chuckthree

Reflections of an ArtSeed Volunteer

The day after the presidential election, I was feeling pretty down and hopeless. In addition to Hillary not becoming president, I had recently been laid off from a job. I found myself in the Labyrinth garden at the Park Presidio United Methodist Church on Geary and 7^th Avenue. I walked the labyrinth a couple times and sat down and meditated. As I started to leave, a big beautiful dog came into the garden and jumped up and kissed me. “Amos” had felt my pain. Seconds later, Pastor Caiti appeared out of nowhere. She introduced herself as the pastor of PPUMC and invited me to come to church services the upcoming Sunday.

I knew there was something missing from my life. I needed to belong to a community. I needed to have more spirituality in my life. I also needed to re-connect with my art, my photography. I saw the ArtSeed banner hanging outside of the garden. Something clicked.

As soon as I walked into the church on Sunday, I felt all the burden and hopelessness immediately lift from my shoulders. I met Josefa Vaughan, the executive director of ArtSeed after the service and she invited me upstairs to visit the studios. I had found my new home! I felt the love and peace and the sense of belonging. I immediately volunteered my services with ArtSeed. After all, I had a lot of time on my hands since I was not working.Read More »ArtSeed Team Spotlight: Jewli Judd