Tribes

My mmmmm friend, Erin, invited me to join her book club. It's a club made up of a very diverse group of girls that are mostly in their 30's. Some are married; some have babies or young children; some are chasing careers and men. All are beautiful and intelligent and oh so amazing and fun. Erin and I are the matriarchs of the group. Yeah. We're the oldies.  Anyway, last night we met at my house to discuss All the Light You Cannot See and eat a bounty of salads that were arranged around my table. Oh my word! Those salads! I just could not stop eating as each one was so delectable.

But the thing is, this is only my third time with these girls but already I feel like they are my tribe. They are so welcoming and adorable and they each have so much personality and wit. We don't typically discuss the book for hours on end, but just enough to hit the main points. And then? The conversation tends to drift to other things as everyone has such interesting lives and funny stories to share. It is just simply fun and I looked forward to it all day.

When they left, Darian gushed, "Oh Mom, I love your reading group! They are so nice!"

Yes, they are.

And then, of course, I coerced Erin to stay just a bit longer so I could soak up some Erin time in my living room. But naturally, my entire family decided Erin is here!!!! which meant they wanted a piece of her too, so before I knew it, everybody was scrunched in the living room laughing and talking it up about nothing and yet everything because Erin is just fun like that.

Today, Darian is headed into surgery. I've taken off work for two days so that I can play nurse and make sure she gets over the surgery hump with relatively no problem. She's young and fit so I'm sure she'll be just fine, but, of course, surgery is always a little nerve-wracking. I've told her a few million times how it goes down so that she will know what to expect and won't fear it quite so much: First you change into the fashionable gown and lay down on one of those stark white hospital beds. Then a nurse comes in and asks you a million questions and takes your blood pressure, etc. And then they...blah blah blah.

I know that many people are thinking about her today as we head to the hospital and that she will be surrounded by the thoughts and prayers of others. We are blessed to have a tribe filled with good people with good hearts.

I've been thinking about that lately--tribes. I want to surround myself with those who support not just me, but my husband and my kids. That's important to me. That, to me, is the sign of a true friend. And of course, I want to be that friend to those who are in my tribe.

Life is all about community. And we all have our tribes: our church tribe and our family tribe and our friends tribe and our book club tribe and our heart-friends tribe...and the list continues.

Tribes?

They make the world go 'round.

They bring the joy and the spark and the feeling of belonging.

So to those who are a part of my tribe?

Thank you.