Wait a minute... somebody's missing!

Our L'Arche office administrator and jill-of-all-trades has returned to Ireland for two weeks for her brother’s funeral. I’ve been filling in for her this week, and already I've lost count of the times that core members have come to ask me where Carmel has gone and when she will be back. Several of them patrol the building on a regular basis to greet all the office staff, and every time they came to the door of Carmel's office on Monday, they did a double take because someone special was missing. I had to remind them again where she was and when she would return.

To me, the community’s love and concern for one missing person is always a very touching sign of their deep affection. I hope Carmel knows how much she is missed. I know that when she returns, there will be cards and signs to welcome her back, because L'Arche is founded on love, whether a community member is present or not.