Accompaniment

With my running buddy
at the half marathon

A week ago I finished a half marathon in Madison, Wisconsin with my roommate and running partner, Melissa! (She's also training for the Chicago Marathon this year). This is the second half marathon I've run, but the difference between the two was like night and day. The first time was a BIG struggle to make it to the finish line (I kept questioning my own sanity in choosing to run the race in the first place) and felt like I couldn't take another step afterwards. In contrast, I ran my second half marathon several minutes faster and afterwards felt like I could have gone another several miles. While I think the weather was a big deciding factor in how I felt during those races (80 degrees versus 60 makes a huge difference), I also think that having a running partner really helped. Put another way, having someone accompany me made all the difference!

In a similar way, as a staff at Taller de José we believe that we are able to successfully accompany our clients only because we also accompany each other. Our clients benefit when we collaborate to find the best solutions to their situations, and we benefit when we support each other emotionally after a tough case or a long day. We do our best to avoid burnout or "compassion fatigue" when we make an effort to eat lunch all together and share the "state of the heart" prayer at the start of our staff meetings. Right now, I appreciate being able to commiserate about squeezing in early morning runs, dealing with aches and pains, and trying to satisfy our now voracious appetites. But even when neither running nor work-specific topics are the center of conversation, I benefit from simply being in the presence of my workplace community. It reminds me of the lesson my clients have taught me so many times: sometimes what I'm actually able to accomplish with them is less important that the simple fact that I am with them.

I am a strong believer in the ministry of accompaniment, and I am so grateful to be a part of the staff at Taller de José as well as running for Team Taller de José. My clients give me a reason to run, but it's the support of my friends and co-workers that make it possible for me to actually go the distance.

Four Generations of Amate Volunteers at Taller de José are training for this year's marathon!

Team Taller de José from left to right: Maeve, Kerry, Fr. Bob, myself, and Lisa