I have continued to feel more grounded here in Kensington.
The week started off with a relaxing Sunday. We are encouraged to be intentional to use our Sundays for Sabbath rest. I spent time reading and reflecting, and then checked out a church in the evening that was having an outdoor service. It was great to gather together to worship with people in person.
Throughout the week, my work was fairly minimal. I mostly continued my task of making calls to families whose children did not show up to virtual school. I also served as a substitute teacher one day for a few classes. In my spare time, I enjoyed running along the Schuylkill River Trail. I also appreciated having the space to reflect and enjoy a slower pace, something that I don't usually experience in my life.
For Neighborhood Day on Saturday, I went to a park cleanup in the city, where we revitalized some trees that were planted at a previous work day. I then spent the afternoon back in The Simple Way garden. It was great to be outside, though it was a long day.
One thing that God has been teaching me here is to live with a spirit of abundance. I remember online grocery shopping our first week, while we were still quarantined, and feeling the tightness of our budget (which is $2 and some change per person per day). As someone who really enjoys having a variety of foods and particularly lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, I felt this sense of scarcity in terms of our food. Yet our food has been far from scarce. We have been blessed to receive food from many unexpected ways. Jenny works at a wellness clinic that does food distribution, and two days a week, she brings home bags of food, mostly consisting of fresh produce from the clinic's garden. We have also participated in The Simple Way's food distribution each week, as well as enjoyed some of the fruits and vegetables from the garden. And we were eating dinner at a friend's house the other day and she had just cleaned out her cupboards and gave us a box of food that she no longer wanted.
In John chapter 10, Jesus says, "I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." Jesus' desire for us is that we would live abundantly. And I am wondering if a significant source of this abundance is the generosity of others. We enjoy abundance because of others' sharing. As I participate in this abundance here in Kensington, I am challenged to consider how we can reciprocate this spirit of generosity and sharing.
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