Gather-The Importance of Community
By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams
As we end month number eleven for us of being more-or-less in isolation, we realize with each passing day how important community is. This not getting to gather as a family or even with friends has been difficult on all of us. For sure, holidays weren’t what any of us had planned or hoped for. Gathering together is what keeps us connected as humans.
Our four boys are scattered over four states. One in the DC area with his family. He’s our son who has a lovely wife and our two granddaughters. One is in Tampa, Florida, one in Austin, Texas, and the one nearest us is a few hours away in Raleigh, North Carolina. Having to do the holidays without them wasn’t easy on this Mama’s heart. Dad says he wasn’t a fan, either.
THANKFUL FOR ZOOM
I don’t know about you, but if it weren’t for the invention of Zoom and such sites, we would have been totally lost this Thanksgiving and Christmas. The son in Raleigh isolated himself for at least two solid weeks so that he could make the four-hour drive to our home in western North Carolina. Having him here with us was a real blessing.
Bonus?
He’s so tech-savvy, (they all are, but he was the one here with us) he was able to hook us all up so that we were able to spend a good bit of our Christmas day together. We got to see our girls go on a scavenger hunt for their gifts via their mom following them around with her iPad. That was so much fun.
As a family, we all took time to have our individual meals and open most of our gifts in our own homes, but later that night, the boys joined us all together for playing games together. We love drawing games. From my posts on FB, you already know my boys can cook, but those guys are fabulous artists, too. And so are our granddaughters. Amazing! Now, if I’d had to hook all that up for us to be able to do that, for sure, it wouldn’t have happened. I’m so thankful for tech-savvy sons.
IN-PERSON CONFERENCES
One thing I’ve missed this year is being able to attend writing conferences in person. I’m in that age group that has to be careful of gathering in person. I’m so thankful for the abilities of others who know how to bring the conferences to us, again, via live streaming. BRMCWC was different this year, but just getting to hear and see our worship leaders, Russell and Kristi, and then to hear our favorite authors present keynotes and teach a few classes was almost as good as being there. I did miss the hugs. Yeah. Big time. http://russellandkristi.com/
ONLINE CHURCH AND STAYING CONNECTED
The online church has been a blessing, too. We had just found the church we wanted to call our church home. We were getting ready to begin the joining process when CoVID came. But live-streaming the services made us feel as if we were an integral part of the worship experience. And we have been.
Another blessing has been our small group meetings. In our church, we call these our Connect groups. We have been blessed with a fabulous group of people. We have our social time to chat and catch up for the week, then we do our Bible study. This year, our church, Biltmore Church, is doing The Year of the Bible. Our group has chosen to discuss the sermon on our group nights. We feel so blessed by these knowledgeable people. We have some deep thinkers in there. I’m so sorry you aren’t in our group. You don’t know what you’re missing.
All this to say, community is important. Whether that is family or your church or your small group. Connecting is vital to our mental, physical, and spiritual health. I’m so thankful for being able to gather with people I love and care about during these strange times. Even in days of isolation, God has provided a way for us to come together. I am thankful.
Gather - The Importance of Community @DDuPreeWilliams #faith #writing Share on XHow have you stayed connected during our stay-at-home orders? Share with us if you will.
FOLLOW UP
Do you have a home church? Are you looking for one? Biltmore Church has many campuses in the western North Carolina area. Right now, we’ve chosen not to attend in person due to our age. But they are gathering and are being extremely cautious. Bring your mask and join any of the local meetings. If you’d prefer online, go to the link provided here and join us on Sunday mornings.
https://www.biltmorechurch.com/onlinecampus/
If you are seeking a small group, you may text connect to 28282. You’ll hear from someone at the church who will find the perfect group for you.
Until next week, blessings y’all!
4 Comments
Hi, I’m Debra
Jesus Follower, wife, BoyMom, DD, author, blogger, musician, southern cook, amateur genealogist, amateur artist, living life with an accent on Southern.
The Conversation
In some ways, it’s been easier for me since I moved cross-country a year before COVID hit me. So I was already used to FaceTime and Zoom and calls with the family. But the reason I moved was to be closer to my writing peeps, and that’s been really hard.
Knowing that it wasn’t just me, that I was isolated out of some junior high pettiness, or anything like that, makes it easier, too. We’re all in this together.
So I make sure to call and text friends often. To reach out. And to let people know when I need some friend-time.
I do church online, too. But there’s a care group I go to about twice a month. They seat us about ten feet apart, require masks, and I don’t stay for the smaller gatherings after the message.
So that’s how I’m getting through.
Oh. And I’m (re)learning how to interact on social media.
Molly Jo, I had been in an online WWI group for about a year or two, so those meetings weren’t new to me, either. But the HAVING to do them for such a reason was a bit daunting. We like our freedoms. We’ve gotten rather accustomed to going where we want to go without thinking about it. This has been hard, but I’m so thankful for the ability to join with people, be it church or our writing groups. I do miss the hugs and friendships at the conferences. It’s good, but still not the same. I’m glad that you are getting out and connecting on some level, and that y’all are being cautious. That’s paramount. What? You weren’t SM savvy? Had me fooled. What’s up with that? Miss seeing you and all our peeps. One day!! Love you!! Thanks for reading. Blessings!
That was very uplifting, Deb! They are so sweet and so talented!! A great way to start my day. Thank you!
Jo, Thank you for your kind words. I appreciate them and you. Thanks for reading. I love you! D