Andrea Springer offers today’s post. Andrea has presented retreats many times at the Retreat & Conference Center and she will be the feature presenter for our annual Women’s Wellness retreat this September. The theme this year will be ‘Present with Purpose’ and you can read more about the retreat and about Andrea by clicking here. As we struggle to connect with our communities during the pandemic, take a moment to read this insightful reflection.
Community of the Long Haul
Not too long ago a wise colleague introduced me to the phrase, community of the long haul. The words struck me then and over these last two weeks I find myself returning to them again and again. It occurs to me that we are members of the community of the long haul. We’ve always been really, part of a human heritage that endures hardships and lives to tell. Think of the settlers and explorers heading into unknown territory knowing that life will be different. For us, it is abundantly clear that the words community, long, and haul mean even more today than yesterday.
The words we use are important and go beyond our personal understanding and experience so I turned to the Oxford Dictionary for new insights into those three small words; community, long, and haul.
Community: a feeling of fellowship with others as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals. This seems particularly appropriate as we may not be physically close to one another but locally, and globally, we share commonalities based on a small but mighty bug.
Long: lasting or taking a great amount of time. The unknown duration of our physical separation adds to our feeling of isolation. Distance also comes into play as we are reminded of social distancing, and suddenly six feet seems a lot longer.
Haul: pull or drag with effort or force; a distance to be traversed. These days it takes some effort, and often sheer determination, to keep a routine and move through the day. This reality is a distance to be traversed.
Individually these words can emphasize our separateness but together, what an image! Community of the Long Haul reminds us of what we’ve been all along and are most especially today. We are people of togetherness, commonalities, and endurance. We may not be hugging and shaking hands, but we’re reaching one another through acts of kindness and love that don’t need a physical touch; phone calls, music, prayers, videos, and journals. Just as the members of the early Community of the Long Haul shared their stories we can share ours. So write it down or draw it out or call someone and say it. Let’s pass on the experiences, the memories, the care, and the endurance of the Community of the Long Haul of this time and place.
6 replies on “Community of the Long Haul”
Loved the reflection on the words “Community of the Long Haul’ – Somehow the world seems to be healing itself – a silver lining in the dark cloud of the coronavirus.
People are growing closer to one another as a result of being separated from one another – and the planet is experiencing a healing as well – less air pollution as a result of less cars on the road, etc. etc. etc.
Thanks so much for your feedback, Judith. Best wishes as our community and our world heals in many ways.
Judith, thank you for your comment I’m glad you enjoyed the reflection. I think it helps to know we are following in the footsteps of so many others who have gone before us. These times bind all of humanity, a silver lining for sure. Thank you!
Thanks, Andrea, for your uplifting & inspiring words of encouragement during this difficult time. As one of the essential personnel, I am ever grateful for some comfort on my breaks during the day reading this Blog. I feel God’s loving embrace with your insightful & faith-filled words. ..God bless you & the RCC Blog. AWESOME!
Thanks so much for your feedback, Beth! We’ll be sure to pass this along to Andrea. And, thank you for your service during this extremely difficult time. We’re so glad that the blog is helping you. God bless you too.
Beth, thanks so much for your comment and for your willingness to serve as essential during this difficult and very trying time. I’m so glad the reflection brought you some respite from your work. We really do need the support and care of one another as we continue the journey into this unknown. Sending you my great gratitude!