this group of friends, more or less, meets every thursday night for a few hours. we are currently studying the book of colossians and last week we talked extensively about community. that discussion led us into one about why people go to church, because of religion? for themselves? or because of the other people they will see there? then as we shared our thoughts on that matter, another question arose: are you still considered in community even if you're not engaged? i.e. i physically go to church- walk in, walk out, and never get involved. am i still a part of that church community?? all of our thoughts differed in small ways, but we were all in agreement that community is established because of a COMMON UNITY. and so fast forward to today because it is on this day that i am feeling quite overwhelmed and blessed by some of the common unities that are goin' on in my life.
little miss blogger
until recently, i never characterized myself as a blogger. i've been faithfully blogging for over a year now and writing and reflecting here is such a part of my life that i feel like yes, i am a blogger. and that title is just supposed to get thrown in with all the other ones i've got- daughter, sister, friend, student, blogger. yep, i think it fits perfectly right there. but it's not a one way street that i'm on here in this blogsphere. i religiously read the blog postings of several others, which inspire me in the way of cooking, art, spirituality, and life in general. sometimes i hear of blogs from others, and i check them out. other times, i somehow stumble upon blogs of people who share the most beautiful stories and have a way with their words that i aspire to have with my own someday. i feel so connected to some of the friends that i follow because they are so genuine in what they share on their blog. they are real and true and honest, and when there are pictures supplementing their stories, things are much more fun! and so it is, i am in community with these other bloggers. they may not know me but i know their stories. i love their stories and i love the unexpected lessons that are brought to me through their words.
my toolbar of bookmarks is overflowing with links back to blogs in categories. it probably wouldn't make much sense to you for me to break those categories down, but i have this organized system sort of in the works that makes sense to me. (most of the time!) i have come across everything from fashion blogs to food blogs to frugal family fun blogs to blogs that are just funny. i don't always remember where i saw the picture of the cutest baby shower or read about a certain photoshop technique or tasted the yummiest cupcake just by looking at a picture, but i do remember what i got from reading that post. like with the cupcakes, i learned that homemade cupcakes are super expensive to make and that we need to save our money before we even look at that recipe again. and it's things like that which keep me going back. i spend hours getting lost in this blogsphere, but i never feel like i am wasting time. because we all have something to share, and we should do so through whatever means necessary... so i am grateful for this crazy blogger community that exists. it fuels me.
aligned orbits
i've been reading the account of a white South African woman in which she shares the highs and lows of having adopted a black South African Zulu boy, who was diagnosed at a young age with having HIV. all in all, their story is great. at times when i read about their experiences i want to cry, at others i want to hug that boy and hope that a bit of his joy, courage and strength could be magically passed into my heart and mind. Nkosi and his adoptive mom Gail made big differences in their world (late 1990s/early 2000s) and received a lot of attention from the media throughout the world. one reporter shares his account of their story. he knew of this young boy and dedicated mom, and he knew of his job as a reporter. it never quite occurred to him though that their paths could someday meet and that in time and without any effort on either parties' part, their individual orbits of life would be gradually aligned. and it would be in that destined moment in time when even more lives would be transformed and such an unexpected and beautiful bond would be formed.
but it's not just in the lives of the ones who make the news who get the attention or have some extraordinary destiny awaiting them. we all have our orbits aligned where they are right now for a reason and when we accept that willingly, we will undeniably be exposed to the greatness which it is. right now, my orbit of life is aligned with the orbits of others in some of the most unexpected ways. and for that reason, my days are absolutely delightful. because we are aligned with each other, i am aligned with this place, and we are a part of this mystery... at such a time as this.
when we are bold, when we reach out, when we wander into the unknown... great things will come. and like the changing of the seasons, our lives may be altered in some way. we may be stripped down to our core, have to follow and search out our true roots, but we will surely find who we are. when we let go, we will fall back into our appropriate orbits where the most elegant form of community is found.
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