I’m so glad to see that you’re OK! It really hit me this week that I hadn’t seen anything from you in a while and realized that both here and on Twitter at least it had been a while.
Was starting to get a little worried.
As “come heres” in our small town where I pastor, we are learning some of the lessons you enumerate here. It’s a process.
Great questions and thoughts Grace, I have appreciated your explorations of place and belonging immensely.
I have already read Uprooted (almost through my second reading now) so don't need to be entered into the competition, but I wanted to share some thoughts to the excellent questions. I have written an article a while back which explains my thinking further (https://overthefield.substack.com/p/ten-theses-on-intergenerational-stewardship)
But one thing I will highlight on "How can we help make our communities stronger?" is to learn the history of the place you live. This fosters connections to the past; facilitates storytelling (which I believe helps bind our communities); and enables one to realise that in building community one is carrying on the work which was started by our forefathers. We are building community on the foundations that they have laid.
I'm currently at work on a neighborhood project with two young friends who live on my street. We are doing an oral history of our street with our neighbors and digging down into its history (once upon a time, it was a tobacco farm, and people have interesting stories about the farm artifacts they've found over the years). We're having a great time and have lots of ideas for sharing the project with our neighbors when it's done.
That sounds very interesting and worth doing - I am sure you will uncover lots of surprises. I live in the UK and for the Queen's Golden Jubilee our street hosted a street party and someone wrote a little booklet which outlined stories from the history of everyone in our street. It was a lovely and insightful read.
Really appreciated your thoughts on growing in community. It is often a humbling and stretching experience to reach out in new spaces ( especially not knowing the outcome).
I would love to win one of your books. I was glad to read this newsletter. You offer some good thoughts. We are currently attending a church that is new to us and beginning to develop relationships. It's good to remember that I can invite others over and don't necessarily have to wait for them to ask first.
Really glad to hear from you Gracy! Treasure the writings, recipes, books, and thoughts that go into all your writing and it gives my wife and I much to reflect on together concerning where we find ourselves currently in life. I hope you are able to have ways to pour into yourself while also working hard for your family, self, and in all other aspects in your life.
Welcome back to this space and thank you for all your words and work. Your book was one of the few books that really moved me and spoke to me in many years, and I would love to be entered in your giveaway.
I love supporting our local library (another place of community gathering!) But would treasure a copy of my own.
I too moved back to my hometown after 20 years of roaming and if I hadn't had my restless years I don't know if I'd have wound up here, the last place I imagined putting down roots and buying my first home, but I'm so glad and grateful for it. Interestingly I fell into a job as a Community Engagement Coordinator for a small non profit here which I've no training for other than searching for community my whole life and deeply feeling and appreciating its importance in our lives. I think your above ideas are spot on. We're often missing these third spaces where we gather together, despite our age or status or differing beliefs. Connection and interdependence are in our great creaturely needs and I'm so glad to be gratefully seeking it whole heartedly.
I’m so glad to see that you’re OK! It really hit me this week that I hadn’t seen anything from you in a while and realized that both here and on Twitter at least it had been a while.
Was starting to get a little worried.
As “come heres” in our small town where I pastor, we are learning some of the lessons you enumerate here. It’s a process.
Thank you for the concern! Very kind of you. :) Just a little too busy! Haha.
Great questions and thoughts Grace, I have appreciated your explorations of place and belonging immensely.
I have already read Uprooted (almost through my second reading now) so don't need to be entered into the competition, but I wanted to share some thoughts to the excellent questions. I have written an article a while back which explains my thinking further (https://overthefield.substack.com/p/ten-theses-on-intergenerational-stewardship)
But one thing I will highlight on "How can we help make our communities stronger?" is to learn the history of the place you live. This fosters connections to the past; facilitates storytelling (which I believe helps bind our communities); and enables one to realise that in building community one is carrying on the work which was started by our forefathers. We are building community on the foundations that they have laid.
I'm currently at work on a neighborhood project with two young friends who live on my street. We are doing an oral history of our street with our neighbors and digging down into its history (once upon a time, it was a tobacco farm, and people have interesting stories about the farm artifacts they've found over the years). We're having a great time and have lots of ideas for sharing the project with our neighbors when it's done.
That sounds very interesting and worth doing - I am sure you will uncover lots of surprises. I live in the UK and for the Queen's Golden Jubilee our street hosted a street party and someone wrote a little booklet which outlined stories from the history of everyone in our street. It was a lovely and insightful read.
Such a great idea, Frances!
Love this, Hadden!
Really appreciated your thoughts on growing in community. It is often a humbling and stretching experience to reach out in new spaces ( especially not knowing the outcome).
Thank you, Ishah! So true.
I would love to win one of your books. I was glad to read this newsletter. You offer some good thoughts. We are currently attending a church that is new to us and beginning to develop relationships. It's good to remember that I can invite others over and don't necessarily have to wait for them to ask first.
Thank you, Stephanie! Will be praying that those efforts bear fruit.
Really glad to hear from you Gracy! Treasure the writings, recipes, books, and thoughts that go into all your writing and it gives my wife and I much to reflect on together concerning where we find ourselves currently in life. I hope you are able to have ways to pour into yourself while also working hard for your family, self, and in all other aspects in your life.
Thank you so much for reading, and for the kind wishes!
Welcome back to this space and thank you for all your words and work. Your book was one of the few books that really moved me and spoke to me in many years, and I would love to be entered in your giveaway.
I love supporting our local library (another place of community gathering!) But would treasure a copy of my own.
I too moved back to my hometown after 20 years of roaming and if I hadn't had my restless years I don't know if I'd have wound up here, the last place I imagined putting down roots and buying my first home, but I'm so glad and grateful for it. Interestingly I fell into a job as a Community Engagement Coordinator for a small non profit here which I've no training for other than searching for community my whole life and deeply feeling and appreciating its importance in our lives. I think your above ideas are spot on. We're often missing these third spaces where we gather together, despite our age or status or differing beliefs. Connection and interdependence are in our great creaturely needs and I'm so glad to be gratefully seeking it whole heartedly.
This is lovely, Julie! Thank you for sharing these thoughts. Those third spaces are so vital.