Next to Sandy Shores was a larger rental unit that was comprised of maybe 6 different units. So, there was a group of people living basically under one roof that really didn’t know each other too well. They not only shared a huge house, but they shared the same beach area as well. And we got to watch the interaction all week. What was interesting is that early in the week, there were little clusters of people spread out across the beach. No one wanted to be too close, and it showed. But simply in sharing space – in living together – they slowly began to morph into this big mass of laughing, sun-loving people. Nowhere was this more evident than at night. Their unit had a couple of gazebos along with a grill. As the week wore on, folks began to pile into one gazebo instead of staying in distinct groups. A shrubbery border was all that separated us from them, and at the risk of sounding like an eavesdropper, it was fascinating to hear the conversations deepen as the week went on. Names began to be associated with faces and pictures I’m sure were being passed around, as stories of families were told. Superficial questions such as the standard “So what do you do?” were replaced with joys and heartaches of days past. It was not lost on me that these conversations were also being held around a table – there is something sacred about sharing a meal with other people.
As the week drew to a close, it was both sad and awesome to see those who were strangers just 7 days before now embrace warmly and then go their separate ways. I have to believe that friendships were made that week that will survive distance. And I’m sharing their week with you now, because they showed me what it means to be community. Here’s to life together.
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