In the last 2 weeks I've lost 2 people who were, in truth, tangential to my life, but I found myself belonging as part of their legacies. I went to their respective visitations and funerals, and was embraced and accepted, even though I feared being ostracized. "You didn't really know him." "You haven't been around her in years." These were my fears. What I got instead was total acceptance and appreciation from the others struggling with their own loss. And I got the opportunity to allow myself to grieve in my own way for my losses.
A sense of belonging is essential for living. We are meant to live in community -- not in a vacuum. What that community looks like is different for everyone, but the one common denominator is other people. I can't be a community of one. By definition a community is a group. To be in community is to belong.
linking up with Five Minute Friday
I'm glad you were accepted and allowed to grieve in your own way.
ReplyDeleteI agree -- we all need communities. And, in todays cyber world, those communities can be real or virtual. And, as you say, to be part of a community is to belong.
PS: I forgot to mention that I came to your blog post from #fmf!
ReplyDeleteWhy do we fear rejection more than we anticipate acceptance? Is it because we remember the few times we were rejected and then fail to think about all the acceptance. It's a problem for me too.
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