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Location: Midwest, United States

Monday, April 14, 2008

Dear Friends, Thank You.

I feel like I talk about this all the time, but here goes again: having a sense of community is so important to me. I feel so lucky to have this lately both in big and small ways.

I think about it often because it is one of main themes of the work I do: the importance of relationships, of partnerships, and community building through citizen engagement. (I'll be honest I am also doing research around it in a way for my thesis.)

But I also think about it often because it is a huge value to me in terms of quality of life. I like people, I naturally connect with others. I like to talk, I like to hear what other people have to say. I like knowing people and really value being able to be myself. Out of this slowly develops a web- a community of people that love, like, and support you.

Recently, while husband and I have been spending time with friends, I have heard this theme come up often and in various ways. Finding ways to live in the same neighborhood, knowing and spending time with people on your block, sharing CSA shares, learning skills, collaborating to get things done, or simply talking through complex decisions about life, marriage, or money have all been topics of conversation lately. As we get older, and thoughts about family, lifestyle, and maintaining 'adult' relationships are more present in our minds- it is community that we are making decisions about- sometimes consciously and sometimes unconsciously.

So while I had been thinking about all of this last week, Jff emails friends to ask for help painting our basement. It is my nature to initially feel a bit embarrassed about this- I hate to impose on people. And then the emails started pouring in... and I was reminded that if I treasure community so much it is important to give people the chance to show their support as much as I like the opportunities to do this for other people.

This last weekend, for a measly offer of lunch, we had SEVEN friends volunteer to come paint our basement. Within a few hours our basement was transformed from white walls into a beautiful collection of rooms. People worked so hard to make OUR basement look nice it was clear how much they cared. I was so touched... and so aware of what a tremendous community husband and I are lucky to have.

So thank you friends, both for the conversation and for the actions you take in making our lives better.

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