From the books I'm reading to the podcasts I'm listening to and even the sermons at church, there seems to be a recurring theme which probably means it's something I need to pay attention to...COMMUNITY. Over and over again I'm being reminded of the importance of community when levels of loneliness are at an all time high, while we are simultaneously more "connected" than ever before.
How do we fight the feelings of being left out? How do we help our kids overcome the loneliness that can be consuming? It doesn't come without hard work and some effort on our part, but we have to build our village. We have to send that simple text that says "Thinking of you, hope all is well...are you heading to the football game on Friday?" or "Hey, let's hang out, want to come over for a bonfire?" We have to find that one family that wants to have dinner with all the chaos and craziness. We have to open our homes to those we want to get to know and put a date on the calendar. We have to make time in our schedules to build true, authentic friendships.
Community means nothing if you aren't willing to play a part, to be active in your support, and to take the first step towards something real & long-lasting. Start building that village, send that first text, or just walk out your front door and say Hello! We all live in wonderful communities, and we need them now more than ever!
