I recently attended a gathering of women in my neighborhood,
celebrating the birthday of the Relief Society, a worldwide women’s
organization committed to relieving the challenges of women, and bringing us
closer to each other, to our families, and to God. When we arrived, we were invited to write a
little fact about ourselves that others might not know. Later during the activity, the organizer read
these tidbits aloud, and we guessed who the fact described.
We went through many slips of paper, and it was delightful
to learn these things about my friends and neighbors. Then came this nugget: “I was the queen of my high school
prom.” There were murmurings of who
could it be, then someone called out my name!
This quickly and absolutely shockingly garnered quite a bit of
consensus. I couldn’t help but laugh out
loud – I went to my high school prom, but was certainly not the queen. The
true queen was my sweet 90-year-old neighbor, Joann.
I would have been mortified to be the queen – to have all
those eyes on me, considering me, making assumptions about me, good or bad. I am actually painfully shy – my community
just doesn’t know that about me. Perhaps
that is what I should have written on my slip of paper. But I’m too shy to let people know that I’m
shy. So instead I wrote that I won a
shoe-shining contest when I was 7.
Later in the activity, my amazing neighbor Joan read us the
story “Stone Soup.” This is a story
about some soldiers who needed some food and lodging, but nobody in the
community was willing or able to share.
So, the soldiers gathered everyone to the town square, and announced
they were going to make stone soup. The
community was intrigued, and pulled together to offer the soldiers all that –
and more than – was needed to make the soup.
After reading the story, we discussed what it could mean to
us. There were many insightful comments,
but one struck a chord in my heart. A
woman said, “We need to find our town square, and gather there.” Town squares, and all of the things that
transpired there, don’t really exist in our day. At least in my community. But we need to find a way to create the
effect of a town square. We need to know
each other. We need to be aware of each
other. We need to reach out and invite
in. But that is hard. At least for people like me who truly feel
they are, in a sense, invisible.
But invisibility isn’t an option I should choose. Even though I’m no prom queen, I need to go
to the town square.
Years ago I was challenged to reach out, to let people know
me; to use media to spread the word of the Lord and better the world I live
in. At that time, I was stumped about
the recommended use of media. Should I
major in communications? Go into
broadcast journalism? Nothing like that
felt remotely interesting or like something I had to do. So I didn’t.
But I remained compelled but stumped.
Now “social media” is a thing. A huge thing.
I feel a little like it’s staring me in the face. Facebook?
Instagram? Twitter? I just can’t bring myself to jump publicly
and loudly into that. Maybe I should,
but I can’t. So, I thought maybe this
blog would be the baby step I need. My
inclination is to keep everything private (all of my Pinterest boards are secret),
but I will make this public. I don’t
know that anyone will read it, but it’ll be out there, a destination God can
guide someone to if they need what I have to give. I hope.
It’s a start. My step
toward the town square. I want to
go. I want to give. Will you come and share?
