The Power of Community

(Jill, second from the left, with sister-in-law Jillian at left,
cousin Paige and friend Anessa, the shower hostesses)

She's not even born yet, but she is already surrounded by the power of community. Smalls, our first grandbaby, isn't due to arrive until January. But this past weekend was a testimony to the power of belonging.

Smalls and Jill were the honorees at a Sunday baby shower. As the living room filled with people, I was struck by the interconnecting circles of love that will envelop a new little person. Jill's and Eric's families were both well represented. There were several of Jill's college friends. And two of Jill's friends from childhood made the effort to come, too.

Sure, there was lots of cute and practical "stuff" unwrapped.

But the most valuable asset in the room wasn't a high chair or a car seat or a Diaper Genie. It wasn't about bedazzled pink outfits or a pile of books. It was the reality that people gave up a Sunday afternoon to come together and care about a new little life and her parents.

Smalls will have new little buddies in this adventure we call life. Eric's brother, Brian, and his wife, Jillian, are due 10 days after Smalls. Anessa, another of the shower hostesses, will deliver her first baby in March. And Paige, Jill's cousin, already has 7-month-old Neelly to offer a playmate on the maternal side of the family. Eric's Grandma Carol will go from two great-grandbabies to five by the end of January. And the grand total will climb to six by mid-March!

With every birth and every union, the circle grows.
Every joy shared adds more love.
Every obstacle faced together makes the circle stronger.
Anonymous

The best part is that we aren't limited in finding our community. It's in family, in a neighborhood or at church. It's on a team or at school. It can be in the workplace or in a community organization. In this changing world, it can even be found on the internet or on Facebook. Community is there if we open our hearts and minds to it.

Thanks be to God for the power of community ... the power of love and caring.