Author Archives: oliviadower

The government has called the city to shut down (malls closings, churches locking their doors, playgrounds taped up, tables put away in restaurants, etc.) but The Dale has been making some adjustments to keep going, amidst the closures, following the new rules that pop up day to day. Many have asked me what The DaleContinue reading “The Dale Carries On”

So I am currently self-isolating for 14 days due to my trip out of the country. Sunday I journeyed through the Orlando airport security, sat in a completely full airplane, and got temporarily stranded in the Toronto airport- all with this fear in the back of my mind from the panic I’ve read on socialContinue reading “Thoughts From Isolation”

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.”  Psalm 28:7 I have recently been reading from the Psalms. I wanted to read another book of the Bible, but during this time of my life,Continue reading “February Joy”

If you know me, you would know that I struggle with public speaking. No matter the crowd- even in one of my small classes of six students in college- I was very nervous. Nevertheless I still end up doing public speaking a lot in my life and though it is a challenge, it always turnsContinue reading “An Encouraging Silence”

A new year can be deceiving. It comes with this idea of a fresh start, but the start of another day with a different name doesn’t erase what happened the weeks before.  During our first Monday drop-in of the year, I sat down at a table to join a group for lunch. As we chatted,Continue reading “A New Year, a fresh start?”

Now it has officially been more than a month since I started here at The Dale… and I really do love it! There is something special about an open door. A space with an open invitation, open to anyone in the community, embracing them with open arms. Attitudes shift when you tell someone they areContinue reading “An Open Door”