ANAM CARA — A LIVING EXPERIMENT
I can no longer lift something that weighs 100 pounds. But Beth and I together can. And if we add in the assistance of my brother Jerry, we can lift 150 pounds. Invite Beth’s brother Paul to the party, and we can now clear 200 pounds — probably even more. I cite this as an example of “cooperative effort.” Many years ago, I became conscious of the struggle some of our friends who were more advanced in years were having maintaining their independence, living on their own, and functioning in today’s world where multi-generational households are a rarity. It seemed quite clear to me then — and even more so now as I have gotten older — that aging is better faced in packs rather than alone.
Within about a week, my older brother — Father Bill (who has now fully retired from service as a Catholic priest) will be joining us to make his home here in Montrose at our Anam Cara ranch. Bill will represent the fourth family unit to reside at Anam Cara as Beth’s brother Paul and my other brother Jerry have been residing with us for several years. Our ages will now range from 57 to 73 — not exactly ancient but no “spring chickens” in the bunch either. With the entry of Bill into our midst, we are doing now what maybe should have been begun earlier — we are defining the purpose, intentions, and objectives for this “shared living” arrangement.
On the physical level of form, we hope to pool our talents, resources, and energy to help each other live fruitful and fulfilling lives. When something needs to be done or when one of us has a personal problem, we will address the solution collectively rather than individually. On the level of spirit, we hope to create an environment where the ongoing daily focus is on living a life of presence and increased awareness of our spiritual nature. We intend to foster a true “spiritual partnership.”
 So what will that look like? Beats me. It’s a mystery, but one that is about to unfold. As we settle into this “life experiment”, our intention is that it bear spiritual fruit — not just enough to serve our own needs but an abundance that we can also share with you, our extended spiritual community. So stay tuned for further developments, please welcome Bill when you see him, and by the way, Anam Cara is Gaelic/Celtic for “a soul-level relationship.”
Bob Murphy
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A Lenten Study for Folks Like Us!
