Storming

As a social worker, we talk about the stages of a group or a community - and in shorthand, we say, "Forming, norming, storming, performing and adjourning" and variations thereof.  Our group here has certainly formed - community created.  And normed - settled in to the routine, getting to know one another.  Storming, with a group such as this,  simply means becoming comfortable enough to be uncomfortable - to face the challenging aspects, knowing that what one says will be treated gently.  Storming is where I am right now - acknowledging that there are some tough questions here, with no easy answers.  What may seem black and white to some is actually very complex.
 One question - how will the lay Marist role play out in the larger institute?
Are we merely helpers to the brothers?  Are we full partners?  Is a lay call to being Marist as valid as that of a brother?  What do you think?   It would be great for us to hear from  you WHILE WE ARE STILL HERE!  Please send along your thought in the comment section,

And just so have at least one photo here - this was our prayer around the fire this morning.  We had to choose a color that represented our feelings now - blue for strength and energy, green for harmony and hope, white for spirituality and faith, yellow for stability and depth.  We hung them on the line so we could see all that was represented.

Guess which colors we picked...