Chambers and Appendages

"Things have changed...", "When I was your age....", "Back in my day...."

Does using a phrase like one of these put you into a different life phase?  To put it in no uncertain terms, does it indicate aging?  I can't even ask if it means you are getting "*@#".  Why?  Being *@# is a state of mind I am not willing to hedge up on.

Let's just say that there are some changes I have noticed.  If you have had any sort of a conversation belaboring the causes for the state of our world, you have certainly heard me ramble about community.  Where I reside, it seems that we don't live in our communities.  In fact, some of us are intentional about living outside of our community so we can have autonomy at the grocery store and not be beholden to things such as having to use a particular mechanic because they are family friends or shopping at one hardware store or another because of affiliations.

The why's and what for's are many.  But what are we missing?  Good, bad and otherwise, my community exists around the globe.  There are probably two main chambers to this group, with appendages that are far reaching.  One chamber has actually come together and lives within one hundred or so yards.  Yes, the kids are all grown and have moved out.  However, they are just down the street and I LOVE it!  We see each other often, stay up way too late playing card games, embark on artistic adventures that lead us around surprising corners, eat together now and again, and of course they still come home to do their laundry.

While there are many fun things about being so close in proximity, there is something far more important about being close in spirit and community.  When I am out of town there is someone close by to check on the chillas and water the deathly thirsty tomatoes.  And if someone needs toilet paper there is a dependable resource very near by.  (Interestingly enough we often run out of toilet paper all at the same time and it just means we take a trip to the store together.)  The point is, that we provide community for each other.  We have fun together, share our difficulties with one another, meet needs for one another, contemplate the complexities of life together, ponder unimportant concepts at length as a group and are continuing to grow a deep sense of community.

The second chamber is far less accessible, yet of great importance as well.  Summer usually leads to several trips to the Dakotas and a visit or two from out west.  Five hours in the car can give a person cause to travel through many memories and emotional lands.  It can also be lonely and tiring and bad for your diet.  However, once the distance has passed, there is a complete sense of home, equally valuable to the one in the rear view mirror.  We know one another well, love each other, accept the occasional step out of bounds and welcome each other like we have enjoyed every day of our lives together.  Pops, the patriarch of the family, lives by the anthem "work hard to play hard" and we all live this out, whether we know it or not.  We work very hard together and yet we enjoy the weekends where we take the whole clan to a Twins game or the Renaissance Festival and buy goofy hats or watch medieval weddings just for the fun of it.

Appendages, perhaps not the most flattering sounding descriptor, stretch in every direction and bare many roots.  We have left big chunks of our hearts in Virginia and traveled over the plains and through the woods both directions to share in a distant, but ever present, community with deep, deep roots.  Our friend in the army is any given place in the continental US and may trot the globe at any moment.  Then there is my Augsburgian sister who is often spotted on European adventures with her home base in Italy.  The RCTC bunch is always moving around in the general region, but now one of our ranks is going to snuggle up against the Rocky Mountains and save lives or something.  I could go on with the locations that have hosted those we love and have found to fit perfectly in our hearts, Lebanon, Tennessee, West Virginia, where is Brittany at these days Connecticut maybe, Boston, Arizona, many in the cities, you name the direction and we could name a meaningful connection that has brought us a sense of community.

Gone are the days of living in a small town with the family and trusted friends minutes away.  I liked when the party line became extinct, but I don't think I like the distance that spreads out my loved ones.  Nothing can be done about it I suppose, but yet always lingering is this feeling of being torn and wishing that everyone could be together more easily.  No matter where we are, we are missing someone (more like many someones) and there is always a sadness that goes along with that awareness.  Would I give up having developed a sense of community with someone for not having to miss them later?  No.  But my heart always notices who is missing and there is a longing for home to be in one place and everyone to be gathered there together.

While that seems a little sad, there are many positives.  We are surrounded by love and caring and we have a large group of people to share our love and devotion with.  Great experiences dot the maps of our memories and we can travel over those lands on long, time intensive car rides.  And we can go a lot of places and have a piece of our community already there!  We know the bleaker side exists, but choose to focus on the bright side most of the time.  The encouragement today is to grow your community is whatever newfangled way you can, or touch base with someone you miss in your current community.

Blessings to the chambers, appendages, and those yet to come!  May our communities ever be strong and grow deep, stabilizing, nourishing roots together!