Effort

So, I was watching the Memorial Day Parade go by on Monday while sitting at our church's bake sale table.  We'd decided to show some hospitality during the parade, which goes right by our front lawn.  We had a bake sale and we gave away free hot dogs, offered parking and put out chairs for people to sit on.  This hospitality had taken a group of people considerable effort to plan, and and many people took the trouble to bake.  As I was watching the parade, I was struck by the considerable effort it must have taken not only to plan the whole parade but also for each group marching in it to get ready for the event.  Even those guys who drive the funny little cars wearing funny little hats - they have to maintain all those little cars and drag them all the way here from Milford - and I thought of all the effort they make in raising money for really worthy causes.  It also took the parade goers effort to pack up their lawn chairs and picnics and get to the parade before the road closed.  And lots of people had also put considerable effort into planning and having picnics and cookouts back home after the parade was over.

And then I thought, it's really interesting how people get up and do stuff.  Instead of planning this whole elaborate day, it would be a lot easier just to eat, sleep and watch television, but here we all are out enjoying a great day and a great parade together. 

Today as I write this, the church is abuzz with people getting ready for our big GLOW Festival tomorrow.  This event has taken monumental effort on the part of many people in and out of the church.  I hope (despite the forecast of rain) that people will make the effort to come tomorrow and hear the lecturers who have planned their presentations, see the exhibits our vendors have prepared, hear the music our performers have practiced and eat the food our cooks and bakers have made.  A great deal of effort has gone into creating this one day festival of health and wholeness for the Trumbull community.  Why did we bother? 

I think at the heart of this question is our human desire - and need - for community.  We need to get together, enjoy each other's company, create things, share things, and reach out and help others.  This is the reason there are family meals, non profit agencies, civic organizations, churches, mosques and temples, governments and towns.  Human beings have the need to be together instead of just alone on their own couches.  And I believe that God calls us to come out of our own holes and be together like this - to work together as one body for the healing of our communities and to find ways to share God's love with those who need it most.

And that is why when we do come together, make an effort, and create a community event like a parade or a festival, we usually feel more nourished than depleted when all is said and done.  Sure, it can tire us out, but it is also what makes life worth living.

I think our society has largely lost sight of the value of community and the pursuit of the common good.  That may be a subject for another day.  But today I want to give thanks for people who get up off the couch and do stuff for the good of the whole.  Thank you!  I really enjoyed the parade!