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| Courtyard at Bridge Meadows (photo credit: Brooke Van Roekel) |
Bridge Meadows is an intergenerational housing community where "foster youth find permanent homes, adoptive parents find support to raise healthy families, and elders are able to re-engage in a purpose-filled life." (Bridge Meadows collateral) In short, it is doing something truly amazing in Portland. It is intentionally creating community and support systems across multiple generations. Children who have been in the foster care system find permanence with their adoptive families and the elders get a sense of meaningful purpose. It was modeled after Hope Meadows, outside of Chicago, and Treehouse, in Massachusetts.
Living at Bridge Meadows
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| The library at Bridge Meadows (photo credit: Brooke Van Roekel) |
Bridge Meadows is fortunate enough to be blessed with access to terrific resources. When I was there last week, a nurse was holding office hours that the elders could sign-up for. A member of the community wanted to donate her time to offer Tai Chi. The previous weekend, a photographer donated his time and talent to take photos of the families. The children got to decide who was in their family. Because of the strong community that exists, some children identified 20 people! That's just the kind of place it is and the kind of community they are fostering.
The 'Power of We': A New Family is created
The day I spent with Renee was a very special day at Bridge Meadows. An adoption ceremony was taking place. I hadn't fully processed what this would entail, but when I got to witness it, I was incredibly honored to be there. One of the members, a single woman, was adopting three children. Instead of performing this ceremony in a courtroom, where it traditionally happens, it was arranged to take place in the community room at Bridge Meadows, in front of all of the residents, the whole family at Bridge Meadows.
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| The Community Room decorated for the ceremony (photo credit: Brooke Van Roekel) |
What made this ceremony so special was how intentional it was and the thought that the mother had put into it. It was an amazing display of creating meaning with this very significant event for everyone. The young boys, her two sons, were dressed in button-down shirts and ties, and her daughter was wearing a bright pink dress, very special dress that I suspect may have been bought for just this occasion. All four of them, along with the judge, stood at the front of the room. Mom opened the ceremony with a song to her kids. Beautifully singing Jason Mraz's song, "I won't give up" a cappella, the tears started flowing from everyone in the room. The judge performed all of her duties, making the pronouncements of the adoptions and signing all of the necessary paperwork - the documentation of the adoption and the birth certificates. After that, the mother had given each of her children a bag of colored sand. As each child poured their sand into a jar on the table, Mom read what the color represented and the qualities that each child embodied, and there was a color for her, too. This was the blending of their family becoming one. She then presented a medal to each of the boys and a necklace to the little girl, a symbol of her commitment to each of them and a reminder of the strength they each possessed. The tears really never stopped throughout the whole ceremony.
The room and the community erupted with pure joy and elation when everything was final. The celebrating could begin. Pans of lasagna were brought out along with baguettes, and everyone began to dig in. There were hugs, tears, and smiles from everyone.
They say that it takes a village to raise a child. This is a community that is doing just that. It is a community that believes in the Power of WE.
Next week, you'll get to hear Renee's amazing journey and the incredible work she does each and every day.
*Out of respect for the new family, I have purposefully omitted their names.
