A Note from Joe: Thoughts on Lancaster and Peace
Having a bit of time to reflect on my life, my time in Lancaster, the past the present and the future. The combination of another murder in town, the horrific news of an attack on a school in Pakistan and then us getting voted in the top 10 of another few national lists has me thinking.
I have been coming back and forth to Lancaster for 8 years, every year spending a little more time, every year, every month, every week and every day setting more and more roots down.
This year I sold my interests in ARA Construction Corp. that I have owned for 20 years, making Tellus360 my only work interest. I have also bought my partners out of Tellus360 and became the sole owner.
I listed my home in Annapolis for sale. When sold it will end 17 years of life owning a home in Maryland. I bought a house this summer on West Walnut that I absolutely love!
I came to America in 1988, have lived in Erie, New York City, Broadneck, and Annapolis before coming to Lancaster. In the 26 years I have been here I have never really settled until I found Lancaster.
I have lived in these other places, I have owned houses but I have never made a home. I have never given up more than I wanted to, enough to be involved on the edges but not enough to be truly invested, to hurt when things go bad, to care on that very human level.
I don’t know why Lancaster grabbed me, why I decided this was the place to call home. Maybe it was Central Market and all the great conversations, maybe it was the people who care so much, maybe it was the European architecture, and maybe it was the Mayor walking around with his bow tie living right here.
I really don’t know how Lancaster captured my heart but I do know the house I bought this year is already more a home than any I have ever lived in. I know that Tellus360 is more an expression of who I am and who I aspire to be than anything else I have done in my life.
So when I hear of shootings in town it begins to feel like I have been shot. When I hear of violence and death it feels like a little bit of me has been killed also, and when I hear of us being voted the best this or the best that it feels that I own a little of that too.
When I see Lancaster being tolerant of all I feel like I am being tolerant. When I see Lancaster being open-minded I feel I am being open-minded, when Lancaster is being generous I am generous.
When John Donne wrote the poem “For Whom the Bell Tolls” he wrote the following lines:
No man is an island,
Entire of itself.
Each is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thine own
Or of thine friend’s were.
Each man’s death diminishes me,
For I am involved in mankind.
Therefore, send not to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee.
We are in this together, rich and poor, black and white, men and women, adults and children, Arabs, catholics, Mennonites and Buddhists. When one of us is hurt we are all hurt, when any of us succeed we all succeed. When the bell tolls, it tolls for me for each mans death diminishes me for I am involved in mankind.
On December 27, Lancaster Unity is going to have a Community Peace Walk. A chance to join as a community and promote peace, a chance to love each other, to love Lancaster inclusively. Every one of us because we are in this together and together we will succeed. We will all be joining together and walking downtown–together–starting at 1 p.m, to share love and support, as opposed to violence and fear. Afterwards, all are invited back to Tellus360 for some appetizers and a chance to get to know one another and spend some time in community. No agenda. Just a community gathering for the sake of community.
Thank you Martha, Melissa, Noah, Evan and all of Lancaster Unity for giving us this opportunity to come together, to heal and to show our love for each other, our city and our world. Thank you all for allowing me to put my roots down, I am extremely grateful to have you all in my life.
I believe the love, hope and dreams of the beautiful people of Lancaster will serve as a shining light in our world for years to come.
43 Comments
Jon Coren
December 17, 2014 11:46 am
Joe,
My wife and I just moved to Lancaster in August. We have visited the city quite often during the many years that we lived in Hershey. We already feel that Lancaster is our home and cherish the diversity of its citizens. We look forward to working with other community members in improving the relationships between different constituencies. Thank you for believing in this city and taking the lead on making Lancaster even better
Bill Rowe
December 17, 2014 12:44 pm
Beautiful.
E maxwell
December 17, 2014 1:08 pm
nicely said Joe! Cheers!
Matthew Patterson
December 17, 2014 1:19 pm
Thoughtful and powerful, Joe. Thank you sharing your thoughts, insights and feelings.
Dick Massey
December 17, 2014 1:25 pm
Very well said Joe. What a fitting tribute to such a great place.
Look forward to seeing you over the holidays.
Mary Lynch-Chory
December 17, 2014 1:45 pm
Joe, these words express love on many levels. Sometimes you do not know what you have until you loose it…
You are Lancaster’s best cheerleader and advocate. The Community Peace Walk is brilliant.
