So Long, Farewell...
Last night was the last night for our small group acting as a “medium group”. We finally made the decision to “rip the band aid off” and birth off the new group. I personally have been ready for this for a month or so now. Although I have loved this group with every fiber of my being (and I honestly do mean that), I’m ready to make room for new people, share lives with others and continue to grow in Christ with these people. With the increasing size of our group, I’ve been a bit concerned with us not being as “gelled” as we used to be, not allowing our true selves to show, and even becoming stagnant in growth (and in that I mean growth in Christ, growth with each other, and even growth in numbers). And so last night was it.
I’ll go ahead and openly admit that I’m somewhat of a mess this week anyway with other things going on so it was no surprise (well, maybe a little) that I was crying off and on all day yesterday. It reminded me of when we built the new church and had to say goodbye to the old church. Although we knew the new church was going to fit us so much better, was going to be so nice and new, and was offering SO MUCH opportunity for growth in so many ways, it was still so hard to say goodbye to the old one. And that’s exactly how I felt yesterday and last night. (And yes, I cried like a dork while trying to say this to everyone…that stupid talk/cry where you are trying to talk but can’t ‘cause you’re crying and HAVE NO CONTROL over it…ugh…I hate doing that…especially in front of people…even Ryan…hate it.)
Sometime Tuesday, I felt this urge to remind everyone about what our small group is and what it’s supposed to be about. Yes, the study is important, but that’s only a portion of it. There’s a bigger part that makes all the others come together and without this bigger part, you’re just a group of people, meeting once a week to learn something…and people do that every day in school, college, even work training...and they aren’t a small group. A small group HAS to be more than that to actually “work”. I started going through all of the pictures of the activities we’ve done in the past year and three months. I had almost forgotten about all the neat, fun things we’d gotten together for…small services projects, a lunch at a campground, moving a family into their new home…TONS of baby showers. Again, I felt this “urge” to do something…I thought that it would be neat to take these pictures to our last big meeting and show them to everyone and remind them that this is what it’s about…what it’s always been about…and that we can’t forget that as we move on and bring in more people. I kept thinking about it, and thinking about it…and finally decided to just do it. So I had to get all these pictures together, have them printed one-hour at Walgreen’s, stopped by Hobby Lobby to grab a small photo album (and they of course were sold out of what I really wanted so I had to improvise with something else), SPED home to cook supper and begin making this photo album. But enough of that story as I really didn’t mean to go down that rabbit hole.
So we got together last night and enjoyed everyone’s company and each told of what we’d taken away from the group. I was looking around at our group and realizing how we’ve changed since we first met (dang…I’m crying again even as I type this)…we’ve added four new babies, one couple has already branched out and started a new group, we’ve added new couples, we’ve started new jobs, moved into new homes…the list goes on and on…but the big thing for me was that we were able to SHARE all of these things with each other. When pregnancies were announced, we were happy and started planning showers. When jobs were lost, we were sad and began praying and asking around about potential openings. When a new home was purchased and moved into, we helped move them (and even helped decide where to put the Tupperware in the drawers!). When someone was finding it difficult to make ends meet, we again prayed and tried to encourage and uplift them every time we saw them.
These people have become my new family. And even though we’re “birthing” off into new groups and won’t see each other all the time, they will still remain so special to me and so close to my heart. God has SO RICHLY blessed me with such close friends that I really do feel like they are my new brothers and sisters…and for that I am so absolutely thankful.
And as we meet next week to discuss our new group and the new plans (there will only be eight of us...not 18, I look forward to it with the anticipation of making new friends, new brothers and sisters, and new lives to share and rejoice in.
Thank you, Lord, so much for blessing me with this family and this love. I am so grateful.
So long, farewell, Auf wiedersehen, good night
I hate to go and leave this pretty sight.
So long, farewell, Auf wiedersehen, adieu
Adieu, adieu, to yieu and yieu and yieu.
So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, goodbye
Goodbye, Goodbye, Goodbye!
I’ll go ahead and openly admit that I’m somewhat of a mess this week anyway with other things going on so it was no surprise (well, maybe a little) that I was crying off and on all day yesterday. It reminded me of when we built the new church and had to say goodbye to the old church. Although we knew the new church was going to fit us so much better, was going to be so nice and new, and was offering SO MUCH opportunity for growth in so many ways, it was still so hard to say goodbye to the old one. And that’s exactly how I felt yesterday and last night. (And yes, I cried like a dork while trying to say this to everyone…that stupid talk/cry where you are trying to talk but can’t ‘cause you’re crying and HAVE NO CONTROL over it…ugh…I hate doing that…especially in front of people…even Ryan…hate it.)
Sometime Tuesday, I felt this urge to remind everyone about what our small group is and what it’s supposed to be about. Yes, the study is important, but that’s only a portion of it. There’s a bigger part that makes all the others come together and without this bigger part, you’re just a group of people, meeting once a week to learn something…and people do that every day in school, college, even work training...and they aren’t a small group. A small group HAS to be more than that to actually “work”. I started going through all of the pictures of the activities we’ve done in the past year and three months. I had almost forgotten about all the neat, fun things we’d gotten together for…small services projects, a lunch at a campground, moving a family into their new home…TONS of baby showers. Again, I felt this “urge” to do something…I thought that it would be neat to take these pictures to our last big meeting and show them to everyone and remind them that this is what it’s about…what it’s always been about…and that we can’t forget that as we move on and bring in more people. I kept thinking about it, and thinking about it…and finally decided to just do it. So I had to get all these pictures together, have them printed one-hour at Walgreen’s, stopped by Hobby Lobby to grab a small photo album (and they of course were sold out of what I really wanted so I had to improvise with something else), SPED home to cook supper and begin making this photo album. But enough of that story as I really didn’t mean to go down that rabbit hole.
So we got together last night and enjoyed everyone’s company and each told of what we’d taken away from the group. I was looking around at our group and realizing how we’ve changed since we first met (dang…I’m crying again even as I type this)…we’ve added four new babies, one couple has already branched out and started a new group, we’ve added new couples, we’ve started new jobs, moved into new homes…the list goes on and on…but the big thing for me was that we were able to SHARE all of these things with each other. When pregnancies were announced, we were happy and started planning showers. When jobs were lost, we were sad and began praying and asking around about potential openings. When a new home was purchased and moved into, we helped move them (and even helped decide where to put the Tupperware in the drawers!). When someone was finding it difficult to make ends meet, we again prayed and tried to encourage and uplift them every time we saw them.
These people have become my new family. And even though we’re “birthing” off into new groups and won’t see each other all the time, they will still remain so special to me and so close to my heart. God has SO RICHLY blessed me with such close friends that I really do feel like they are my new brothers and sisters…and for that I am so absolutely thankful.
And as we meet next week to discuss our new group and the new plans (there will only be eight of us...not 18, I look forward to it with the anticipation of making new friends, new brothers and sisters, and new lives to share and rejoice in.
Thank you, Lord, so much for blessing me with this family and this love. I am so grateful.
So long, farewell, Auf wiedersehen, good night
I hate to go and leave this pretty sight.
So long, farewell, Auf wiedersehen, adieu
Adieu, adieu, to yieu and yieu and yieu.
So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, goodbye
Goodbye, Goodbye, Goodbye!
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