Chalking It Up to Experience & Celebrating Community
I have fond memories of chalk. I cast my mind back to the classroom at Hillvue Primary School, and in the hot stillness of a Summer’s Day I see the chalk dust rise from the duster as it bangs against the board.
Chalk is a constant, just like community. It brings back learning, captures memories, and evokes emotion.
Building Community: Church, Celebrations and Cul de Sac Conversations all Happened Last Sunday…
Today was one of those community kind of days.
Our Sunday morning’s move between my hubby preparing for an early start as an Advanced Care Paramedic and an easy breakfast of poached eggs with that special organic pumpkin seed loaf I buy down at our local store. No matter the priorities and the pressures of deadlines that linger, this is the one day of the week I set aside to truly renew my strength and my spirit. I play. I have fun. I hang out with community
COMMUNITY | Chalking Up Another Sunday in Church
Breakfast cleared away, makeup and hair done, and grabbing my worn bible I careened down the stairs to my chariot and headed to Church.
Greeting friends, celebrating Asa receiving his citizenship, lifting our hands, singing our hearts out, and listening to the Pastor share wisdom. I followed along turning the pages in my Bible.
Phrases like:
- Iron sharpens iron
- What you sow is what you reap
- We are valuable before we do anything
- We are more than the sum of our mistakes
- The grass is greener where you water it
- Without a vision people perish
It’s the stuff songs are written about and an evergreen message. From orthodox to traditional, faith is important. Statistics say we live longer and have greater emotional resilience. Marriages have that little something extra weaving them together. We heal better, when we hold onto hope and serve others, do life together and all that jazz.
Are you setting time aside to sing out loud – even if you won’t make it to the finals of the Voice or Idol? Do you stretch yourself and let your guard down with people who share the same values as you? Could you do that next weekend?
Morning gave way to lunch and I felt conflicting emotions. Torn, because I would have like to finish listening to Pastor Di’s sermon and excited, knowing we were about to catch up with extended family and friends over a birthday celebration.
CELEBRATIONS | BLENDED FAMILIES
What’s normal anyway, right? We say yes to gatherings of family that strengthen bonds, encouraging one another. It can be weird on the surface to some who may not understand how blended and step families make it work, but we do in a messy, straight up kinda way.
I’m mindful of being thoughtful and honouring boundaries of this one. My daughter’s Dad’s family have been an active part of my daughters life since she was born. Her dad and I went our separate ways when she was 20 months old. She’s now 20. He travels, my husband Dave and I are invited to events with my girl and love her grandparents and extended family. We feel honoured to be part of the extended family…
Today we celebrated Ellie’s Uncle and Aunty’s 50th birthday. They’re twins living miles apart. Special occasions, unspoken moments, knowing people are missing through loss, travel and overseas residency.
So we find a way to connect and include them:
- Recording a video
- Taking photos
- Sharing stories
- Admiring china teacups
- Promising to see each other again before the next big birthday
Great Aunt Marcia’s china cups are catalyst for conversation and warm memories…
Are you rushed or pausing to admire the treasures other people hold dear? Are you navigating relationships, considerate to boundaries and timing? What could you be doing differently? Who could you be sending a handwritten note to? What could you draw a line under and choose to do differently?
CHALKING UP CUL de SAC CONVERSATIONS
Seeing hubby in the garage catching up with a friend of ours, being brought up to date of the antics of neighbourhood children who came bearing freshly baked cookies… it makes my heart swell and remember ‘this is community’. My husband writing my daughter’s nickname on a homegrown Paw Paw for her to take with her conveyed – ‘you’re loved, you’re remembered, you’re special’.
The last 24 hours were filled with love, compassion, celebration, conversation and community.
When your joy threatens to fade or weariness stands at the door, grab some chalk, draw a hopscotch, write a note on the footpath for your neighbour or your postman, pick yourself up and go be amongst community.
When’s the last time you connected with your neighbours and simply stood around chatting while the kids ran around?
Stop worrying about everything and striving for this or that. Learn to be content and …
- Chalk Up Another Sunday with Community
- Chalk Up Another Celebration with Community
- Chalk Up Conversations with Community
Don’t give in, give up or turn the other way.
You were never meant to have a chalk outline around your body.
You were always meant to live your life in community.
Could you do better at it?
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ABOUT TARRAN DEANE #30blogsin30days
Tarran is a Strategic & Operational Leadership Consultant, Executive Coach and Keynote Conference Speaker. Author of the upcoming book “The Alphabet Principle ~ Your A-Z Guide to Being a Compelling Leader”, Tarran is also Queensland President for Professional Speakers Australia, and Director with Newlife Uniting Care Services. A Wife, Mum, Ducati rider and sought after speaker at conferences in the Asia Pacific, Tarran equips leaders and executives using her Signature 7 Leadership Framework™, to build connection and culture that drives business and organisational success – and has a lot of fun doing it!
Want to stay connected? We’d love to have you!
Tarran and the team do short, sharp daily posts on one aspect of her Signature 7 Leadership Framework™. Check it out and join the conversation for your key interest areas and search our Blog Categories for special interest posts:
- Sunday: Personal Leadership
- Monday: Toolbox Leadership
- Tuesday: Strategic Ledership
- Wednesday: Culture Leadership
- Thursday: Speaking Leadership
- Friday: Online Leadership
- Saturday: Family Leadership
During May, Tarran’s taken up the challenge of #30blogsin30days. Click to share the posts, like and comment on your favourite social media channel @tarrandeane