Jane Shull
December 17, 2014 3:03 pm
Welcome home, Joe :)
Joe Devoy
December 17, 2014 3:39 pm
Folks thanks for all the nice comments and I am looking forward to seeing all for a few pints over the next few weeks,
Joe
Jack Nissley
December 17, 2014 5:34 pm
Cheers to ya, Joe !
Michael W. Miller
December 18, 2014 10:29 am
It is interesting to hear about your past as I am originally from Annapolis, MD. I think it’s great that you are putting so much passion into making Lancaster & Tellus 360 so unique. Next time I stop by I will introduce myself. Thanks!
Rod Houser
December 17, 2014 4:02 pm
My eyes are misty. Thanks.
Tina Golden
December 17, 2014 4:09 pm
With the recent violence and my plans to move to Lancaster city in the coming months I was beginning to get a bit nervous. Thanks for the inspiring words which renew my faith in the great community of Lancaster city and the wonderful people who make up that community. And a big thanks to Lancaster Unity and their efforts to promote peace, love and inclusion!
Jason Mundok
December 17, 2014 4:55 pm
Grateful to have the privilege of sharing this place with you, Joe.
Chrisie Santoni & Craig Smith
December 17, 2014 5:00 pm
xoxo
Susan Minasian
December 17, 2014 5:05 pm
Dear Joe:
I am reading this because of a friend who posted it on facebook.
When I moved to Lancaster January 1985 I called home every night for a month and cried to my mother. You see I thought moving north of the Mason Dixon line meant that I was moving to the land of more progressive thought. I am from Richmond, Virginia and without going into my whole story here…let’s just say I was looking for a more open minded place. This wasn’t it.
Now it is 2014. I’m still here. Now that I am free to go anywhere I want…I don’t know where to go.
This has become home…not just someplace I live.
I still don’t feel 100% HERE but I don’t hate being here anymore.
Recently I had an experience that brought the love and support from many people into my awareness and I was shocked a little. Since then Lancaster is not the stranger I thought it was…nor I a stranger to it.
Thank you for your post. It reminds me that home is really a matter of accepting in many ways where we are. I appreciate your honesty.
I hope and pray that the pain we experience and the areas of our community that need drastic change and healing will be realized.
I have only been to tellus360 for a wedding reception. After reading your post…I’m thinking perhaps I need to return and maybe the hospitality of that space will help me as I seek to discern where home is.
I don’t hate Lancaster anymore…for that I am very grateful. It is the people who have converted my soul year by year.
Glad you are here.
Blessings and peace.
Fran G
December 17, 2014 5:40 pm
The recent violence in the city is painful, yes. For the past several years our city has been so peaceful that we may have grown overconfident. Folks in the surrounding communities who reveled in bashing our city had to eat their words. I take a broader view. Times are tough, and people are stressed. Budgets for social services have been cut to the bone. What did folks think would happen. And how many crimes have occurred in other cities, compared to ours?
Thank you for Tell us 360. Hope you”ll always love us as much as we love you!
Teresa Devoy
December 17, 2014 5:50 pm
Joe I am so proud of you.We are so lucky to have raised a son like you. Our loss is Lancasters gain.
Ido hope I get to visit again
Buckets of Love Mam
Ryan Benner
December 21, 2014 11:30 am
Teresa,
I think I can speak for Lancaster and thank you for the amazing man you have raised. We are truly blessedto know him.
Vanessa
December 17, 2014 7:00 pm
I hope to make Lancaster my home city one day due to vibrant people I’ve gotten to know there. What a inspiring view, and determination to make a beautiful city, better. I’m ready to join that energy, and community! Not only are you impressive with being a business owner that “gets into the trenches” and works his own pub, but as a guy with a vision and passion. Nice post to lift a few spirits. Best to you!
Bill L
December 17, 2014 7:13 pm
your post absolutely “hits the spot” of what I’ve been thinking/feeling.
My wife and I (of 40 years) are lifelong Lancaster Co. residents who visit the city often (C Market and Jethros). We certainly have been “sheltered” from a lot of the bad things that happen……but……..
I am dismayed by the recent City / State / National / World “incidents” – they trouble me more and more and I want to do something to make it stop.
Your paragraph stating “we are ALL in this together” is right…….
