Visiting my teen at college for Family Weekend
As far back as I can remember, I have wanted to belong. I moved around a lot as a child. I was always the British kid in the American school or the American kid in the British school. I desperately wanted to fit in…even going so far as to speak with an American accent. I hated being asked to say a word in “English.” I especially hating saying a word if the word sounded exactly the same however it was said. Acceptance was what I craved. To belong was what I needed.
Community. Mutual respect. Companionship. A place to share and be accepted. Community is a soft place to land. Community means that you are surrounded with people who value you. Communities are about honesty and respect…for all. To me, community means acceptance. What does community mean to you?
I still want to belong to a community. I want to be a member. I want to be part of something. Part of a group.
I’m proud member of many communities. Each community is a treasured part of my life. I gain strength. I learn. I benefit from membership in these communities. I don’t know what I would do without them.
- I’m a member of two school PTAs, two former school PTAs, and one college parent organization.
- I’m a member of my church.
- I’m a long-standing member of the youth swimming community. From winter swim teams to summer swim teams to school swim teams, I love my swimming community. For a while, I wrangled volunteers at weekly swim meets.
- I’m a member — present and former — of youth sports…t-ball, soccer, basketball, swimming, lacrosse, football, and volleyball.
- I’m a long-time — though recently sporadic — member of a neighborhood book club.
- I’m a volunteer at a local soup kitchen.
- I’m a former Girl Scout leader and parent, Cub Scout parent volunteer, and a Boy Scout parent volunteer.
What communities do you belong to? Leave a comment…I would love to know!
