The Gift of Newcomers

I am learning little by little what a gift newcomers are to me. After four years in the program, I am beginning to feel passionate about being intentionally welcoming and connecting with newcomers.

I’ve learned that it is myself that I am seeing when they walk into the rooms. The love, welcome, and nurture I extend to the newcomer, I am also extending to my broken and scared self. I am making amends for how I’ve mistreated myself over the years. I am now showing up for that broken person I was in ways I was incapable of doing at that time.

As an introvert who avoided social situations, I could not have foreseen that I would be the person making my way over to a new face to greet them. As a guarded person, I wouldn’t have guessed that I would freely share details I found shameful with a person I barely know.

I came into this program filled with fear and doubt, where suppression was a way of life. Stepping into my very first service position as a group representative started me on a journey of growth beyond my realm of possibilities at that time.

In this program, I have learned that my greatest growth and the most treasured act of service is when I connect with a newcomer. I couldn’t be more grateful.