Loving community. That idea popped up again today as I channelled the ArchAngels in my  Letters From The Light Side video.

I grew up in a loving community. Sharing with each other was the natural response to all sorts of circumstances. Embracing newcomers they were quickly taken into our community. Not perfectly. But always with the understanding that as a street, a group of streets, we had a connection with each other. I remember the births, marriages, deaths, troubles and joys of this vibrant place. I couldn’t get up to much mischief as everyone knew who I was. It was like I had thirty or forty parents instead of my Mum and Dad. I was never far away from someone who would keep an eye on me. I learned to love the idea of being part of a community.

It was second nature to share with others in their good fortune or tragedy. I ran errands, scrubbed steps and played in the gardens all over the area. I felt safe and secure. Yes, everyone knew my business but that was a small trade off for that sense of belonging. As I grew up that sense of community seemed to disappear. We moved to a new neighbourhood. The people I knew were a long way away. It took a long time to become part of the new community. I’m not saying they were any less loving but it was a bit more judgemental. Although I eventually found my feet in this community I felt inside that I’d lost something I needed to find again.

A loving community takes care of and enfolds all it’s members. Vulnerable or struggling people have support and kindness. Each person offers what they can.

So I wondered today where that sense of community had gone. Because I feel it is missing in so many ways right now. I learned to love the loving community I grew up it. It taught me how to be a citizen of the world. It was diverse and vibrant. Never perfect but always good enough for all of it’s members. Yet it seems now that only tragedy brings people together. At the worst of times we do show our best. But what about those times between tragedy? I feel fortunate to live in another community where there is a very positive attitude to diversity. Difference is encouraged and enjoyed. I know that my home community isn’t perfect. But on a daily basis we are good to one another. Not everyone has the same experience.

Loving kindness is in short supply in some areas. I’ve certainly lived in one or two in my life. There seems to be no desire to emphasise community. And I feel that is spreading. The last few months have shown how divided we are as a country. The ‘big’ community we all live in. Perhaps it’s also because it seems division has taken hold across the global community of humanity. Yet we are all part of a global community of Spirit. Under the skin I know we are all the same. Why has that been forgotten? Or, at least, let drift out of our consciousness. I believe that we have to return to being loving communities. I also feel we have to learn to love that community feeling once more.

It’s time to remind ourselves that we all want the same out of our lives. To remember the loving kindness that makes a strong and peaceful community work well. I know we have to stop acting only for ourselves and start creating a shared, equal and positive vision for the future. An aim for all of us?

Day 570 of my blogging challenge