The most meaningful relationships in my life have always been with older adults whether it was with my own grandparents, my adoptive grandma Barb, or any of my Wingate friends. Through FriendshipWorks I have created another meaningful relationship with Fr John.

❝Every Monday at 2pm I spend time with Fr. John; we talk about his time living in the Solomon Islands, discussing any random topic I can think of, or enjoying Dunkin coffee. He lovingly talks of days where he ate tuna every day for lunch or drank from his rain barrel. (It really puts my mouse problem into perspective) I happily show him pictures of my dog, tell him about my housemates, and learn how to sit in shared silence (truly a new experience).

My placement is with FriendshipWorks, an organization whose mission is to create social connection and reduce elder isolation in Boston. FriendshipWorks addresses this by matching volunteers with older adults for friendship and assistance. I didn’t expect to feel isolated myself. One of the unexpected challenges of my year has been working remotely three days a week. I found myself feeling lost without the constant community I felt in college. I decided to make an additional community, one I could feel a part of when my housemates were at work.

These Monday meetings have quickly become the best part of my JVC experience. When looking at our weekly time together one could easily assume Fr. John is getting more than I am from these visits. That could not be further from the truth. The Monday meetings give me a reason to get out of the house on work-from-home days and more than once Fr. John has helped me when I arrive at our visits anxious. Community looks different than I thought it would at the beginning of my year but I would not change the opportunity to have my Mondays with Fr. John.❞