Belonging (02/07/2024)

We had a mission, my grandson Brennan and me. We were off to Walgreens to shop for candy for my 6th grade faith formation students for our own version of Mardi Gras this last week before Lent began. The students had all written their favorite kind of candies, but I needed help, I learned when I went to the store and found out just how many varieties of Reese’s and Jolly Ranchers there were. So, I commissioned my grandson as the sweets expert for 6th graders since he is one.

We entered Walgreens, grabbed a cart and then spent 20 minutes in the candy aisle searching for just the right flavor or form each requested candy. I was blessed to have an experienced sweets shopper by my side. As we were finishing and heading to the checkout, we encountered one of my grandson’s old neighbors and a friend from my parish. We chatted for a bit. She couldn’t believe how much he’d grown.

We couldn’t find all the candies, so we decided to try the market since it was close, and I had a couple of items I needed to get sometime. We were in the produce section. I was giving my grandson a lesson on selecting grapes when we heard a man’s voice behind us, “Those were the ones I wanted.” We turned around to find a man smiling broadly. It was my grandson’s math teacher. He was just kidding about the grapes, by the way. He shared with me how much he enjoys my grandson in class and what a great mathematician he is. My grandson did one of those blushing beams.

We couldn’t find the missing candy at the market, so we headed off to the Mobil station that carries a huge variety of candy for after school shoppers. And sure enough, they had the missing types. We grabbed what we needed. At the counter, the clerk introduced himself as the father of one of my grandson’s older brother’s best friends. The clerk shared with my grandson how much he thought of my grandson’s older brother and how pleased he was to meet my grandson.

It was a simple errand; true, it had three stops. And we were reminded that while our world feels so big at times, it really isn’t. We have more connections than we might recognize. As I reflected on my day with the LORD, I recognized the blessings of the day and the blessing of belonging, of being recognized and cared for by others in the community. And I realized that not everyone has that blessing. I thought of the lost and lonely in our world. And I prayed that I and others might recognize them in our midst and seek to welcome them. That’s the way it is supposed to be.

We are family, we are all daughters and sons of the LORD. We are all sisters and brothers of Christ who gave His life so that we might have life. The lost and the lonely were on his mind as he suffered just as we were.

In our lives, we need to believe because without faith we will falter. And in our lives, we need to strive to become because we are called to be more. And in our lives, we need to belong. We were created in relationship for relationship. Loving relationships with our LORD and one another are the very matter of our lives. As we go about our journey, let us seek to reach out, welcome, and accompany others, especially those who are lost and feel alone.

Until tomorrow, let us all love well.

Thoughts? Questions? Requests? - katewiskus@gmail.com