One Friday last winter, after an in-person training, I went with a few other Micah fellows to Japonaise Bakery and Cafe on Beacon Street. While we sat there, enjoying our pastries in the late-afternoon sunshine, we talked about our plans for next year: who was going to graduate school, who was looking for a job, and who was hoping to stay for an Emmaus year. I remember the sense of freedom, of possibility, when thinking about the future. Most of all, I remember the excitement of imagining a second year with Life Together, strengthening these new friendships and building new communities with another cohort of Micah fellows. Needless to say, when we imagined the beginning of our Emmaus year, we didn’t expect anything like this.
This year, hanging out as a full cohort means watching Stardust on Netflix party, or eating picnic lunches six feet apart at the Boston Commons. This year, staff meetings include special guests like toddlers, dogs, and Freddie’s stuffed Baby Yoda. Zoom-based trainings, prayer partner meetings, and affinity groups are taking some time to get used to, and it feels like there’s a lot we’re missing out on. Meanwhile, the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 continue to impact us profoundly: in the disruptions to our daily lives, sure, but more so in the new challenges for the communities we work with at our site placements, and the deep grief that we feel daily for the dead, now numbering more than 200,000. Even beyond this, we are feeling the effects of a culture steeped in white supremacy, and the ongoing climate crisis. There is so much work to be done.
And I’m glad to be doing that work here. This isn’t the year we expected, but I am so thankful that I get to spend this difficult, frightening time in this particular community. I’m so thankful to have a community that protests together, that phone banks and makes plans together, that makes room for grief and for group hugs. I’m glad to be learning and growing for another year in this community. God is with us, in 40 P and Hill House, as we write our community covenants, our grocery lists, and our fundraising emails. God is with us in our breakout rooms, our conflicts, and our shared meals. God is with us as we start another year together. Thanks be to God.
Eva Dalzell is an Emmaus fellow working at the Diocesan Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministries. Her laugh can be heard from outer space. She is currently celebrating the start of Libra season by drinking too much iced coffee and re-reading her favorite fantasy novels.