Loving your neighbor

It was really fun to knock off #66 from my bucket list last night.  Fun and easy. I'm ready to do it again.


As we come upon our year anniversary as a non-profit foundation (www.bbfcancer.org), I find myself in total gratitude for my church. I'm writing today about my church (not a capital C).  The place I go on Sunday mornings. The people I visit with on Tuesday nights.  The place that organizes/plans activities I attend throughout the year. 

I think everyday about how I landed in Sunday worship there, and I thank my lucky stars for all the things in my life that led to me meeting the people I know now, listening to the music I do now, and following Christ now - the best way I can day by day.

Because of IC, I was inspired and motivated to do something and to overcome irrational (and rational) fears that stopped me from just dreaming and doing what it takes to make the dreams into a reality.  The journey isn't over, and that's another thing I love so much about the people I worship with: they know I still have room to grow and they're with me as I continue to learn and strive and work to be the Christian I want to become.

Not only am I inspired, I'm given an abundance of resources.  My pastor encourages me and volunteers for the BBF.  The leading pastors at IC pray for me and for the foundation and they give ...and give ...and give. Constantly modeling the kind of person I want to be. 

Zig Ziglar said that if you want to be successful, you need to surround yourself with successful people.  Spend time with people that you want to be like.  I'm lucky that I get to do that several times a week... often several times a day, even.  I'm blessed that many of my non-Creeker friends have now found themselves at home at IC also, so I get to be with my church everyday, almost (obviously, I know, I'm with my Church - capital C- every single day anyway, I know that).  There's something endearing and just plain lovely about being an Indian Creeker.

Tomorrow the kids and I (daycare kids, too) are walking to the church building (the middle school where IC meets) to drop off our canned food for the food pantry there that IC helped start.  We've been collecting canned food all week and talking about why and how we are helping change the world little by little. My three year old can tell you that we are giving our green beans (and other things) away so that someone else can have them... someone who needs them more than we do. 

My heart is full of pride for who my children are becoming.  I'm proud of myself for being a positive member of society and taking strides to better love my neighbors.


And when I have a bad moment or a bad day, I know I'm loved anyway. Not just by my Holy Creator, but by my church family. And IC has taught me that it's totally okay to be human. And to make mistakes.  That as long as I try hard every single day to live a good life, I'm unconditionally loved...  by God and by people around me here on Earth.  I'm granted a new day every time the sun comes up, and I have an abundance of support and supporters around me to make the best of each day I'm given.  How lucky.

That's all - just had to share.