living in community is the hardest thing i’ve ever done. i say this weekly and mean it. but in may, i found myself repeating it almost daily. conflict plagued the house, reorganization became necessary, and a lot of the house members started asking “what the heck are we doing”?

june rolled around and though a house member had moved out, a communal meal plan had been organized, and planting was in full swing; i was expecting more of the same. my lack of faith in the community had drained me and was certainly taxing my housemates. i was kind of starting to feel like i had failed at this community-building thing. and then i took a moment to stop being obsessed with my own importance, my own reputation. this whole experience is about the successes and struggles of a group of people raised in a culture that undermines collective action. it isn’t about whether or not this community of people fit into my vision of what we should be. it is about our collective process, about the community we’re becoming, about the shared vision we’re living into.

it is so very hard to let go of popular ideas of achievement, to stop regarding so highly the opinions of people who don’t do this work, and to start listening to one another. but eventually, we have gotten down to that good work and found that we like what we are doing.

pear tree in front of the sparrow community house

“to be homeless the way people like you and me are apt to be homeless is to have homes all over the place but not to be really at home in any of them. to be really at home is to be really at peace, and our lives are so intricately interwoven that there can be no real peace for any of us until there is peace for all of us.” -Frederick Buechner

tomorrow, folks in atlanta who rely on public transportation are facing a huge blow. marta (metropolitan atlanta rapid transit authority) service has always been spotty and unreliable at best. it can’t even begin to compete with bart in san francisco or the t in boston but it was what atlanta had to offer and a lot of people made due. but on april 20th, buses and trains that are going to be scrapped will be marked for elimination. facing a $120 million dollar deficit and a lack of state aid, marta will cut service. who will lose their job as the result of a lack of reliable transportation?  which communities will be cut off from services? atlanta’s unmitigated onslaught on the poor pretty much answers those and a myriad of other questions.

check out act now’s website for updates.

there are eggs in the kitchen and shovels in the soil. april is shaping up to be an eventful and incredibly promising month for the house. we’ll be planting most mornings and having dinner together 5 nights a week starting next week. if you’re feeling lonely, bored, or just want to go to bed with that accomplished, tired feeling…come by!

we’re also planning to have the next house zine printed and distributed by the end of the month. if we have your address, we’ll be sending one your way. otherwise, drop by the house and pick up a copy.

and on one final note: we need need need a tiller. the soil in our yard is clay heavy and without a tiller we will have to scrap our dreams of a community garden in favor of a community pottery shop. or we’ll have to buy a mule, and we don’t want to be those neighbors. help us out.

our chickens are moved into place thanks to our helpers, big and small, who served during the work party! thanks to everyone who cleared privetts, picked up trash, dug up the driveway, and caught runaway chickens. above, larahna, teaches three little chicken wranglers about egg laying (the eggs are in the basket).

a mysterious fax machine showed up on our doorstep a few days ago. if you have information about our new addition, give us a call or, for that matter, send a facsimile! we’d love to thank the donor.

it’s been decided…the work day will be march 14th! we’re going to try and get things under way by 11:30 am and work as long as possible. mark your calendars, friends. come for an hour or stay ‘til the sun goes down. we need your hands and your heart.

field labor #5 by michele ramirez

dear friends,

as the ground begins to thaw, we have been taking in the state of our yard and taking stock of what all needs to be done in the journey toward turning the jungle into a garden (hopefully, a community garden that can provide fruit, vegetables and flowers to the house and our friends/neighbors). Well, basically we’re a little overwhelmed.

the front of the yard looks manageable enough and we’ve started some work on it. we’ve contained the compost and started chopping wood for summertime fires.

our back lot, though, is out of control and we’re not so sure our tender little hands can do the work ourselves.

so, we came up with what we think is a fabulous idea and we want your feedback!

print by: meredith stern

the idea:

some saturday or sunday in late february or early march, we want to host a work day/party for our friends. this would be a lovely all-day affair.

we would work and tear up the land from 9-4 (or however long you can be there) and in return for our friends hard labor and solidarity, we would keep everyone after the work for a raucous, festive party!!! we’ll buy some beer, make some food and everyone would be invited to bring additional dishes or drink. We could have a fire, play some music and party like the old days until we’re too tuckered out to move.

if this suits your fancy, let us know! let us know any days that would specifically work very well for you or days that you definitely could not make it!

any additional ideas would be welcome!

love love love,

the folks at the house

we feel out of touch with our neighbors. by this point, this is definitely somewhat of a national epidemic. but i’m referring specifically to our household. so to make things right and create the community we all deserve, we’re having a little get together at the house.

next saturday, january 30th from 9:30 am to 11:30 am we’re going to host a coffee hour (don’t worry, we’ll have tea too…heck, i may even throw some biscuits in the oven). besides our personal goals of outreach to homeless friends, we know someone, maybe a person right down the street, has a vision that simply needs a space to unfold.

childcare will be offered on saturday for the really little neighbors so bring the whole family. if you can’t make it on saturday, we will have a second coffee hour monday, february 1st from 7pm to 8pm. if you have any questions, give us a call or send us an email.

we’ve got the space. you bring the vision. let’s make it happen together.

image by:

josh macphee

dr. maxwell anderson, a mentor and advocate for the trans community of georgia and abroad, passed away january 14th. his tireless efforts as a therapist and activist will not soon be overlooked.

maxwell was featured in the film southern comfort along with his best friend robert eads. over the past few years, maxwell had worked to complete a follow-up film entitled southern comforted: lives touched by the documentary.

his memorial service will be held this evening at 7pm at first christian church of decatur at 601 w. ponce de leon ave.

please keep dr. anderson’s loved ones in your thoughts.