photo walk and life

The back part of our driveway (where we park) has an interesting old brick wall lined with leaves and some ivy. On Sunday, the leaves had finally changed and were the perfect colors for a picture.

A couple weeks ago, I had a day off and decided to wander around the Tremont area of Cleveland for a picture walk, some coffee with a friend, and quiet time. I was still actively taking part in the photo challenge over at fatmumslim. I think the challenge for that day was "angles." Tremont, much like Ohio City, is such a photogenic neighborhood.

now closed. I love the play of light and dark in this picture.

Things at work have finally picked up leaving me with not much time to breathe during the day. I'm running around getting the hang of things in this area. Confirmations and reminders as to why I am in the refugee resettlement field. Days are usually long and frequently stressful, but I get to meet interesting people.

On Sunday afternoon, I sat in a waiting room while my car got a tune up. The other lady there struck up a conversation with me over the Browns game and the book I had brought in with me. (Merton, Seven Story Mountain). I learned her life story, listened to her missed dreams, talked about refugees, the Peace Corps, Catholicism, and so many other things. The mechanic let us know that our cars were finished, but we stayed talking & screaming at the TV. At the end of the 2nd quarter, we shook hands and God blessed each other before returning to our respective lives.

happy reunions

Happy reunions at the airport are my favorite part of my job. Today, I got to take part in one.



Harvest and Homecoming: New Roots in the Bronx from International Rescue Committee on Vimeo.

They always remind me of Love Actually and the happy reunions at the arrival gate of London's Heathrow Airport.

the embrace of home

Autumn is my favorite season. I love the smell of it, the changing leaves, the everything. This weekend, I headed home for some time with friends & family. Sunday morning brought Mass at St. Pat's with the Nuns on the Bus Ohio crew. It was exactly what I needed.
 

walking the trail

my favorite trees

This tree turns the most fabulous shade of fiery orange.

The Nuns on the Bus Ohio stopped in Youngstown yesterday for a rally at MYCAP and, then, spent the morning at St. Patrick's celebrating Mass.

merging worlds

I've completed training and 3 weeks at my new job with a refugee resettlement organization. I know that refugee work is where I belong and I'm ready to really dive into my job. I've spent the past couple weeks learning more about the refugee population with which I will be working. My only experience is with the Somali and Iraqi communities. Now, I am working with the Burmese, Karen, Nepalis (Bhutanese), Uzbeks, and Iraqis. I've enjoyed a Friday afternoon Michael Jackson dance party with a couple 3 year old kids in my office while they waited for their parents to finish an ESOL class. I've set up apartments and used charades in an attempt to determine what someone wanted. After about 2 months of not working, I'm slowly becoming the workaholic that I always am.

Lately, I've been more aware of the many ways my life is changing and merging. I don't have just one place that I call home. I have a couple places that I can go and say that "I'm home." My challenge is merging each of those worlds and finding out exactly what I want to do. I've been acutely aware of this over the course of this weekend as I traveled from one home to the other and shared laughter and hugs with all the people I love.  

I'm participating in the October photo a day challenge over at fat mum slim. Here's a selection of pictures from the last week.

Day 1: where you stood

day 3: this happened today

day 4: what you read

day 6: I'm thankful for...