Across Generations: Young and Old, Side by Side

One of the quiet pleasures of these gatherings is the mix of ages in the room — grandparents and grandchildren, working parents and students, all at the same tables.

Younger and older members worked side by side. The younger ones brought speed, a quick way with the record-keeping and a phone for the translations; the older ones brought patience, and the stories that turn a task into a shared morning.

Passing something on

For young people growing up in Northern Ireland, far from where their parents grew up, an afternoon like this is a thread back to where they come from — a chance to hear the language, the names, the small customs that might otherwise fade. For the elders, there is the comfort of seeing that thread held, and of being needed by the young.

A community that keeps itself

Something is exchanged in both directions that has nothing to do with stoma supplies, and everything to do with a community staying whole across the generations. The next consignment moved forward; so did the bonds that will outlast it. [INSERT: a detail or photo from this session.]