Tossing Pebbles in the Stream

Our Roxbury Home Posted by Picasa

This is our Roxbury home while I was in seminary. This 250 year old wooden house was our urban renewal project. It had a two story Greek revival porch on the front. I don't think the outside had been painted in 100 years. I enjoyed living in this inner city black neighbourhood. While we lived there, we were never from there for we could easily leave, unlike many of our neighbours. Living here was "real" with people, through their struggles created meaning and community. I always felt welcome, even though I was an outsideer. I remember well going to a community memorial service for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. the day after his death. I was the only white person there in a hall filled with several hundred people. Dr. King remains an inspiration for me.

In a way, I regret not going to Oxford for a year in order work on this house. I spent the year being the gypsy student taking classes at Harvard, Boston University and Andover-Newton Theological School, while trying to fix up this house. They were good years.