Novel Examines Healing Journeys in Context of FaithBased Intentional Communities and the Danger of Taking Feeling of Perceived Hurt and Woundedness too Far



Delgado, the founding disabled resident of a community in Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic, has railed against his lot in life since he was born and rejected most of the attempts to more fully integrate him into the life of the community. When Juan, a young male care worker, enters the picture Delgado becomes more amenable. However, he takes a step backwards when Juan leaves to undertake similar work in a community in the Deep South of the United States. Juan faces struggles adapting to the new culture and community.

In communities set up with the express purpose of offering a home to people marginalised on account of their being seen as different, a great learning / healing experience can be undergone, both by the residents being cared for and their carers. A common humanity often rises to the surface, blotting out apparent differences, as those sharing the lifestyle support and enable each other to grow.

The author of Proper Respect for a Wound has spent more than ten years living and working with marginalised groups, among them refugees, homeless people and disabled people, in intentional communities.

A danger for some living in environments where there is a marked emphasis on healing is that they can fall into the trap of wallowing in their hurt. Unprepared to relinquish cockeyed perceptions of the world, they can reject the very process that would enable them to move forward.





Novel Examines Healing Journeys in Context of FaithBased Intentional Communities and the Danger of Taking Feeling of Perceived Hurt and Woundedness too Far