Rep. LaMonica McIver Is Facing Prison for Touching ICE Officers — She Just...
Mamdani the Pied-À-Terrible: NYC Mayor Loses in Court on Tax-The-Rich Rollout
The Bulwark’s Focus Group Says Abdul El-Sayed Is Over-Performing With Trump Voters
Kyle Kulinski Has No Doubt Mossad Has Videos of Trump 'Doing Ungodly Things...
Cory Booker Thinks a Criminal Who Undermined One Election Is Very Likely to...
Tight Race, Tight Pants: James Talarico Victory Could Obliterate State Religion of Texas...
Venezuelan Shot by ICE Charged by DOJ With Assaulting a Federal Officer
El-Sayed Wants Money Out of Politics — Except the Soros Family That Hand-Selected...
Jack Smith Subpoenaed Checks From Thousands of Americans Who Donated As Little As...
The Cornell 7: Viral Outrage, Changing Statements, and Why Prosecutors May Have Walked...
Nikole Hannah-Jones and Her Daughter Did a Podcast. Only One of Them Truly...
CNN Doesn't Even Crack the Top 35 (Heck, Reruns on Other CHANNELS Are...
Jack Smith Under Fire As Bombshell New Trump Probe Records Surface
Had Him DEAD to Rights: John Kennedy SO Owned Jack Smith That Dick...
Obama Face-Plants SPECTACULARLY Asking How Americans Got So 'Toxic and Divided'. No, Reall...
Premium

The Cost of Real Community: Showing Up When It's Inconvenient

Lee Ji-eun/Yonhap via AP

Americans, many of us, at least, have lost the art of being a friend and offering hospitality. Our lives are busy. Children have organized activities one after another, both parents work, children go to daycare, and at the end of the day, the family helps the children complete homework before the whole of the family collapses into bed. This leaves little time for reaching out to our communities and forming bonds with others. This is a huge mistake.

Being a friend and a successful villager will take work. It takes showing up. It means a sacrifice of your time and treasure. It means taking initiative and not assuming someone else will handle it. It means putting oneself out with no expectation of anything in return. 

My Dad was wonderful at this. He was always the first to offer someone a ride to the airport, help with a household project, or a trip in the boat for fun or to fish. He hosted parties at our home constantly. Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, Super Bowl, Labor Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day,  and Saturday College Football Games were always at our hours. My Dad showed up to every single baseball game for my son and kept the book. On several occasions, I saw him slip Cash to fathers at our church struggling with young families for Christmas presents. In the last six months of his life, one of his friends needed to drive his mother home to Virginia from Florida. My Dad didn't want him going alone, so he rode with him. He loved a road trip. It's not surprising his funeral was standing room alone. He had been an amazing villager and his village showed up for him. Through all of this, my Father often worked multiple jobs. He always worked two jobs, his regular job and a member of the Florida National Guard. Still he made time.

My son is often the first person his friends call on to move. He is a big man and he has a truck. He never fails to show up. He learned the art of making and keeping friends from my Dad.

Join the village, participate in the village or the village may view you as the idiot and leave you behind.

Recommended

Trending on Twitchy Videos

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement