I have to get better with these things...

So it has been a bit of time since I have last updated. Sorry about that. I believe in my last post I said that a lot happened over break that I was still sorting through. That is still sort of true, but I have spent a lot of time sorting through a lot of that and things are significantly more clear now than they were even a month ago or so. Which works for me.

Alright, so last month or so. Work wise, not a ton going on. Still holding strong at the school and house, typical problems and issues. One thing that sucks for me but is awesome for my clients is the amount of people we have seen graduate the program and go home. Sucks for me because my case load has shrunk significantly, but great for the kids who get to go home. I feel torn about that too though because a lot of these kids were in the positions that they were in because of their situations at home. I suppose the best I can hope for is that they keep in mind all that they have learned during their time in Sitka and at the Hanson House. But no hugely entertaining stories for you guys.

Community wise, we have pretty much settled into our routines and work places which is pretty great. We are all slowly learning more and more about each other, which is also pretty fantastic. Jamie, our area director, came through again for a few days to spend time with us and talk with us about the year so far, and that was good for everyone. What came out of it is that we all really care about each other but are still striving to stay present with each other and work together to make our community an even stronger place to live, which is a pretty great conclusion to a visit, methinks.

We had a really fun night a few weeks ago. For the Super Bowl we went to one of the Americorps houses. We watched the games, hung around, ate some food, and had some good times. But then the game ended. At 6 PM. We all looked around and said, “What now?” Well, things settled down pretty quickly. Beer pong was engaged. Flip cup was played. Beer was consumed. We all just had a really good time with each other, heckling each other, making fun of each other, and just generally hanging out with a bunch of our friends. I think that is one of the nicer things about my community. We don’t drink a lot, and we drink in moderation. But we can also go out and have a really fun time. We appreciate the ability to let loose and have fun, but still keep it constructive. I have been drunk a few times with these people, and have loved every minute of it. It’s a good time for all. That and my community members say some pretty ridiculous stuff.

On an aside, it is tough sometimes to write these. As time goes on and as I have settled into my routine, things stay pretty similar. Sure, things change, but at the same time they are pretty subtle. Because of the confidentiality I have to maintain I can’t really talk about stuff that goes on at work. There is a lot that happens within my community, but at the same time I don’t feel I can talk about everything that happens here. Then there are all the things that are happening personally, but this isn’t always the forum for that. So sorry again for the delay, I seem to have hit a patch of writers block. And thank you for your patience.

Alright, one major thing did happen over the last month. We reconvened with all the other Alaskan communities in Juneau for our winter retreat. The setting was gorgeous. It was at the Shrine of St. Therese, right in the middle of the channel. We saw all sorts of things. Sea lions played right in front of us. Orcas and humpbacks swam by us. Orcas also massacred sea lions in front of us. With eagles soaring overhead. The grounds were beautiful. The people were awesome. I love coming back together with these people, even though I barely know many of them. But it is awesome talking about what it is that we do, our struggles, how our communities are getting along, and just connecting. Something about being in Alaska just brings people together. But we all were able to let loose and just be with each other. Our first stop may have had something to do with that. We all met up at the Alaskan Brewery after the Bethel group had landed, and the tour was awesome. The Alaskan brews are so good, and it was free and unlimited. I will be going back at some point in the near future. Then we all went and got ready to move out to the shrine. The retreat itself was on social justice, and the two women who led it allowed us to explore what social justice specifically means to us. What follows is the result of that.

‘Social Justice’ is always a term I have had problems defining for myself. Sure, there are all the textbook definitions, the theoretical discussions, the countless writings on the subject. But I have never really understood what it meant to me, even after taking a semester-long class on the subject. I wrote the following in my journal following the first reflection, in which we were asked to define social justice: “To me, social justice is striving to do right for those people around me, whether it be my community members, my family, or the population I serve. It means taking the time to listen to someone if they have had a bad day, or making the effort to rearrange someone’s schedule so they can play basketball. Or it means striving to change the system that allows people to slip through the cracks, to not get the attention they deserve.” Rereading that and reflecting on it, that definition seems too simple, too easy. But I realized that social justice doesn’t need to be complicated; in many cases, it needs to be simple. Seeking to simplify issues, to strip them down, makes seemingly impossible tasks attainable, by pinpointing certain objectives, by taking things day-by-day.

But then I took it one step further. My house recently started watching ‘Lost’ (awful decision, now we are hooked), and in a recent episode, Charlie is reflecting on his life and he flashes back to a moment where he saves a woman from a mugging in an alley. When he commented that anyone would have stopped and helped, he was informed that three people saw what was going on and continued down the road. During my next meditation I wrote the following: “Social awareness might be my greatest understanding of social justice…[but] Social justice means not to just simply be aware, but that you need to act on that awareness.” Intentions are great things. But they need to be acted upon. All of us have seen things that have prompted the thought, “That sucks, I should do something to help,” but then continued on our way. I am guilty of that on multiple occasions. Those times that we are able to see an injustice and act to rectify that injustice are the times when we accomplishing social justice.

I came to a pretty significant realization during this weekend, which came in a later part of the weekend. I kept coming back to the word ‘respect.’ This is a huge word while working with teens, or maybe that’s just the opposite word that I am used to hearing. But while I need to have respect for the people who I am working with, they also have to have respect for me. If my clients don’t respect me or the work I am attempting to do with them, there is not growth. They won’t listen to me or, more importantly, work with me if that lack of respect is present. But I also need to respect myself, and they have to respect themselves, otherwise nothing of note can be achieved. So much focus in social justice is on the marginalized, while not that much, in my experience, is on those practitioners of social justice, who strive for that justice every day. Oh, we hear about the incredible examples, the Ghandi’s and the Mother Theresa’s, but very rarely do social justice texts, at least the ones I have come across, mention those in the front line, dealing directly with people on a daily basis. I don’t want to make this statement and then have somebody say, “But what about…” So if you know of anything, let me know. And this is starting to get too incoherent, so I guess my point here is that respect needs to be present for all parties involved for anything to truly get accomplished.
Finally, we were asked what the ingredients of social justice were. The words I wrote down were empathy, selflessness, awareness, respect, restlessness, and effort. Any other additions? I am interested in your thoughts.

There is a lot going through my head regarding this topic. I suppose I am one of those ‘front liners’ this year, and I need to work on some of these things myself. To be a part of the conversation on social justice is such a privilege. Too many people are probably unaware of the issue, much less have the ability to devote time and energy to thinking about it. I doubt many of my kids are thinking about it, if any of them are. Tough stuff, and a tough concept to wrap one’s head about. Them’s the musings.

It was a good weekend. I hung around with some JV’s from Anchorage following the retreat, and we ended the night at the bishop’s, who made us lasagna. Great guy. Not a lot of time left until Folk Fest, in April, when more than 20 JV’s plus a ton of FJV’s will be descending upon Juneau for the weekend. I cannot wait to see some people again.

I hope everyone is doing well! As always, I miss everyone and want to hear from people.