When you're sleeping out in a dusty field, exposed to the heavens and surrounded by a million strangers, it's very important to have good neighbors.
I was worried about this at the World Youth Day vigil, because my small group came in late and were not able to find vacant real estate near our larger group. In fact, there did not seem to be space anywhere.
Finally, however, I scouted an uneven patch of exposed ground that might fit a few sleeping mats. Apologetically, I turned to the people in the vicinity to express my intention to "move into the neighborhood"... and they smiled, welcomed us, and rolled back their tarps and sleeping pads to make room for us. Later, I went on a tour of our section and got disoriented returning back, and it was the Senegalese sister who was our neighbor who saw my confusion and waved me over. That night, we shared headphones listening to Pope Francis' words.
Out under the stars, in a dusty, rocky field, I slept quite soundly, surrounded by my Senegalese Marists, a Portuguese family with a baby, part of my small group, and a man I never met whose head I probably kicked in my sleep. Good neighbors make all the difference.
*The picture attached shows the place where I slept for the vigil!*
- Sr. Agnes Therese Davis, T.O.R.
