Becoming a part
January 18, 2017
Nine years ago, when our family moved from Colorado to Idaho, I felt empty. I experienced the loss of my relationships, my reputation, and my knowledge of the area in which I lived. In this new hometown, I was forced to rely on my immediate neighbors and the mothers of my kids’ classmates for everything: directions to the airport, recommendations for dentists, and help with my kids when it was time for parent-teacher conferences.
It was hard—so hard—for me to need so much. I don’t like to be in a position of need because it feels vulnerable. That American “rugged individualism” thing is lodged deeply in my heart. Those were trying months that frequently landed me in tears because I felt so bankrupt, for lack of a better term.
It wasn’t until we’d lived here for almost a year that I suddenly found myself able to chip in and meet someone else’s need. Finally, I was the person someone asked for help with their children. I was downright giddy. In that moment I realized something vital:
I really live here.
Finally being able to give back to someone else revealed to me that I’d truly become a part of the community. I’d been a recipient of friendship and care for all the intervening months, but it was in being able to give back that I felt I was truly part of it.
In the same spirit of community, we’re inviting you to join us in giving to City Light Home for Women and Children. City Light offers emergency services (meals, shelter, and clothing) as well as education, job-search assistance, mental health counseling, addiction recovery, and children’s programs for women who are homeless, escaping a domestic violence situation, addicted, or struggling. They have a constant need for pajamas, underwear, socks, and even coffee supplies* to send their ladies out with a warm beverage in the mornings.
Would you be willing to donate any of those items to City Light? If so, please bring your donation to LIFT next Wednesday, January 25th (you do have your tickets, don’t you?). We’ll have a table set up to receive your gifts. There’s no obligation to donate, but wouldn’t it be fun to just shower them with an abundance of goods?!
This is what it means to live in community—to meet one another’s needs. Like me, you’ll feel you really live here.
*Coffee supplies that would help City Light: coffee, tea bags, sugar, powdered creamer, disposable cups and lids.
If you don’t have your tickets yet, it’s not too late to join us. Plan to buy your ticket soon, though, because we’ll have only a limited number of seats available at the door (and the price increases to $20; cash/check only).
We can’t wait to share this evening of fun and encouragement with you!
LIFT is a gathering of women to help you Live: Inspired, Fearless, and Thriving. Our events are designed to help women discover their true identity and purpose, and then live that out with passion. The heart behind LIFT is to bring women together in community. At each of our events, Pam Strain, Kirsten Holmberg and Genny Heikka share three inspiring talks on topics women care passionately about.