A Sense of Community

A Sense of Community

Thanks to Walgreens for sponsoring my writing. Help Walgreens help others! Visit their Facebook page here to learn about their charitable partners and decide which cause Walgreens will donate to with a quick vote.

**What's fabulous is when you schedule a post to go live and you're very in tune with what YEAR the post will be going live. ::facepalm:: This was supposed to be live yesterday so I'm backdating it for sanity's sake. Unless you'd all like to read it in 2013...

There are a limitless number of ways to give back to our communities. Physical or electronic, there are communities formed all around us at any given moment. Nurturing and contributing to the well-being of these communities is imperative to their longevity.

I've been involved with many different types of community over the years. Serving a brief stint in the LDS church, there was an overwhelming sense and need for community support on any given day. From meals to those who had endured a surgery or childbirth, to quilts for elderly homes, there was always on opportunity to give back. Since I've left the church, I'll admit that my physical contribution to the community around me has decreased, but is far from extinct.

Becoming a mother gave me the insight to what a dire need there is in the maternal community for love and support. Over the past three years, and honestly through this here space, I've developed lovely relationships with fellow mothers interested in sharing our wealth of talents with those mothers in our community who may not have the same opportunities as us. We've delivered sandwiches to local women's shelters, as reluctant as we could have been considering the location of a new leaf. Sometimes, though, it's a matter of stepping outside of our comfort zones, allowing our senses to be completely uninhibited, and taking the simple action of a donation here or an ear there.

I've noticed a transition over the last few years as well when it comes to the communities in which I can contribute my time and/or talents. There's this thing called the "internet", y'know, the thing you're reading this here post on? I have become a part of some pretty phenomenal online communities that, without the support of so many, would have floundered and flopped by now. It's great to see us forget our differences and embrace our similarities in a variety of ways. Whether it's fundraising to fight Lupus or offering a cyber hug in the midst of tragedy or celebration, this virtual community is just as important and thriving as the tangible one in which I live everyday.

So get out there, or stay in here, and do your part to give back. We all have unique and valuable talents to be shared with our fellow community members. Also? Rock on.


Don't forget to help Walgreens help others! Visit their Facebook page here to learn about their charitable partners and decide which cause Walgreens will donate to with a quick vote. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.