Share The Love
We’ve all heard the phrase, what does it mean to you?
I’m thinking about all the new veterans we have coming to Bastion these days. They are coming to find housing, to participate in the Wellness Intensive, to learn about what we offer, etc. They come for a variety of reasons but ultimately, it’s about community and connection – what Bastion does best! Of course it’s not perfect here. We are all human and everything has its challenges. At the end of the day though, we care about each other and we cherish our community. Bastion residents are so blessed to live here, to be part of a family. Sometimes we don’t recognize how valuable it is to feel welcomed, cared for and supported. Not every veteran feels that way, but I think they all deserve to feel it. And at Bastion, that is what we aim to do.
There’s about a handful of veterans that have joined our community since the Wellness Intensive in February. These folks have become beloved friends – joining us for events like Bible Study, walking group, Warrior Writers, game nights and more. I am grateful that you have made space for them and showed them that they belong here. Some of you have even learned their names!
Over the past month, I have sat down with about a dozen veterans learning about their deployments, injuries, hobbies, jobs, what they’re dealing with today and much more. They have taken a major step and decided to get some support from people they don’t know, and to try new things. They have committed to spending eight weeks with Bastion in our Wellness Intensive.
I hope you can be willing and able to open up your community, your heart to more veterans. Can you help a fellow veteran feel welcome at our table? Will you help a fellow vet remember that they are not alone? Will you let another veteran know that they are cared for? Can you show that we as a community can offer understanding, a smile, a helping hand, and reassurance that they’re not alone, that we can get through this together?
As we prepare to welcome more veterans and grow our community, I hope that we can continue to honor, enhance, and uplift ourselves and each other. Acknowledgement and appreciation of your own progress, as well as your neighbors really makes a difference and goes a long way. Of course, we all have our moments, so forgiveness and
second chances are also critical. We have all needed them and we all deserve them.
I am hopeful that every veteran who participates in the Wellness Intensive can find a sense of support from the group, from the staff and from the entire Bastion family. This expansion of our hearts, of our community is especially important to think about as the new Veteran Wellness Center is being built before our eyes. This fall there will be more veterans and family members to laugh with at coffee cart, to shake with during TRE, to walk with on Tuesday mornings, to antagonize at game night, to dance with at our monthly concerts. I am so honored to walk beside you as we nurture this beautiful growing community.