For most of my life, I’ve loved putting groups of people together. In high school, my mom hosted all of my friends for mass sleepovers, junk food and toilet papering the homes of friends who couldn’t make it and later on as an adult with my own home, block parties, picnics and Easter egg hunts all made their start at our driveway. I secretly hoped my kids would enjoy having their friends over at our home too and while that was mostly so, I also second guessed that desire as they became teenagers. Some might call me an extravert, but I more aptly described myself as being comfortable on my own turf but lacking confidence & relaxation just about anywhere else. That’s when I realized I had an insatiable need to belong.
Feeling isolated while in the middle of a large group is a strange and lonely feeling so I set out to create my own sense of inclusion and still to this day seek others so they’ll know they will always belong here. I guess it’s no surprise that we opened a wedding venue all those years ago. it was never enough though to be just an event space or business.
Beyond the desire to host weddings, I wanted to create a deeper sense of purpose and invite couples to meet each other and learn about marriage in a safe environment, so we trained in teaching marriage workshops and have done so for 14 of our 18+ years. Open houses came along before they were popular and were created so that vendors could meet one another and have a sense of community outside the parameters of handing out business cards. We’ve tried to extend our offer of belonging as a business and hope to be that place of employment where our team can feel a sense of a safety and enjoy work knowing their families were as important as our bottom line.
The world can be scary and awfully lonely at times, but I hope you know how much you are loved and prayed over. Sometimes what we think is a shortcoming or failure or need in ourselves might instead prove to be an answered call for someone else. The very definition of community.
I have a hunch that most folks are looking for a connection somewhere. Just know the door, the heart and the ear, are open for you.
Elaine
