The Beloved Community
I have been interested in community life and intentional living communities for some time. I remember reading about the Baguinages of the Dark Ages, communities of women not able to pay to enter the abbey's so they would form their own, less-strict, communitites of faith and care for the marginalized in their area (orphans, widows, homeless, diseased, etc). Some of these became cities onto themselves, walled, with hospitals, schools and libraries. I was reminded of this a I walked through Occupy Portland, watching them care and feed the marginalized citizens of our fair city.
I came very close to moving into two eco-villages, one developed on the co-housing model where you purchase your unit and the other on a rental model. But I was also interested in the acitivist side of the equation. After reading more about Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin I landed at Whitefeather Peace House for a bit. The Catholic Worker movement is a network of houses of hospitality that provide for basic human needs for the homeless while also participating in actions against injustice and war. Regrettably I had health issues related to the area or the house that caused increasing breathing difficulty and headaches. My next experiment landed me in Sappho De Ville. Again, this is a rental model where the homeowners have opened their home and family to the larger community of women. My 7 year old enjoys this more as there are other children in the house. I do miss the activist edge and the presence of another person deeply committed to promoting nonviolence in this world.
I'm not sure where the next experiment will be, but I've learned that community can be not only a great help as a single momma, but also a great challenge.
Whitefeather Peace House
Whitefeather Peace House is inspired by the Dorothy Day model of a Catholic Worker but with the special focus on assisting the activist and student community in Portland. The house is owned by Tom Hastings, a plowshares activist and professor in the conflict resolution program at Portland State University. Tom offers roundtable discussions regularly that feature a speaker or film on topics both critical and timely in our dynamic world. This gives the local community an opportunity to voice their ideas to a larger group and get feedback. Keep and eye on the events calendar if you're interested in attended such an event.
To learn about other local peace education events join the listserv at https://lists.riseup.net/www/info/peacejusticeportland
U.S. Cohousing Association
More and more people are seeing the wisdom of community life. It's a move from competitive life that has drained us of all our energy for a couple generations now to a cooperative lifestyle where the children are cared for by more than two adults and a daycare, and the work of gardening, cleaning and maintaining are shared by many according to skill and ability. It's far from utopian. Living in community means give and take and not everyone is ready for this lifestyle. Some people are so accustomed to the take model, or they fear that after a long day of work they will not be able to come home and rest. Most co-housing communities require very little time commitment, depending on the size of the community. The rewards, from what I hear, are many fold. If you're thinking about joining, take time to research the communities in your area, or abroad. You can find the latest listings at the U.S. Cohousing Association website. Be honest with yourself. You'll be glad you did in the long run.