on the swing outside the chapel door, reading a newspaper. I had never seen her before, so I introduced myself and offered her a glass of water – as is custom at any Maggie’s Place home.
She gave me a huge smile as she told me she lived in this house in 2002, a couple years after it had first opened. Her son was down the street playing football at the neighborhood elementary school, and she liked to stop by whenever she was in this area. Our conversation was short and sweet, but altered the course of my day and gave my attitude a much-needed boost. One thing she said truly struck me: “This is such a good place – for moms and staff; a place to grow and learn to share love.”
It can be easy to forget sometimes that the MissionCorps members who serve the mothers of Maggie’s Place need this community just as much as the moms do. It doesn’t always seem obvious that we come here searching for many of the same things our moms search for. We also need to learn how to “share love”; how to let ourselves be loved and love each member of our community. Maggie’s Place is a place to grow, a place to change and develop as a person, as one who shares love.
I am very thankful for that small encounter and reminder of one of the reasons I love being here so much.
By Morgan Castillo, MissionCorps Member at The Magdalene House
