Finding Community in Arizona

November 8, 2020 by Tanya Wareham

I’ve worked at a retirement campus for several hundred senior citizens for about three years now. I started as an activity coordinator, facilitating recreational activities, exercise, and social opportunities for the residents. I love going to work every day and working with the geriatric population. There is no end to the stories that they can tell, and I feel honored to learn from them as well as create a space that feels like home for them.

I am currently studying Occupational Therapy and plan to use it in the long run in the geriatric field. Initially I hope to go overseas with a nonprofit organization, to get some experience outside of first world America. There is also so much opportunity in the geriatric community as well, and I can see myself starting up a group home or home health endeavor targeted specifically to the elderly population. This is where I could see myself working long term with the elderly, which seems to be an underserved population in America in need of attention, care, and love. Occupational therapy offers a unique approach to therapy that is very holistic and puts the needs of the client at the center, while using interventions specific to the client to help them achieve the best quality of life possible. It has been so great to work with different OTs (as occupational therapists are called) and see the care and intentionality that goes into the profession. I am so close to graduating, and ready to get into the field!

But of course, work and school are not all I do. When I first came to Arizona, I was lucky to come into contact with an ecumenical fellowship in Phoenix. They have become family and community to me over the years that I have lived here. This group, Apprenticeship to Jesus, consists of families and singles in the Phoenix area who want to live a life for Christ together. Gathering currently looks different due to the ongoing pandemic that is affecting every person. We were meeting via Zoom and now are enjoying getting back together to worship, pray, and gather. There is some incredible musical talent in this group as well, so socializing in our houses often involves some form of jamming. I have found such solid friends among this group.

Growing up at the Bruderhof was an amazing experience with so many memories and values that will forever guide my life and dreams. Creative, hard, meaningful work was something that I grew up valuing, and now it is how my days are filled. I started a flower business, which has always been a dream, and it was directly because of all the practice that I had growing up getting ready for weddings, decorating for Christmas, and making so many table centerpieces for communal meals. My idea with the flower business was to help people create the beautiful moments that they envision, by generally being someone who is as excited about it as they are.

Other important things that I learned growing up were valuing friends, enjoying the outdoors, hospitality, and generosity. It is always fun for me to bake something – maybe a pie or cookies – and then bring it over to someone’s house as a gift. Little things can be some of the best gifts, and help to bring smiles and friendship. I have found some awesome adventure buddies as well, and we go out on frequent adventures, like hiking from Rim to Rim in the Grand Canyon, or exploring the fourteen-thousand-foot mountains and alpine lakes of Colorado. Wherever I go, I bring with me the values, and the love for Jesus and helping others, that I learned as a child.

Tanya Wareham grew up at the Bruderhof. She now lives in Phoenix, Arizona where she is studying Occupational Therapy and working at a retirement home.