Will We Go Beyond Self-Dependency And Self-Sufficiency To Embrace Community?

THE EVOLVING WOMAN

NOV 2020

Community Holiday By: Jinell Wallace

I remember having a conversation with one of my sisters in which she used the word “community”.

support you. She described what I was feeling as “community”.

She was referring to what I had described as my feelings after having lost my home due to layoff and being put in a position to ask for help. It was something she knew I rarely did and never without an extreme amount of forethought and, admittedly, stress.

So far this year I don’t believe there has been anyone that hasn’t been affected by all that has transpired. The pandemic alone has touched and taken lives, employment, and changed many to their core.

I was explaining to her that I realized the importance of stepping outside of self-dependency and the strength that can be found in friends and family who genuinely

To some extent, most of us have fallen during 2020. In a society that in my opinion was becoming more and more disconnected even amid the greatest technological era ever experienced many of us yearned

for personal connection again.

We yearned for and sought community.

Almost like air, we didn’t realize its importance until circumstances beyond our control took it away.

We didn’t see the need to connect until it was virtually impossible, yet ironically only virtually possible to do so in most cases.

If we are to believe the numbers COVID-19 will spike again and as we approach the holiday season, some will still gather but most will choose not to.

As bright as the star on top of Christmas trees, the holidays tend to shed light on our joy and for some pain.

The usual routine of the holidays usually does an outstanding job of covering that pain for many.

But...... what happens when the streets aren’t all a buzz and the gifts aren’t being given?

I believe our need for community will once again be on display.

Not to imply that that is what the holidays are about, as honestly I personally no longer celebrate them in the traditional fashion, but to question whether there will be a return of the true intended meaning attached to the season.

In a normal year, the grief the holiday season carries for some is seemingly unbearable.

True giving of time to others and not just things, even if that means more video calls and drive by celebrations.

I am nearly overwhelmed with compassion for how a year such as 2020 will affect those individuals and now many others. The holidays have a way of bringing out the best and the worst in our emotions.

True forgiveness and communication amongst families.

Truly extending ourselves to those in need. being able to see beyond the glare of the lights to experience another's

perspective and show empathy for their pain.

Will we go beyond self-dependency and self-sufficiency to embrace community?

My hope is that the sound that resounds as loud as carolers is yes.

Yes, we will reach further, or in some cases closer to the ones that feel forgotten.

We will search for opportunities to be a blessing if and when we can.

We will see past our physical differences and into the hearts of each other, and we will recreate the feeling of community by becoming one again.

Community

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