Community is such an overarching word. I live in the great rural community of Phillipsburg. I am part of a community of faith. Community can be about the locale, the activities we enjoy, or even about our political opinions. It can be just a few people or it can be an entire continental region. With so many ideas of what community is, it is hard to understand why we struggle to find our place in community.
For most of my younger life, I think I took community for granted. I grew up where I truly believe my Father knew everyone and because of that I knew I belonged. I never questioned it. I belonged because my father belonged. Everyone looked after everyone else. In fact Dad always told us if we got in trouble, he'd know it because we were his kids and someone would let him know.
But even our rural community has changed. People come and people go. There are many people in the same community I grew up in that I don't know now. It's still a community; we are bound by a geographic location. Even before Dad passed away, I realized he didn't really know everyone and that what bound us to our community of Phillipsburg was simply location.
But I long for more community, don't you? I long to find people that are interested in the same things that I find interesting. I long to connect to people, to know how they deal with the things that are going on in the world around us. From a closer understanding of community, I can find ways to help someone or to make someone feel special. To care for them, comfort them, encourage them and in turn to be encouraged, comforted and special.
So, if you are creative, if you feel the need for community, if you realize we might have some similar interests. Drop me a note! I'd love to visit!