Discovering Connections

Kathleen Erickson, RSM, shared this reflection in the Spring 2001 issue of "Crossing Borders," the Newsletter of the Women's Intercultural Center, located in Anthony, New Mexico. Her piece has been modified slightly, with permission.

The Women's Intercultural Center has always seemed to me to have a life of its own. From a group of women meeting in borrowed rooms to get to know one another and learn about different topics, it quickly became a place for women, a place to gather, cry, laugh, learn, and celebrate.

The Center has grown, and as we approach our construction project, intending to learn how to build out of used tires, I have to remind myself daily that it is the process that's important. The process is one of learning, of growth. I'm referring to more than the variety of topics and the delight of new skills being learned. I mean the connections made between tutors and students, the realization that there is so much more to learn, the growth of staff members, including myself, who are stretched to think differently, try new ideas, and meet daily challenges, (like grant writing).

I mean the discoveries made by people who come to learn about the border. The struggle of Border Experience Participants who leave the comfort of their middle-class homes to put themselves in a vulnerable position at the border is truly inspiring. Their learning about how wealth and poverty impact each other adds a dimension to our work here that challenges us all. It reminds me repeatedly that we are all in the process of discovering connections: among wealth, poverty, environment, faith, people, cultures and experience.