The Art of Loving is Alive and Well at Noah Homes
“Love is the active concern for the life and the growth of that which we love.” - Erich Fromm, The Art of Loving
Since 1983, Noah Homes has been providing exceptional residential care for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, with love always at the center of what we do.
Love, as social philosopher Erich Fromm said, is a practice, an artistic act. We see love in action every day at Noah Homes, from the interactions between residents and staff (both in the homes and in the administrative office), and the relationships (romantic and platonic) between residents, and between our families and the community. We see love in action when we welcome a new resident into one of our homes, and another form of love, grief, when a resident passes away.
It is the connection between us all that makes Noah Homes the community it is today.
We sat down with two of our residents to ask them about the different forms of love they’ve experienced in their lives:
JEAN & LEAH
Leah of Casa de Esperanza talked candidly of her boyfriend of two years, Jean (who lives in Casa de Palmas). When asked why she loves him, she said: “I love him because he’s a good person to me. He’s a good listener, dancer, and singer. He loves sports as much as I do.” She smiled and added, “He’s awesome, dude.”
Jean and Leah are inseparable; the two of them always dance together at parties, chat about their favorite sports teams (Leah loves the Philadelphia Eagles and Jean, the San Diego Padres), and attend country concerts together. The act of spending time together and sharing their interests is how they share their love.
CHRISTINA
To Christina of Casa de Caridad, love is: “Caring for my favorite people. To me, that’s my mom and dad. I’m grateful for them, and they’re my role models.”
Christina’s parents are her biggest supporters, encouraging her to be herself, openly show love to others, and be the best athlete that she can be.
As our folks have expressed, love comes in a variety of different forms – familial, platonic, and romantic, to name a few – and it is expressed and acted upon in different ways and is in its best form when it is intentional.
What does love and friendship mean to you? How do you express love to others?