Keeping it real.

I was excited to read your July cover story "Marked for Life" dedicated to the life-and world-changing experience of full-time service. I would suggest one addition to the piece: a passionate plea to eradicate the term real world from our vocabulary.

At age 27 I chose to leave my teaching job and volunteer in Eastern Kentucky for six months. I can't tell you how many people said something along the lines of, "Oh, so you're taking a break from the real world."

What does it do to our national psyche when the people most in need aren't even considered part of the real world? And truthfully, isn't the experience of the poor a more accurate picture of the real world than the experience of most mid- to upper-class Americans?

Thank you for turning the spotlight on those who choose to face the reality of the world head on and allow themselves to be ruined for life.

Rebecca Welch

De Pere, Wis.

I am one of a growing number of young people who feel an obligation to give back in the form of post-graduate service. In Latin America I saw poverty at its ugliest, and more disturbing still, the ugliest in me in my failure to adequately respond to it. That's not to say I didn't have moments of grace, too.

I once read textbooks on poverty. I memorized the statistics, the facts and figures, and used them freely in exams and papers, even in conversations with other idealists like myself. Today the statistics are ancient memories, and in their place are the faces and stories of people who laugh and cry, love and lose. No longer are "the poor" abstract numbers in a slick textbook. They are my neighbors, the orphans I work with, even the friends I surround myself with.

Patrick Furlong 

Albuquerque, N.M.

I agree that a year of service is a wonderful idea, but I was annoyed with people mentioning disillusionment with finding the "right" parish communities for them after their year of service. The idea that we choose and attend churches the same way we choose a restaurant is juvenile and indicative of an immature faith.

We are supposed to be sharing bread as one family, not being handed food by others and leaving if it doesn't suit us. If you feel something is lacking, it is your job to enrich the community with your ideas and talents. Such is our duty by Baptism.

Kristin King 

Arlington, Va.

I realize your July issue focused on young adults; however, I would like to add a note about the cover story on volunteers. My husband and I are nearing the end of our year of service with Mercy Volunteer Corps, which also has been our first year of retirement. There were six of us "seasoned" volunteers out of 35 in our group this year in MVC. Some volunteer groups have upper age limits, and some don't. Our volunteer year has been a treasure. I recommend it to other retirees.

Dottie Glover 

Philadelphia, Pa.