Gather, Play…and So Much More

 [So I asked my friend and fellow family and outdoors lover, Jen Overly, if I could use her comment on a recent post as a post in and of itself.  “Asked” is probably not the most accurate word…more like “told”.  I “told” her because I simply didn’t want what she had to share buried in the comments section of some other post that would likely not see the light of day.  Jen beautifully captures why we feel the way we feel at the end of a day like the one she, her family, and neighbors had last week.  We may not be able to articulate it as she has…nor may we even be able to see past all the fun and all the activity to recognize that there is more. But there is so much more.  When we gather, when we play…we connect, we have shared experiences, we share ourselves, others share themselves.  We grow. If we were to pause and consider…we would likely realize that there’s much more to life than what we spend most of our time doing.  And it’s all right there…right outside your door…right next door.]

Hey Scott Family!  Well, you know we love a good snow day here in the hood! Luckily one of our streets usually gets too icy for cars, but is the perfect downhill for sledding. All of the neighborhood kids come out from the very youngest, to the grown ups who have just never grown up. We sled, we throw snow balls, we pull things out of the fridge to plop on the kitchen counters to share with whomever is hungry, we sit by the fire that the dads keep burning all day long, we talk, we laugh, we shake our heads when the idea to make a snow jump in the middle of the road is brought up and executed. (Of course it was the men, and not the kids who pulled this off.)

But for me it’s what happens in between the snow balls that counts the most. The details you find out about your neighbors. The places in your life that they are able to infiltrate over a bowl of soup that might never have happened on a regular Tuesday. I love how it makes our next encounter deeper and more meaningful. I love watching the kids problem solve and figure out social things in a safe place. I love how they care for each other.

So, bring on the snow and ice! We have tried to take every advantage these gifts have given us! (However, I’m not sure this almost 40-year old body can take much more sledding this season!)

Happy Gathering,
Jen

[Jen wanted to make sure that her neighbor and friend, Chrissy Neumann, is thanked and given credit for all the pics on this post.  Thanks Chrissy!]

I don’t have any more to add…Jen said it beautifully.  I hope you’ll find the time soon to gather, to play…and to recognize that when you do there’s so much more going on.

Take care,