Sign of Hope

Today began bright and early. We started our day off with a little road trip to L'Arche Daybreak in Toronto. Daybreak is a L'Arche community that started out as a farming community who housed several core members and assistants. They started out raising and growing their own food, while selling eggs at the local farmers market and doing some small projects here and there. Daybreak now consists of 8 houses and has multiple day programs and jobs for core members. These programs are run by assistants and members of the community. They provide a space for core members to come and be who they truly are and to do what they love to do.


While being there, we split up and helped out at the different programs. A few of us went to the Club, the Craft Studio, the Day Program or the Woodery. While being at these day programs we became one with the community. We got the beautiful opportunity to work along side the core members and to be included in the process of making a final product, whether it be a wheel, cookies, clay, or just good memories.  In the Woodery, we made circle wheels that would be sold in craft stores. Some of the jobs consisted of cutting with a saw, painting, or just sorting and counting the objects. It was neat to be doing one step of the process and to watch the next step happen. At the Day Program some of us had the opportunity to hang out and to get some one on one time with the core members. We also had the opportunity to make cookies with the core members and to assist them in this special project. At the club some of us made shamrocks out of paper and modge podged canvases with newspaper as a base for a later project. At the craft studio some of us got to cut out clay crosses or flowers along with getting to watch and learn how to make paper because L'Arche Day Break makes their own. Around lunch time some of us got to spend a few minutes doing meditation that was led by a core member which was very special. We then finished our day at these programs after learning to become one with the community. As we prepared to head back to Hamilton, we were blessed with beautiful medallion necklaces that were made just for us by a few of the core members. On them they have the L'Arche logo along with the saying "sign of hope."

In the afternoon we started to head back for dinner within our homes in Hamilton.This time was such a sacred time for us all as we have grown very close to our designated homes, along with the core members and assistants. In these times, we got to spend quality time with everyone while enjoying a home cooked meal and sharing stories about our days. The stories we gain along with making memories to take along the road with us are ones that we truly will cherish forever.

Later this evening we went to a little cafe called 541 which is also called a button cafe. The buttons serve a purpose for those who do not have enough money or no money at all. People can grab a button or 2 to help to pay for a meal or a cup of coffee. This little cafe closed their doors at 7 and allowed L'Arche to come in and run a fundraiser. It had an entrance fee of a donation of whatever you could give. This fundraiser consisted of a bake sale, beverages such as coffee, hot chocolate and hot apple cider. For our part, we sold baked goods at the counter as well as ran the donation table. They had live music along with a sale of crafts that were made by some of the core members. It was so moving to see all the core members and assistants come together to do such a beautiful job. It was very touching to see the amount of people from within the community purchase baked goods or drinks or who just came out to support the local cause of L'Arche Hamilton.

Over the past few days, L'Arche has become more than just L'Arche. It has become a place of generosity, new relationships. memories, love, and most of all, family. We have been so welcomed and overwhelmed with love. It has created in us a new joy, and has given us new outlooks on life. For many it has become a new opportunity in life, or it has even become a sign of hope for the future.