A month after my tour of duty with Amate House has ended my strongest feeling is that of gratitude.Gratitude for the dedication and support of the Amate House staff whose hard work made this experience possible. Gratitude especially for Ali Schlereth, world class House Coordinator and baker.
Gratitude for my coworkers at Cabrini Green Legal Aid, not just for their patience with me as I spent ten months learning how to do my job, but gratitude for the examples that they were in how to put love into action.
Gratitude for the volunteers I worked with at Cabrini Green Legal Aid who always impressed me by their willingness to make service a part of busy schedules, their passion for justice, and their simple friendliness.
Gratitude for the clients I worked with at Cabrini Green Legal Aid who were almost uniformly good natured, patient and extremely happy to hear me pick up my phone.
Gratitude for the opportunity to live in Chicago’s wonderfully vibrant Little Village Community, where construction workers pull their trucks over to leave flowers before the statue of Our Lady of Guadeloupe at the corner of 24th and Albany, where the only things to buy seem to be food, cell phones and dresses the color of hazmat suits, and where the sounds of giggling children, ranchera music and car alarms fill the air at all hours of the day and night.
Gratitude for my fellow volunteers, especially the ones I lived with. Gratitude for Melissa’s joy, Mayer’s good sense, Amici’s unflagging high spirits, Courtney’s eagerness to please and be pleased, Katy’s strength, Katie Kenefick’s ability to laugh at things, Nicole’s zest for life and Earl’s easy going goodness. I miss you guys already, and can’t wait to see you again.
Best of luck to all the new volunteers! You’re in for a great ride!
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