To review, in last week’s post I committed to writing one or two anonymous notes of kindness to staff, interns, program participants, and volunteers at Boaz & Ruth. It was a strategy to make myself recognize more of the positive things happening at the organization along with affirm people anonymously, which is often more powerful than signing one’s name. Well, I excitedly followed through with my plan, using a distinctly pattered note pad with a little puppy on the top. Trying to remain as mysterious as possible, I also wrote all of them in sloppy cursive so it looks nothing like my own handwriting. I would leave the notes mainly on people’s desks in places I knew they would find them, but where they wouldn’t be obvious to someone walking by. I dropped six throughout the week. In picking people to write them to, I would try to identify somebody who was having a rough day so they could serve as a pick-me-up.
I was wondering how long it would take before one of my ‘victims’ would mention something about the notes. I had no idea if it would be mid-week or never. Well, during the affirmation circle on Friday afternoon, my question was answered (the affirmation circle is the daily closing routine at B&R where everybody holds hands in a circle to recognize the positive things that happened throughout the day). In the circle, Claude pulled out a note I had dropped to him earlier that morning and read it aloud. He asked if anybody knew who had written it, but I of course kept my mouth shut and tried to look as least suspecting as possible. The most remarkable thing, though, was that none of the other five people I had left notes with were present at the circle! Therefore, there was no realization that other people had received notes, which I prefer. I think the notes will lose a bit of effectiveness once people realize they are not the only one’s receiving them.
The other topic I found coming up a lot this week at Boaz & Ruth was the role that faith plays in the workplace of a faith-based organization such as B&R. I had never really experienced a faith-based program or organization besides church before coming to Richmond, so needless to say I was intrigued from day one on what role faith would play on me personally and on the organization as a whole.
Personally, I have found the integration of faith in work as rewarding to my personal spirituality. The change I’ve experienced has gradual rather than dramatic, but nonetheless noticeable. Meetings and classes are typically opened and closed with prayer. We will also pray to close out the day in the affirmation circle, and there is a 30 minute staff prayer/bible study each week. Even though most of the prayers are short, I find the act of praying on a regular basis to be beneficial. It helps me reflect on different aspects of the day and remain grateful for the many blessing God has given me. It has also challenged me to be a better Christian in my everyday actions.
Organizationally, the situation is a bit more interesting and complex. This was highlighted by a few particular examples that happened in the past week. Besides praying in the ways I mentioned above, the is another daily prayer for staff and interns at B&R called ‘daily renunciations.’ Every morning at 8:15, the staff will gather to renounce the major issues facing the organization, announce the desired outcomes in their place, affirm the statement with scripture, and then state desired action steps. There is a set list of 9 major issues for which the renunciations, annunciations, affirmations, and outcomes are repeated every day. We will go through the same routine for 40 straight work days with the hope that daily repletion with influence our behaviors and lead to improvement.
This week, we were reaching the midpoint in the 40-day journey, and more and more staff were failing to show up. On Thursday, when only four people showed up, we went through the usual routine and were about to depart when Wendy, the Finance & HR person, asked, “Do any of you think this is actually doing any good?” What ensued was an hour-long discussion about the effectiveness of this routine and similar practices. The reality that was apparent to all of us was few of these issues were actually seeing improvement. We were trying to get the most out of these sessions and apply them into our daily actions, but we were frustrated that others didn’t feel the same sense of urgency. I think we all realized that proclaiming scripture and praying for intervention from God is useful, but only if one uses the scripture and prayer as motivation for action.
The other incident directly involved me and my preparation to lead the weekly staff prayer/Bible study on Tuesday morning. Like I mentioned above, I along with others felt many issues at B&R could improve if people showed through their actions what they spoke and prayed about. As many others besides me have noted, there seems to be an air of hypocrisy hanging around B&R. My Bible study was going to revolve around the importance of spiritual words AND physical deeds. I was going to model my message after a sermon I had heard at a church back in Minnesota. To demonstrate the importance of doing good deeds, I had even purchased some basic needs items- deodorant, shampoo, etc- to give to some members of staff so they could seize the opportunity to do good deeds to others. I felt this was going to be a rather powerful message. Therefore, I was disheartened when nobody showed up for the session! With this and the daily affirmations, it seemed as though staff was getting bogged down with daily tasks and forgetting the importance, especially in a faith-based nonprofit, or stepping back to reflect and explore Christianity. I will be leading the session again next week, so hopefully I’ll have a captive audience this time!
