Our Collective Fabric
August 1, 2020
Since March, we’ve been dealing with various forms of isolation and distancing. Something about that is contrary to how we want to live. We are by nature as Americans travelers, explorers, people who gather, and folks who determine our own limitations and boundaries. We have not easily adapted to what the global events of 2020 have brought to our nation, our state, our communities, and our homes. Most everything we cherish has been upended: workplace, church, summer youth leagues, graduations, weddings, birthday parties, vacations. While many of us may not be able to name a person who has tested positively for COVID 19, every one of us has felt the ripple effect. Sometimes our patience and our resolve have seemed close to collapse. The temptation is to withdraw from each other. The end result could be a deeper divide and a weakening of our collective fabric.
Cypress Basin Hospice would like to encourage a resistance to this temptation of withdrawing. Perhaps only during the World Wars has community been more important than it is today. We need each other. We are stronger as a whole than we could ever hope to be as individuals. As a company we talk about this and practice this routinely. We find hope in our diversity. We celebrate the unity of spirit even as we recognize the unique, specific gifts and approaches that each one of us bring to our work. This approach is built on the faith we share.
Jesus embraced this diverse community aspect, too, assembling people with different backgrounds, skills, trades, and personalities. He set about to help them appreciate each other as a connected body with a focused purpose. There were fractures along the way. Difficult decisions were made. Not every person was completely satisfied with those decisions. Still, they held together. They maintained community despite the troubles.
We’re hoeing a hard row right now. We need each other. Be patient. Show empathy. Listen. Respond. Be kind and gentle. Be encouraged and an encourager. And, do it all from love. Love is the gift that binds everything together in perfect harmony.