i entered the brotherhood as a young man with little experience of reality. what i have learned, i have learned at the tutelage of my brothers. it was my brothers who encouraged me to complete my bachelor's degree, years after i thought i had left formal schooling long behind. it was my brothers who gave me the necessary kicks to grow and develop in so many ways.
one of us has said that those entering the brotherhood must be prepared to give up what was dearest to them. it is not always true that this happens, but it does so often, and he is right that we must be ready for it when it does. i have also experienced that loss, and indeed, i continue to do so. but i know that what i have lost, is what i have voluntarily given away, and that i have received a double measure in return, pressed down, running over.
my brothers are not brothers as if that were a title. they are my family. with no disrespect to my natural family (whom i love dearly and with whom i am quite close), it is in the brotherhood that i have found the support, the love of God, and the religious community i have always longed for.
not everyone is called to this life. most christians do not need this sort of structure. but it was, and is, essential to me.
