It's been a while since I sent a blog! Life just gets so busy at times. Right now I am in the middle of getting some fundraising prepared for November for our orphans in Kenya and Zambia. Since I last wrote, I visited a friend in Rochester, New York, who was sick. He has been instrumental in helping us get our work started in Kenya and I am very grateful to him. Tonight I wanted to speak about how hard it can be at times to keep a community of love going, focused and healthy. People in our world today are not too interested in creating communities like they did in the 60's and 70's. Back then they gathered for music, drugging, revolution and just anything they felt was interesting to them. Today people seem to be isolated from others - neighbors don't come out of their homes as often and families are all split up across our country due to economic or weather-related conditions. It is sad. Community can be a great way of "feeling human" and learning about life. Seeing things through other peoples' eyes is a gift. Our community meets about twice a month for a soup and bread dinner at 7 p.m. on a Friday night, followed by silence together in a chapel (or wherever) and then back for coffee/tea afterwards. It ends about 9:30 p.m. We have been gathering like this since 1998 and we intend on continuing. It gives us a chance to see one another, talk about what's new in our lives, our hopes our failures, etc. All of us are not necessarily what you would call "best friends" as we are all so different, but we all have one thing in common: love for one another and respect for each other's lives. When we are together we are very comfortable just being together. No one in our group seems to want to "control" the group - everyone is happy just to allow whoever feels like leading it to lead it. Someone always prepares something unique for the prayer time.
This month I did something a little out of the ordinary. I gathered all kinds of things on our property that looked interesting in the Fall season and asked each person to take one and reflect on it. Each person had a beautiful thing to share about their particular item and it showed us how people see things so differently. Communities don't always love one another - some do, but some are just groups to do things like go to Atlantic City and gamble, visit museums, bake, quilt, etc. There are so many reasons to gather. We gather to deepen our relationship with God and with each other. It just happens. Life is moving so fast that these times are very special for us - it gives us a chance to breathe, look at things more reflectively, listen to the silence of our own hearts beating, and enjoy the quiet of life. I hope you find some time to sit and look at life happening ... it doesn't take any real brain work ... just an open heart. So many things change when we do this for ourself. Life slows down a bit ... we enjoy it more fully ... and we look forward to things. Hope is born!
