trish hermanson
  • Home
  • BIO
  • FAQs
  • Book Club
  • Awards
  • Influences
  • Home
  • BIO
  • FAQs
  • Book Club
  • Awards
  • Influences

Does Community Matter?

5/17/2018

2 Comments

 
Picture

     We’ve never experienced the need for community more than these crushing days when our six-year-old granddaughter Lydia died. As one of the pallbearers observed, the coffin was light, but the burden was heavy.
     
I thought about a man I knew who found that his best place for community was at a bar. Before heading for home after work, Frank often stopped at The Tap, lifted a longneck, and share some laughs. Everyone knew his name. Everyone accepted him.    
     Then Frank died.
     
Most of his family lived out of town, so they pulled together a memorial service at the local church. The minister read ritual out of a little black book. Nothing personal.
     
Afterward, the family sat alone in Frank’s home, longing for remembrances from his friends. “Let’s go to The Tap,” one said. So they drove to the tavern, pulled open the door, and peered into the darkness. “Anybody here know Frank?”
     
Heads flew up and arms pointed their bottles skyward. “Everybody knows Frank.”
     
The siblings took stools and got to know their father better through the eyes of his friends.
     
Like Frank, we all want a place where we’re accepted, where everyone knows our name. If we don’t find it in one setting, we’ll grab it in another.
     
So here’s the challenge to me from Frank’s story: Do I help create the kind of community I need for both the bright times and the dark times? If I don’t, I miss out.
     
And do I welcome others into the communities where I live, work, play, and worship? If I don’t, they miss out.
     
A lot of it is up to me.

2 Comments
Kurt Fowich
5/17/2018 06:34:36 am

To my new friend Trish

Reply
Trish Hermanson link
5/17/2018 06:44:55 am

Thank you for signing up to receive blog posts, Kurt.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Croutons...
    Chew on these seasoned bits of life for a little hope and humor along your highway.​
    Picture
    JOIN ME ~ I’ll send brief, occasional posts for this journey we're traveling on together.
    Subscribe

    Categories

    All
    Holidays & Happenings
    Humor
    Inspiration
    Passages
    Social Issues
    Spirituality
    Wholeness

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017

    Picture
    Available on Amazon
    Picture

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly