Clumping

It is Sunday. I got up this morning in time to say good-bye to hubs. I got dressed. Sipped some coffee. Made breakfast for the boys. Nursed the baby. Then we headed out the door! Time for church. One of my favorite activities of the week.

Today was my first time putting Baby *L* in the nursery. He will be 5-months old this week. Wow how time flies! So there we are standing in the church nursery entry. We checked in. I gave them the rundown (including a bottle that I admitted was more for my own humor as he refuses to take one). They gave me my pager. I was off to worship without having to entertain a little-one. I settled down in my pew ready for time with my church-family. It was a wonderful hour! (Although I will readily admit I wondered how he was doing more then just a time or two.)

The service wasn't entirely about 'clustering' but it sure is what I gleaned from it. I love what our pastor has to say. There are usually so many ways to apply the message; applying it to my own day to day life, applying it the bigger scope, and thinking about how it applies to my life as a military-spouse. The message this morning came from Ephesians and spoke about how Jews (Circumcised) and Gentiles (Uncircumcised) can both come to God through Jesus Christ ~ and just as importantly, with a modern day twist, as can 'the churched' and the 'unchurched'. All are equal. The idea is don't look down on a group of people or a person in particular because they don't look like you, talk like you, live in the same town, county, state, country as you, aren't from 'your side' of the tracks.

But here is what I wanted to share with you... Do you clump? Do you walk into a spouse-group, a unit get together, any type of function and gravitate to those that look like you, act like you, know you? What if you reached out to wives, girlfriends, service-members, someone that you don't know? Think about the newly married spouse, the family that just moved to the area, the wife that just doesn't seem to be fitting in, twiddling her thumbs and looking very nervous at a get-together. We are all military-spouses, military families. We all need friends. Maybe a great New Year's Resolution would be to reach out to someone you don't know very well. Show them the ropes. Listen to them. Answer questions. Learn from them. Show cohesion and support amongst military spouses and families.

I picked up my youngest from his first time in the church nursery, he was rubbing his eyes, tired and a bit worn from his nursery-escapade. He wasn't upset, just a lot to process for a little-boy! But I am excited. Excited for the friends he will meet, the lives he will touch, and the lives that will touch him as he begins this new journey. Time out of his family-circle, but time with a new-family, his church family.

- Leanne from MilitaryAvenue.com



PS - Our pastor shared a story I had heard before but I find so applicable to us as military-families . Let's be sure to treat each other with the kindness we deserve: His Name is Bill.