Dustin Garber
December 17, 2014 7:18 pm
Thanks for sharing Joe! You say it so well! I certainly appreciate all that you and Tellus 360 are contributing to our community! You have created an awesome venue to develop strong community. Cheers to what you have done for our town! Hopefully we can raise a glass soon!
Sandy Asher
December 17, 2014 7:25 pm
Dear Joe,
As another restless soul who came home to Lancaster without ever having lived here before, I understand and totally identify with your feelings toward this constantly amazing place. What’s different here, Joe, along with the diversity and architecture and so on, are the enormous, passionate hearts and curious minds that welcome whatever kind of creative endeavor we care to offer. Since you always have and always will offer a lot, you will no doubt always feel at home here. Thank you for all that you are and all that you do.
Sandy
Sandy
Dominic Scott
December 17, 2014 7:40 pm
Good to see all the initiatives you have set in motion Joe. You build on a long tradition of peacebuilding and reconciliation so characteristic of Lancaster and Ireland. We are twice blessed!
Tom Simpson
December 17, 2014 8:04 pm
What a beautiful piece! We are glad you came, and glad you decided to stay.
My family history in Lancaster County dates to the 1730s, and I grew up in Lancaster Township. In 1985 I moved to Italy for a two-year teaching assignment and ended up staying until 2008. We moved to Lancaster as a family that year to follow our daughter when she went to college at Penn State. We were perfectly happy in Italy and would not have stayed just anywhere, but Lancaster is a special place. The recent tragic crimes sadden me, but the spirit of Lancaster will live on. Thanks, Joe, for helping me understand that spirit.
Tom Yentsch
December 17, 2014 8:17 pm
Well said Joe. I, being an English Major love the John Donne quote.
Deirdre Kozma
December 17, 2014 8:31 pm
Beautifully written and so true! I moved to Lancaster 12 years ago because I fell in love with it. No regrets!
sharon mellinger
December 17, 2014 10:17 pm
Thank you.
Marty Dutcher
December 17, 2014 10:36 pm
Thank you, Joe. You too are what makes Lancaster special to me.
Aaron Trasatt
December 18, 2014 12:41 am
I am thankful for how you and Tellus360 have provided such a warm and welcoming home for us and the community. When I see you care, I care. I am glad you are an integral part of what we call Lancaster, PA.
Lori Hemphill
December 18, 2014 12:42 am
Wowza Joe. Beautiful sentiments. You have done more for this community in the short time you have been here than most could accomplish in a lifetime. Blessed to have you as a Lancastrian !
Lori Hemphill
Leticia Joy
December 18, 2014 4:10 am
Joe,
Your words were beautifully written, and they grabbed me from where I sit as I read them. Although at the moment I am oceans away, Lancaster will always have my heart. Tragedy has the power to breed fear, but we carry the power to fight that fear with unity and peace. I am so encouraged to hear the response of so many deciding to carry that action and mindset. You have all of my support!
Leticia Joy
Claudia Ruoff
December 18, 2014 7:44 am
well said. As I read your blog, I was reminded of Donne. I was even more excited when you quoted his meditation. We just finished studying him in class. On Friday I am going to share this post with my students and have a discussion with them about community. Thank you for sharing this.
Chris Milsom
December 18, 2014 8:47 am
While I live in York Co now (just across the river ) I have considered myself a Lancastrian ever since my college years at F&M and the 20+ years of living in ” the Southern End”. As exasperated as I get over the conservative, small minded views expressed in letters to the editor, I am inspired by folks like you who put their money where their mouth is. Thank you for making Lancaster your home and taking a leadership role to make it any even better place. There IS something about this area that grabs you. Merry Christmas, Joe !
čelica Milovanović
December 18, 2014 9:10 am
Joe,
I truly appreciate your thoughtful post, as well as the nice sentiments of all the respondents – but I don’t see much diversity represented here… It sounds little bit like preaching to the choir…
How do we reach out to the “other” Lancaster which is all around us, yet totally separate and seemingly impenetrable?
(Personally, I believe that each one of us has to do that individually, in kindness and understanding.)
