The Smaller Community

I'm having a hard time writing today. There's plenty to write about concerning the community at large. It's my own community, the smaller community, that is weighing on my mind.

A long time ago I wrote about the difference between the larger community

and the smaller one that can't be seen by the naked eye.

Here we are in all our beauty and imperfection, I suggested. This is our 'class picture', if you will.

Today some friends who are a very important part of my smaller community are moving away to begin a new life in another state. Contemplating their move has made me think a lot about those smaller communities that connect us, hold us up, enliven us, empower us. We learn what it means to be a part of the larger community from our relationships and interactions in the smaller ones.

When we connect with people who help us to grow and encourage us to be our better selves, it has a positive influence not only on us as individuals, but on the greater community as well. Good friendships make better people. Better people build better communities.

Tomorrow, and the day after that, the 'sand on the beach' may appear unchanged to the casual observer. But those of us in the smaller community will know the difference.

Just a small post today, about grains of sand.

“Individually, every grain of sand brushing against my hands represents a story, an experience, and a block for me to build upon for the next generation.”
― Raquel Cepeda