We Laughed, We Cried, We Lived!

     Soul Sisters meets the third Thursday of the month. Lately, I’ve not been able to join them. I led a book study at the public library during the season of Lent on Wednesday evenings, so for a few months, I’ve missed out on their gatherings. They’ve been viewing a filmed interview of Melvia Fields, but as they had new visitors joining them last night, they decided to suspend finishing up this viewing in order to allow newcomers get to know the group and learn some names.
     We Laughed! We shared some getting to know you games designed to loosen up the conversations and encourage some sharing.  Hilarity prevailed. Stories were told. Humor revealed our humanity. We laughed so hard…
     We Cried! After sharing name games, we shared the Soul Sisters’ ‘Joy Jar’ practice. Each time life reveals a joy in someone’s life, we write it down on a piece of paper and stuff it in our jars. At the end of the year we plan to celebrate a year of fellowship by sharing some of our joys. One of my joys was that our newcomer has experienced incredible welcome effusive love and inclusion by our church members. So, we decided to share with one another what it is about First Christian Church that makes us love it here so much…we cried some more.
     We Lived! This is what it is to live into our call to be the body of Christ. Sharing and caring for one another. Laughing together when life gives you joy and crying together when there is sorrow. Loving and supporting one another throughout all the ages and stages of life. Sharing moments together for a lifetime. Eating together and holding one another’s babies. Hugging and comforting one another through all the scary parts of life. Encouraging one another to be our best selves and forgiving and forgetting those moments when we aren’t. Being open to listening and learning from one another. Fixing food and lending a helping hand when there is need…and always, always, holding one another close to our hearts and praying for and with each other continually.
     Moments such as these are what make my life so richly blessed to be in ministry with you. My jar runneth over!
Blessings,
Tracy