by Brenna Lakeson
I could speak relentlessly on how grateful I am for the team at the OAC. I constantly tell people we’re “small but mighty.” With only four full-time staff, it’s sometimes overwhelming to do everything we need to do to run the OAC, but we get it done. Whenever there’s an unexpected challenge to face, I’m always proud of the ways we band together to solve it head on. Especially in the past six months, our staff and board have consistently risen to the challenge of caring for our guests and for each other.
There are plenty of days when our work is difficult. We see a lot of people who carry the weight of the world on their shoulders, and it can be hard to witness. We are also sometimes the recipients of our guests’ frustration and anger, which is understandable because of everything they experience but also challenging to endure. I wouldn’t be able to do this work without such a supportive team. I know that at the end of a hard day, our team will be there to vent with me and listen. I also know they’ll be there to remind me why we do what we do by telling stories of the guests who have touched them. Our team is a daily blessing.
Each morning, we share joys and concerns together with our volunteers and interns. Usually, we pray in a circle together about these things, but lately we’ve been sharing together over email. This has become a sacred time for many of us. I’ve faced a lot of personal challenges over the past couple years, as have many others in our community. Our daily practice of holding space for each other has supported us through deaths, health struggles, and family issues. It also gives us hope by celebrating children and grandchildren, new homes, and small daily joys. Being able to share with our team is good for my soul.
The OAC community isn’t the same these days, and while I miss seeing all of our volunteers and supporters in person, I know that there’s still a team behind me, supporting our work everyday, and I’m grateful.