I am now on a schedule of working 40 hours in 3 days. I get off Saturday 7 a.m. and don’t have to go back to work till Wednesday 2:30 p.m. But Kimberly wants me to be on a day schedule (and I prefer it too), so after a few hours sleep on Saturday, I have to get up so I can sleep Saturday night. I see Kimberly only a couple of hours Wednesday through Saturday morning, and this week she left for Chicago on Saturday. She won’t be back till Wednesday (when I start my work marathon), and then she leaves on Sunday for another 6 day trip, so we won’t see each other for two weeks.
Whenever she’s getting ready to leave town I think about all the things I can do with her not here… watch CSI as much as I like, leave dirty dishes in the sink, have complete control of the house, watch action movies. Then she leaves, and I can’t enjoy anything because I miss her so much! This isn’t fair!
She’s on a L’Arche national spirituality commission (her trip to Chicago) and she’s coordinating a retreat for new L’Arche members in Maryland the following week. I am at the bottom of the hierarchy ladder, but she has a leadership position and makes better money. For some reason that doesn’t bother me, not even when she was directly over me (which she no longer is). I respect her for her insight, experience, and ability in this field. I don’t see myself working here long term, but it works for me during this time of reorientation in my life–especially regarding marriage and spiritual/emotional health. But I feel a very significant lack of good friends in the area (especially when Kimberly is gone).
I need friends who have my perspective on spiritual/emotional growth to encourage me and stimulate me. I can’t imagine being able to grow as I have if it weren’t for Berly, but we both feel we need others with whom to bond on this journey. Of course some folks may have our perspective without being a match in personality. Maybe E-harmony needs to come up with a match-making service for friends!
Janathan Grace Reflections 
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