Email: Andrea Baker

In which Andrea goes to camp and finds a poem

Dear Friends,

What a full, full, few months it's been! And several of you may be wondering what I'm even up to. Well, after two lovely weeks at home in Oak Park, I'm back in Miami for another year.  I'm still living in the DOOR household, and I’m participating in a program called Public Allies Miami.  Public Allies is an AmeriCorps-sponsored program that focuses on leadership development. It provides year-long internships in the non-profit field. My placement is with the South Florida Community Development Coalition, an organization that just incorporated last March. It's an exciting place to work, because just about everything is new. At the last board meeting, the board formed their first standing committees; my office is the first office space the Coalition has used; and my phone—well, it is the phone for the Coalition.

The weather has finally turned—it's now cool and dry enough to turn off the A/C and open up the windows—kind of like spring in reverse.  Instead of being cooped up for the winter, here people stay inside all summer, and the sighs of relief in October and November are audible everywhere. I'm breathing it in!

I'm feeling more and more a part of my church, Wesley UMC; and at the same time, I'm getting frustrated with some things there. I guess that's like a lot of relationships! The weekend I got back, I joined the church for "Family Camp," a gathering of Hispanic Methodist congregations throughout Florida.  Over the two nights and three days, I practiced Spanish with my Cuban roommate, enjoyed a break from the city, and hung out with the youth, who were going through absolute turmoil! And I was blessed to see how the healing of a broken relationship was a powerful experience for everyone in the group. Now several of the youth have formed a planning team so that all the work is not shouldered by one person.  I am a sort of support person for the team. But we're struggling more than ever with attendance. Please keep the Wesley youth and young adults in your prayers as we go through this period of change, with lots of growing pains!

I've been on a poetry kick lately, so I'll include a poem I really enjoyed. It was written after Hurricane Andrew, and I include it in honor of our near miss from Tropical Storm Noel (which didn't really come that close—but it's still as close as I've gotten to a hurricane). It's by Georgia Brown.

Aftermath
Hurricane Andrew 1992

And now we hear the birds,
watch purple sky,
see the stars fall asleep.

And now we know home
not by shutters
but by who is there with us.

And finally we take the time
  to hold on as we fall asleep.
And finally we take the time
  to realize we lost it all.
And finally we take the time
  to realize we have it all.

And we thank God.

And I thank God for you all—the friendship and mentorship you've given me over the years.

Love,

Andrea Baker