What Makes A Community?

Many of you know that when I first came to Beatitudes Campus, I had no intention of staying here beyond the one year agreement I made as Interim Vice President for Spiritual Life.  I made it clear that this is not the type of community I am about when it came to my understanding of my purpose in life – I was a preacher type – but felt I could help during the year I would be here.

Two weeks after I started I was being lured into one of the most beautiful experiences and communities that I ever thought was possible.  If I saw my life as trying to help create a community in the larger world where all are valued, empowered and treated equally, it suddenly became apparent to me it was happening here.  Seven years later I am still here because I just could not let go of what I witnessed then and still do today.

Just look at the last few weeks and see all of the connecting that is taking place in our community.  If you attended the weekly meetings of the Design Studio, you saw the discussions evolve around bringing down the silos between Independent Living, Plaza View and all other venues.  They also were celebrating there being no distinction between those with walkers, scooters, canes or using none of those – all are whole and valued just as they are.

If you walked through the Agelink building, you saw your neighbors serving as instructors for senior aged immigrants and teaching English to willing leaners while bringing down this time between cultures.  If you went to the new Light Rail Celebration opening, you saw your neighbors with a booth telling the rest of the world all about us– and having the best time there.   Stroll through Plaza View and you might catch “Game On”, an evolving Game Day/Night bringing neighbors from all over the Campus together for good laughs.

On St. Patrick's Day, if you were in the Luther Life Center, you saw it filled with to the brim with green neighbors looking for that pot of gold and maybe a green beer.  Head back over to Agelink, where Beatitudes Center for Life Long Learners has over a dozen classes in session and brought hundreds of our residents together to learn new insights, as well as learn about each other.  Watch a Diamondback game and you might see your next door neighbor in the crowd rooting for the team.

I love it whenever I take a visitor on a little tour of the campus and by half-way, after a couple dozen greetings from each of you as we enjoy our walk, they tell me this has to be one of the happiest and friendliest places on earth.    It never fails to happen.  And I think they are right.

Want a glimpse of our community at it warmest? Come to the Welcome Coffee where new residents are celebrated, and just listen to why they wanted to come to Beatitudes Campus and how excited they are to be here (it will make you proud all over again that you are here) and feel the radical hospitality in return as they are welcomed.

All of this makes what a community is all about, and thank you for making it one of the most special.

Peace always,

David