Better In Community

It’s quieter now as the tourists head home from our small beach town. Our streets are less busy, except for the sounds of the school buses during their morning and afternoon intervals.The locals come out to the beach too as Lake Michigan and our town stays warmer into the fall while the inland towns grow cool. To a local, this is our golden time and after all these years we are locals too. 

We didn’t grow up in this town, but we chose to live here out of all the places we could have. We put down roots here, bought a home, and found a church and made friends. Despite our workplaces moving further away and longer commutes, we have continued to stay. We have volunteered in local non-profits and our kids schools. They have played in little leagues and we’ve cheered them and their friends on at high school sporting events. We have joined with neighbors for our annual parades and picnics, when our whole town comes alive and really feels like a community. 

 

Community is what we were looking for all those years ago when we were fresh out of college and deciding where to live. We didn’t even think of leaving this state, but we moved somewhere where we had no family or friends. Even though it took time, we made our family here and our lives have been richer for it.

I think, deep down, we all want community, that connection. My daughter has left for life in New York City and has been seeking out a new community there in the city life she has come to love. My son has moved out to his own apartment and has made his own community while appreciating the one he grew up in.

Our family has learned that we aren’t meant to be alone in this life, that we really are built for community, and how our lives are enriched when we have that sense of togetherness around us. It can be hard to reach out to others. It takes vulnerability and our lives may be busy and full already, but if we do, we and the people around us will be better for it.