It's been a day.

and my thoughts keep coming back to this word:
Community.

Webster's defines it as:
1: a unified body of individuals: as
a: state, commonwealth
b: the people with common interests living in a particular area; broadly : the area itself
c: an interacting population of various kinds of individuals (as species) in a common location
d: a group of people with a common characteristic or interest living together within a larger society
e: a group linked by a common policy
f: a body of persons or nations having a common history or common social, economic, and political interests
g: a body of persons of common and especially professional interests scattered through a larger society
2: society at large
3 a: joint ownership or participation; b: likeness; c: social condition

My good friend KayDee had a great, thought-provoking, sit-back-and-think post today. It was about "community." Her thoughts, her observations, her insight, her words... they made me really stop & think.
That word "community"... what is it?
What does it mean... not just according to Webster's dictionary... but to me?

I have several communities, groups, circles that define me, that comfort me, that nurture me, that protect me, that trust me, that confide in me, that make my life mine.

My home.
My husband, my boys, our dogs, our cat.
Our plaid couch, our log bed, our kitchen table.
My gray hooded sweatshirt, my favorite GAP: long&lean jeans, my glasses.

Our babysitter.
The open arms, the generous spirit, the love, the understanding that is given to my children is irreplaceable.
Trusting someone to do what I can't is hard. Allowing them to aide in the raising of my children is hard. Pulling out of the driveway watching Mason waving goodbye is hard. I hadn't even thought about the fact that in his little world, they are a huge piece of what he knows as "community."

My school.
The place that has been home to me for almost 11 years. The building that hundreds of families send their children to each day to become educated. The rooms that welcome each person who enters. The institution I'm proud to be a part of. The place that thrives because of what it is made of.

Our church.
That handshake as you walk in the door. That special greeting time set aside during worship to "check-in" with the people you can't see every day. The praises that are sung. The words that are taught. The comfort & peace that is felt while sitting in the back, or the front, or the left or the right.

Blog world.
A place where people share as little or as much as they want. They seek advice, they offer wisdom, they share their highlights, they respond to each other. A place where we each sit... in our own homes, at our desks, on a chair at Starbucks, at our workplace, or maybe even in the car and relate to each other. We reach out to each other. We encourage & affirm each other.

Community.

I was in a meeting this afternoon. The topic of the meeting was something I'm passionate about. Education. The participants in this meeting were leaders of the schools in the community that I call home. I spoke on behalf of my school and for some reason, found myself in tears. All choked up and at a loss for words.
In tears, in front of administrators, peers, co-workers. Emotional. Passionate.
I was thinking about the word community.
I was struggling with the fact that in most communities there is a need to be the best.
There is a desire to receive praise.
There is competition.
There is a race to the top.

I want praise from my husband at home - even when I don't always give it to him.
I want my babysitter to tell me that my children are perfect - even when I know they are not.
I want my peers to recognize the things I do that make our school better - even when I'm just a small, miniature piece in the puzzle - and really... it's not about me, it's about kids.

I want, I want, I want. But wait - community is about giving & receiving. It's not about one person, it's about a group.
It's about helping.
It's about guiding.
It's about leading.
It's about commitment.
It's about endurance.
It's about understanding - not always agreeing, but making an effort to understand.
It's about uplifting.
It's about interacting.

Look at the communities you're involved in.
Look at the expectations you've set for those communities.

and then... all of a sudden, maybe it will make sense.

It's not about me... it's about us.
Communities aren't just one person doing and giving and making everything.
Communities aren't about competition.
Communities aren't meant to hinder, they're meant to build up.

What can you do to make your community better today?
Those places that define, mold & make you... what are you giving back?
Are you only giving when you feel like it?
Are you competing without even realizing it?

Hmmm.... is life about me or about us?