It may sound funny, but after four years of being here, I finally am starting to feel like we belong to the community. Not just the college community, but the community of our neighbors. I am finally starting to feel like we're contributors.
On Friday, we stopped to grab a bite after dinner after work and then went to a concert. And I saw not one, but two, of my AWANA girls throughout the course of the evening. Today on the way to church, some friends pulled up next to our car and waved. A visiting choir to our church brought some old friends we hadn't seen in a while. A college buddy of Josh's stopped us as we were leaving Costco.
I grew up in the"dog-and-pony" show, as my mom liked to call it. No matter where we went, there was someone who knew my mom who would report any negative behavior - and believe me, she heard about it! Skirts that were an inch too short, a thoughtless remark, an emotional outburst in public...busted. Somehow or another, word got back to Mom. Belonging to the community somehow didn't feel like such a privilege. :P
But now, having been transplanted, it is nice to have a place. It is nice to know the people I am shopping with, eating with, working with. It is nice to have that "small-town" feel, where you are not just another stranger.
And most of all, it is good to know that we belong here. It could be tempting to view this point in our lives as a transition period, a time when we're just waiting for Josh to finish grad school. It could be tempting to breeze along with superficial relationships and limited involvement in the lives of others.
But life is never transitional. Life is always the fullest right where you're at. The fact that life is always changing indicates that it never is - we must only learn how to create normalcy out of changing situations. A lot can change in a few months.
But our need for fellowship, community,and belonging never will.
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