Celebrating Community

I’m interested in Community and much comes to mind as I move in my circles of people and relationships ranging from casual to deep and abiding love for family, work, neighborhood or groups. The work I do helps individuals and families through transition and this offers me an experience to share in other communities that are very personal.

Lately I’ve been reading the book Community: the Structure of Belonging by Peter Block and he describes community as the “experience of belonging.” My community of family and friends comes to mind as I look at the birthday celebrations for August; my dear friend Joanne who moved back home to Canada to be near family had a birthday last Sunday and our friend Nancy will help her mother Rae celebrate her 99^th Birthday next week. On August 19^thwe will celebrate our sister Faye’s birthday, this will be a celebration of her memory since she died this past April and then there’s Mom’s birthday memory at the end of the month.

We build and participate in community and then we have a sense of loss as our members leave us and yet in the empty space someone or something new will appear. Last week I was up north with two women friends and as we spread our laptop computers on the dining room table both my friends were anxious to share websites for their children’s upcoming weddings. A celebration of new lives coming together with a promise of more new lives to be added to their families and I get to participate in the two celebrations by being a witness to shared joy and possibility. In the mist of my reflections I came across one of my favorite passages about Community by Starhawk; I share with you as you celebrate within your own communities.

COMMUNITY.
Somewhere, there are people
to whom we can speak with passion
without having the words catch in our throats.
Somewhere a circle of hands will open to receive us,
eyes will light up as we enter, voices will celebrate with us
whenever we come into our own power.
Community means strength that joins our strength
to do the work that needs to be done>
Arms to hold us when we falter.
A circle of healing. A circle of friends.
Someplace where
we can be free.