Lyndsey and Jeffrey Garabaldi

Lyndsey and Jeffrey Garabaldi

(Jeffrey) As a couple, and individually, Lyndsey and I often define our spiritual selves as faithful but not religious. We both believe in something greater than ourselves, but have felt unsatisfied with the answers to life’s questions provided to us in traditional church settings.

(Lyndsey) To us, prayer is interchangeable with meditation, and observing the way light hits the leaves of a tree and the way water sounds lapping onto the shore of a lake is next to Godliness. These are the things in life that humble us in their simplicity and beauty, and that, for us, ought to be the most celebrated as they are the proof of something bigger and something that deserves reverence. These core beliefs, along with ideals that fully support dignity, equity, and compassion became that which connected us so deeply. After having children, we found ourselves wondering how to even begin to impart a value system that we came to through years and years of intentional seeking on these tiny humans growing up in a pressure-cooker of a world. We wanted to give them a sense of honesty and transparency and an understanding of justice and freedom. We knew that we couldn’t do it alone. We knew that we needed a community.

(Jeffrey) It was around this time that we saw a bold and fearless congregation with the gumption to hang a Black Lives Matter banner in between giant pillars that made up the facade of this beautiful and prominent building on Springfield Avenue, and our attention was captured. We needed to know more about this place and what it stood for and what it would feel like for us to become a part of it.

(Lyndsey) Beacon has been just that for us… a guiding light. A source and a resource. A homecoming. In January of 2022, our children participated in their naming and dedication ceremony in this sanctuary. It felt amazing to state aloud in front of our closest friends and family our intentions and principles for how we hope to live and raise our boys.

(Jeffrey) Today they attend the children's program and OWL here and we have been welcomed wholly into this beloved community. We are proud members of Beacon and it is never lost on us how much beauty lies within the ability to ask, seek, and receive. We owe much to this fellowship and we are grateful for every opportunity we have to give back even a tiny amount of what it has given to us.