By Tina Bolt Tina came to Joseph’s House in the fall of 2011 through the Mennonite Voluntary Service. Following her year as a full-time volunteer, Tina joined the staff as a resident care aide. She’ll be spending the summer with her family in Michigan before heading to Portland, Oregon, for her next adventures. Endings and beginnings are the …read more »
Lean on Me, the Joseph's House Blog
I Still Have Joy
May 22, 2013 by
The first week or two that Tony was at Joseph’s House he was always in such a good mood, always so cheerful that I thought, “Is this guy for real?” Turns out, he is. Tony is a chef and from the day he arrived he started cooking for the house, preferring to orchestrate big dinners. His favorite is a feast of fried croaker, steamed clams, greens, …read more »
God Came to Dinner Friday Night
May 8, 2013 by
The table was set with one of my favorite meals of quesadillas with lots of fresh toppings and sides. It was a lovely meal, though not too fancy. Some Friday nights we have guests who join for dinner, but tonight it was just “family”—residents, staff and volunteers along with one resident’s mother and another’s close friend. It was a full house and …read more »
A Visit from a Teacher and Friend
April 18, 2013 by
“How do you deal with so many losses?” Frank Ostaseski asked a group of Joseph’s House volunteers, residents and staff gathered in our living room on a bright spring morning. Neisha, one of our year-long volunteers, reflected on her cultural tradition of strong connections to the ancestors. It doesn’t stop the pain of loss, she said, but it does …read more »
A Message from Our Friend David Hilfiker, Who Was Recently Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s
March 4, 2013 by
David Hilfiker founded Joseph’s House in the summer of 1990 when his young family and three of his patients, men who were homeless and had AIDS, moved into the House to form a community of welcome. David’s roles at Joseph’s House have changed over the years, but his friendship and his pleasure as our community matures in love have only …read more »
Lean on Me
March 3, 2013 by
Our new blog is named for the Joseph’s House anthem: Lean on Me by Bill Withers. It was over 20 years ago when we first played Lean on Me at the end of a memorial service in the living room at Joseph’s House. After saying the Serenity Prayer and The Lord’s Prayer, everyone put their arms around each and stood in a close circle, the volume was …read more »