It's a rainy Friday after a restless night. Ella's fever has broken but Naya's is still going strong. It's looking like we're not going anywhere so the morning called for a block city that covered the whole floor and lots of old school Sesame Street.My girls get so clingy when they are sick. They just want to be held for as long as I sit still. Ella acts like such a little mommy, and I smile watching her say, "It's okay sweetie, I'll make you feel bettuw, lemme check you wiv my medsin." as she tucks her doll blanket around Naya's neck. Sisters have such a special bond and Naya is comforted by Ella's presence by her side.
Their tender love for each other is a picture of how much we need people. Being a mom, or a wife, a friend, or a daughter is never easy all of the time. Our days pass in a journey of learning and failing, being disappointed, and humbled and slowly becoming. And it's messy and nobody has it all figured out. But we were never meant to go at it alone. I've been thinking about the importance of community alot this week. Maybe it was in the middle of the night on Tuesday when the girls in my small group left and I paused in the after-glow of the inspiration and encouragement and strength that I gleaned from listening to women, some younger and some older share their thoughts and their wisdom. These girls that meet in my home, some of whom I've met with for years, to pray,listen, meditate, read and hopefully grow together. They are not my biological sisters but I feel a sense of sisterhood with them. They are fellow travelers, like me with struggles and weaknesses but more importantly we are all in pursuit of the same thing, Jesus, and how to live the way he wanted us to and designed us to. We are on a pilgrimage to learn from the life and work of Jesus and to in some way reflect His glory. There is strength in numbers and I am so thankful for these women and their beautiful honesty.
I am also so thankful for my own two big sisters with whom I have so many memories tucked away, much like the ones I now see unfolding between my girls. It never ceases to amaze me how we never run out of things to talk about and how we get into laughing fits in ways nobody else seems to get and that probably make us look like a bunch of crazy people. I just feel so thankful for my sweet sisters and my girls group and for you, the blogging community and everyone else that offers me the gift of their friendship.
Oh and one more thing a lovely song for a rainy day,
and here are the words:
All day, since your haircut in the morning,
you have looked like a painting, even more than usual.
We are in the wind, planting the maples. We meet an older man who seems to know
I miss my dad.
And he smiles through the limbs.
We talk easily with him
until the rain begins.
This is the brotherhood of man.
Waiting at the airport on my suitcase,
a girl traveling from Spain became my sudden friend,
though I did not learn her name.
And when the subway dimmed
a stranger lit my way.
This is the brotherhood of man.
I never can say what I mean,
but you will understand,
coming through clouds on the way.