These were the views from our back porch on Wednesday evening!During the week, I had the realization that I have passed the halfway point in my journey, and now only five weeks remain. When I made a list of things I wanted to see and places I wanted to go, it signaled to me that I had better take advantage of my weekends if I was to check off everything on my list. For the record, here is my list:
· Philly
· DC
· Charlottesville (University of Virginia)
· Virginia Beach
· Williamsburg/Jamestown
· Chapel Hill/Duke
· Richmond museums (Museum of the Confederacy, Edgar Allen Poe, etc)
Well, this weekend I got to check one off my list. Over the last few weeks, I heard many people raving about the Williamsburg area and what’s dubbed “America’s Historic Triangle.” The three cities of Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown are within 30 miles of each other and signify the first permanent English settlements and essentially the birthplace of America. So I recruited one of my new friends Laura, a nurse at VCU and an ’07 graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill to spend Saturday enjoying the area.
Everything about the area was beautiful and historic, yet my experience somehow left something more to be desired. Trees, rivers, bays, and beaches were around every corner, and seemingly every building or plot of land had a piece of history behind it. Without a doubt, it is a place that every nature lover and American history buff should spend some time. Yet at the same time, to truly experience and learn the history comes at a cost- a monetary cost that is. It seemed every major historic site had a major entry fee posted to it. Even though I have been willing to spend more freely than usual to experience things while I’m out here, it seemed unnecessary to spend $10-20 at multiple places just to see some historic buildings or walk on the land where John Smith and his crew first landed. For this journey, just saying I had been there, along with enjoying the landscapes of the area would suffice. Maybe I am taking this too far, but I thought it unjust for these places to be profiting off American history, and Laura & I didn’t feel the need to support that. Luckily, there was still plenty to enjoy about the towns outside of the major historic landmarks. I will briefly explain each of the three towns below.
Our first and most forgettable stop in the journey was Yorktown. This place is famous for being the site of final battle of the Revolutionary War and has a Battlefield Museum and monument dedicated to this. And while the small white sanded beaches along the York River and the historic riverfront are welcoming, but the rest of the town was dead. There was just no excitement or energy, and it felt as though the legend of the Ghosts of Yorktown was actually true.
Laura & I did not have the chance to visit the Watermen's Museum...
The monument commemorating liberty won in the Revolutionary War
Next was Williamsburg, which was definitely the highlight of the trip. Right away, I noticed a distinctly different feel than Yorktown, with a bustling Merchant’s Square filled with historic shops and restaurants. We also strolled through the historic campus of William & Mary, which is the second oldest university in the country. Finally, the main attraction of Williamsburg is ‘Colonial Williamsburg,’ a 6-block by 4-block living history museum at the heart of town that recreates the life of colonial times. You can interact with people dressed up as blacksmiths, merchants, and other townspeople, along with meet George Washington, Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, and other colonial legends. While a ticket for the museum is $36, we accidently found ourselves enjoying some of the town without a ticket because there is no gate at the entrance. We didn’t push our luck too far though…
A statue of Jefferson on the campus of William & Mary
We stumbled upon a Publick Auction while strolling through Colonial Williamsburg
Finally there was Jamestown, which is famously known as the site of the first permanent English settlement way back in 1607. In fact, this year is officially known as “America’s 400-Year Anniversary” in the Historic Triangle. We didn’t get to see much in Jamestown, but apparently there are some ruins from the original settlement along with a reconstruction of the ships used by John Smith and his crew. There was also a flag and plaque commemorating every state in the Union…
Keeping loyal to my roots!
We arrived back in Richmond in the early evening, and, as I said, the day still left something to be desired. That gap was filled when I explored Belle Island in Richmond. I would describe the island as a haven of natural beauty within just a few minutes’ walk of downtown! The island was used as a Union POW camp during the Civil War and also the site of steel mills after the war, but now is preserved as a city park. The island offers amazing access to the unique landscape of the James River, along with scenic view of the river and the skyline. It was a fitting way to close out the day and recharge for another exciting week!
It was a fine evening to relax and enjoy a book! 
Views of the skyline
The James is known for its rapids
Quite a sunset!
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