To the editor:
I read an article in the MWN written on Aug. 6, 2024 by Emma Fringuelli titled “Historic Building of the Week: Rechabite Block,” and was reminded of the present day conversations surrounding not just the use of alcohol but the overall health and wellness of the town of Marblehead, residentially speaking. The survey is out in case you have not heard… make your voice, heard!
Walking on Pleasant Street, I noticed the words “Rechabite Block” on the brick building that houses our local cinema. The Rechabite Society, or the International Order of the Rechabites (IOR), began in England and made its way to America; it advocated for the abstinence of alcohol. Its beginnings date back to the house of the Rechabites, biblically speaking (Jeremiah 35:7), who were commanded by their natural father’s to do more than just abstain from drinking wine.
As my mind always goes, I wanted to look beneath the surface, wanting more than the law, more than a list of do’s and don’ts, and more than piety, pretense, and the waving of a moral flag. I am not sure if any of the tents of the Rechabites are active today. Some may choose abstinence from alcohol, others restraint. We get to choose how we are going to show up in our community, as we get to choose how we are going to show up for ourselves and those we love.
In the past 10 years, some of the oldest trees in Marblehead have been uprooted by what meteorologists call micro bursts. I believe that there is something new brewing, something that can change not only our community but communities all over the world. The survey is for 18+, but every “young” person’s voice will matter in the times to come, for their hopes and dreams, and even their angst, is uprooting us. I have learned that helping people in the throes of addiction is less about the substances and more about a lack of substance… of meaning and purpose in their lives.
Brendalee Baughman
Marblehead Resident
