Fellowship

It’s better to eat Twinkies among friends then broccoli alone. – Pastor Rob Winger

We were not put upon this earth to be alone.  I cannot imagine what life would be without having my loving circle of family and friends.  As hectic as life gets sometimes, they keep me grounded and accountable.  They lift me up when I’m down, make me laugh without effort, and yes, even make me cry sometimes.  In the grand scheme of things, I couldn’t do life without them.

This gets me to thinking about those who aren’t so lucky.  Those who have lost close loved ones, those who have walked away from abusive homes or relationships, and those who are lost and have no one to turn to. 

I grew up in a small town community.  By age nineteen, I moved to the big city.  And in my late forties, found myself drawn back to the small town community.  The big city has many things to offer, the constant city lights that keep the inhabitants moving and grooving.  It also had a rude factor.  I couldn’t drive down the street without someone honking their horn or giving hand signals, or worse, tailgating me to the point I just wanted to slam on my brakes.  People were rude in parking lots and stores, concerts, sporting events, and many other events, large and small.  Broccoli became preferable to Twinkies just to avoid the crowd.

Now that I am in the small town community again, things aren’t perfect.  There is the occasional “honker” but my neighbors are friendly and like to converse (unlike those big city neighbors who barely waved when I passed them on the street or in my driveway).  My church is smaller, the community and staff are much more approachable.  There are a lot of elderly and lower poverty people in this area, but the community steps up to care for one another.  By friends and strangers alike, there is such love, respect and bonding here that I have come to cherish my surroundings.

Yes, it seems there are Twinkies on every corner.  So, if you’re stuck in the land of broccoli, come on over.  I’ll open a box of Twinkies (or Little Debbie’s if Twinkies don’t come back) and we’ll sit out on the patio and laugh and maybe even cry.  Tears shared with loving friends fall much easier than those cried alone.