“Bear one another’s burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2
The farmer’s market is full this morning of sellers and buyers sharing the latest news, laying eyes on friends they have not seen in a “month of Sundays”, and young children staring wide-eyed at the bends of fresh fruit and vegetables.
I go to Sheryl’s stand every time I am at the market. She and her husband own a Ga-zillion acres north of here and a bakery on their property. When it is time to have the family in for Doc’s birthday I always purchase his cake from her.
She smiles through misty eyes as she recalls a funny story about her son. He died from cancer several years ago, but is forever young in her heart. I can only imagine the sorrow she must go through missing him. I love listening to her stories.
Further down the row is an older couple who brings in flowers and plants for your home or as a centerpiece for a table. They are so cute together. He was in the Korean War and has seen a lot in his day, some good and some stories of war that he would rather not talk about. He built his own greenhouse for his plants…and for his bride of fifty plus years.
Old and young, black, white, Asian, Latino all gather at the farmers market, smiling and talking.
I love being around everyone on Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday mornings. Some of the people I know and some I don’t know. Yet we all smile and greet each other with “Good Morning!” as we pass one another in the isle or stand near one another pouring coffee into Styrofoam cups.
All of them with a story they could tell of sorrow, or joy – or both. Each one, despite the a wound to their heart, is reaching out and speaking, and encouraging each other. And I see this, my community, all around me.
This is how part of my community looks to me. There are circles inside of circles. Circles of friends in different areas of my life, who stop and listen, share a laugh, share a prayer and know it is kept private. In some cases it is a circle of people who are my second family and intersect with my family. All of the circles are continually moving, touching each other, effecting and affecting one another.
One of the people I embrace in my blog community is Deidra Riggs. Deidra describes community the best. She says,
“This heart, all tender and broken and split wide open, has been filled with breath and life and hope – hoisted on the shoulders of women who love well with bruised hearts of their own. ”
Would you bless me with a comment today? Tell me about your community, I would love to hear from you.
T oday I’m linking with the communities of (In)courage and Michelle DeRusha. Won’t you join us?
Latest posts by Diane W. Bailey (see all)
- What God Can Do with A Shattered Heart - September 5, 2022
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I like your community! It sounds like such fun! I am thankful to belong to several “communities”…each one unique because of the people in it. LOVE the photos…they are always so inspiring! 🙂
Thank you Mindy. Love having your comments here! You too are inspiring .
Diane, I just love your description of community. The circles so resonate with me. I am so grateful for circles of family, circles of friends, circles of churches, circles of community through my neighborhood, local stores, schools. All are precious to me. I’m widening the circle on September 21, when I launch CirclesOfFaith.org, Where Faith, Life, and Community Intersect. We’ll feature blogs, stories, articles, and information to foster community among Christian women. I’d love you to join us. (Oh my, those cakes sure do look yummy!!)
PS Sorry if I commented the same thing twice…my Comment blinked off, so I thought I’d post again…
Hello, Thank you for commenting (I deleted the copy) Thank you for your encouraging words! I look forward to reading you blog at Circles of Faith!