ENCOURAGE - EQUIP - EMPOWER
IT STARTS HERE.
I recently had a conversation with someone that grew up in the Catholic church who now attends Willowdale Chapel. He wanted to know how our church does confessions.
“Well…it’s a little different here.” I explained that even though we don’t have a set time and place for confession the way the Catholic church does, we’re encouraged to confess our sins directly to God as well as to close friends. It’s a more “organic” process.
Yesterday was Valentine’s Day, and for many it was a difficult day. For some people the absence of a love interest or the absence of attention from the “love of their life” left them feeling disappointed and alone. There are many people who feel like they have no meaningful connection in their life. They experience loneliness on a daily basis. This holiday that is primarily focused on love can exacerbate this feeling of isolation.
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One of the worst moments of my life happened the year after my husband and I were married. Most of his family were gathered at his parents’ home that summer day. I was about to plug in a floor fan when our almost two-year-old nephew started running towards it. Fearful that he might get his fingers in the fan, I stopped and stood up to make sure he wouldn’t touch it. As I stood up, my head bashed into my mother-in-law’s teacup shelf.
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When my oldest child was one year old, he was playing with a toy phone and I realized that he will not have the character-building experience that I did as a child of learning how to answer a shared family landline phone, take a message, and practice his manners with whoever calls. But neither will he endure days of itching and oatmeal baths due to chicken pox since he’s gotten the vaccine. In sum, he is growing up in a different generation from his parents. Obvious, I know, but I often think about what other changes his generation faces.
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Sometimes I just feel lonely. I can be in a room surrounded by a lot of people, but I long for something deeper. Our souls crave to be in community with others. Coming out of the pandemic after spending that year in isolation felt so refreshing. We could get out of our yoga pants and put on some fancy clothes, and the goal was to connect with our people.
Growing up in a Puerto Rican household I could count on several things to happen when family came to visit. There would be a lot of food, it would be loud, and the women would inevitably end up gathered together, aware of, and in tuned to, only each other. I found my mom and aunts fascinating. Their conversations would flow from English to Spanish back to English effortlessly, sometimes comprised of laughter, sometimes tears, sometimes looks I knew not to interrupt. Often all of the above.
As I am writing my first Willowdale blog, I question how I ended up here. I mean, just three years ago, if you simply invited me to go to church, I would have secretly giggled to myself. I know, because three years ago, I was invited to church, by someone I barely knew. And I giggled. In my head, but still.
It's a very well known fact; among my family and friends that I love school and office supplies. I really do. I can't remember a time when the sight of back to school items didn't make me a little giddy. In fact, I can spend hours in office-supply stores exploring and find myself restored by the order of everything. Perhaps; this love is due to the fact that both my parents were teachers, so the rhythm of my life has always been associated with the school year. Or maybe it's because there is something so amazing about learning….
I just got back from our MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) Leadership Retreat. Over the course of the weekend, I found myself constantly humbled to be leading this wonderful team of women, especially because I’ve had the privilege of watching several of them discover their gifts through serving at MOPS.
