“Willingness to jump into all sorts of unexpected situations.” Though perhaps included as a catch-all in most job descriptions, as I look back at the description for my AV position at HELP of Ojai, it strikes me that this line captures an important theme – the unexpected – that has underscored my entire experience as an Augustinian Volunteer.
Coming into this program as a 22-year-old recent college graduate, I expected that I would spend most of my time with young adults going through similar life experiences. I never would have guessed, back in August, that one of my closest relationships would be with the 86-year-old man with whom I co-managed the HELP’s Thanksgiving food program. I first met Len when he dropped into the office one September afternoon to see how things were going on my end. What I had expected to be a courteous professional relationship evolved into a wonderful friendship. One day I was walking in downtown Ojai and waved to Len as he drove by in his truck, and he was waiting to say hello to me when I returned to HELP’s office. After a long morning on the day of the Thanksgiving meal deliveries, he gave me a hug and said, “You’ve done really good work. I’m proud of you.” And he and his wife graciously invited our community to spend Thanksgiving dinner with their family, since they knew our families were thousands of miles away.
