AYO, friends! It’s me, again. I’m back in business for another year with the House of Brigid—wahoo!! It’s been a while since I last posted a blog reflection, but after a much needed summer break, it feels good to be settled in once again at Newman University Church.
This summer was a whirlwind. I reunited with family members, caught up with close friends, went camping, ate American delicacies, read a book here and there, cut and dyed my hair—all in under five weeks. I missed those beautiful Colorado Rocky Mountains, but I was itching to get back to Dublin. All summer, I reminisced on the experiences and memories I made over the past nine months. I met so many special people, explored so many new places, and grew so much both individually and communally. The Sammie I was in October 2021 proved to be much wiser and refined by the time July 2022 came around, and I longed to see where a second year in Ireland would take me next.
Now I’m back, and while there’s joy, consolation, and familiarity to being back in Dublin and bopping around Newman, there’s a feeling that something’s missing everywhere I turn. I find myself thinking about my community members from last year—Katy, Morgan, and Dan. When walking through the front door of our house, I hope to hear Katy singing and playing piano. When I step into the office, I hope to hear Morgan’s laugh. Even when I walk through the courtyard adjacent from the church, I hope to see the bike Dan would ride. I had spent so much time, space, and energy with these people, and being back in the places where they once occupied made me miss them more than ever.
One of the first things I noticed when returning to the office at Newman was a note left by Katy. It reads “Sammie – I believe in you and you’re going to do BIG things. Always here. I love you!” I’ve stared at it every day since being back in the office, and it’s become a significant note of encouragement for me so far this year. It’s tough moving away for nine months to live in a foreign country, building community and relationships with people, then leaving and returning as a guide for a new year and community. Yet, seeing this note every day reminds me of the love and support that once was, and the joy and excitement that’s to come.
I think about the verse Revelations 12:5, “Behold, I make all things new,” and I am reminded that transformation and change is something beautiful in God’s eyes, and God will not turn on us when we need Him in the trials of transition. Lizo, my new community member, has proven to be the perfect gift amidst this time of transition. Where I seem to doubt, she reassures. When I need a cry, she listens. When I want to vibe, we vibe. I have been so grateful that immersing myself back into the vulnerable space of intentional community is beginning to bear fruit. Newness can be good, and with a community member like Lizo, I am grateful for that truth.
We pray for Katy, Morgan, and Dan’s transitions, as well as last year’s crew in Wexford (Emma, Shannon, and Matt); that they know a heap of love and gratitude is transcending across the Atlantic Ocean in Dublin for them. We pray for the new Wexford community—Emily, Kat, and Becca; that they courageously take on the challenges and joys that the next ten months may reveal. And we pray for Lizo, my new shawty, and the year the two of us have ahead… I can’t wait!!
Onward, friends! St. Brigid, pray for us.
-Sammie