Eugene Aleci
December 18, 2014 9:24 am
Bravo, Joe — So well said ! We are fortunate to have you and so many others among us. Quite often, in a place with such long history and so many who have remained rooted there, it takes a visitor to observe distinguishing characteristics and to comment freshly about the place, pointing out pros and maybe cons which may go unnoticed by those enmeshed in it. I think there are many who feel what you’ve written, but who need your fresh perspective to vocalize and to hear it said. The real difference between any place that does not make a comeback following tragic losses and disappointments but continues to deteriorate, and a place that stays vibrant and progresses, is exactly what you’re saying…the people in the place that stays strong keep their hopes alive, they understand that their every effort counts even when frequently frustrating, and they believe that coming together to continue to work toward making the place the best it can be is always the way forward. Thanks for the thoughts and the many invitations to us all.
Stephanie Schatt
December 18, 2014 9:56 am
Well said. A lot of people don’t understand Lancaster. They consider us insular, unfriendly and hide bound. You looked beyond that superficial glance and found our core strength of tolerance, hope and kindness. Thank you for posting.
Jim Akers
December 18, 2014 10:53 am
I was born & raised in DC… lived there 38 years. When my railroad career brought my family to PA, Mechanicsburg became the place to raise my 3 daughters.
Fast forward 22 years… I’ve retired… kids moved along (2 to Philly, 1 to Lancaster), and visiting here became a fortnightly thing to do. I missed the urban lifestyle, and found this city’s energy addicting… I wanted MORE!
My wife & I relocated here 11 months ago, to a beautiful 1880’s house on W. Walnut (hello, neighbor Joe!)… daughter Claire, husband Nick, and grandkids Van & Minnie live 2 blocks West. I state unequivocally and categorically… there is NO finer place to live than Lancaster! Yes… there are issues to be addressed. Crime, homelessness, panhandling (OK to say no), educational improvement (start at home), transportation (bike lanes!), slumlords (enforcement w/ teeth).
I join with you Joe, in your campaign to improve life for ALL Lancaster residents… we’re all in this earthly existence together! I will be there to walk the walk… AND talk the talk!
Cheryl D.
December 18, 2014 12:48 pm
I moved here 4 and a half years ago and can’t imagine living anywhere else. My children live in fabulous cities on both coasts, yet this has become home to them as well. They love visiting and taking advantage of the restaurants, shops, bars and the walkability of this great little city.
In another life I was a county prosecutor, and when I moved here I was amazed at the lack of gun violence. It was a stabby place, but few shootings. I’m sorry to see that change, but I recognize that we are in a city, and cities have all sorts of challenges that suburbs and rural areas do not.
I moved here so that I could walk to events and places, and I still do. We can’t let a few horrible incidents alter who and what we are as a city.
Lancaster has so much to offer, and a real positive energy about it. I think that may be what you recognized Joe, and I hope we can keep that going. Thank you for all you do to create community here. People like you are why this city is a great place to live.
Lynn Shreve
December 18, 2014 3:37 pm
Give up the Chesapeake Bay for the Conestoga, a 1/2 hour from DC for a 1/2 hour from York? To each his own.
Lynn Shreve
December 18, 2014 3:38 pm
At least you traded the Redskins for the Eagles.
Cynthia Kilbourn
December 18, 2014 7:16 pm
Thank you Joe. You bring a little Inisheer to Lancaster and we all benefit:)
Laura H
December 27, 2014 11:24 am
Thanks, Joe, for the love and energy you offer to us all. I moved to Lancaster almost 25 years ago. So many people I met kept apologizing to me for the unfriendly, stuffy people who lived here. However I luckily never met those people. But I have met amazing, gifted, intelligent, loving and caring people here. These are the people that help create the spirit of Lancaster that I love. I am sometimes asked if I could live anywhere else, where would that be. I’m stumped. I can’t think of a better place to live than Lancaster. I can think of lots of wonderful places to visit but I am so pleased and proud to call Lancaster my home. You and Tellus are part of that reason ( – even if I don’t show up very often.) Onwards and upwards!
Laura H
December 27, 2014 11:25 am
Thanks, Joe, for the love and energy you offer to us all. I moved to Lancaster almost 25 years ago. So many people I met kept apologizing to me for the unfriendly, stuffy people who lived here. However I luckily never met those people. But I have met amazing, gifted, intelligent, loving and caring people here. These are the people that help create the spirit of Lancaster that I love. I am sometimes asked if I could live anywhere else, where would that be. I’m stumped. I can’t think of a better place to live than Lancaster. I can think of lots of wonderful places to visit but I am so pleased and proud to call Lancaster my home. You and Tellus are part of that reason ( – even if I don’t show up very often.) Onwards and upwards!