11/19/2023
IN THE WEEKS AND DAYS TO COME, it is our prayer that each of you will have an opportunity to gather with friends, family, and loved ones for a time to "break some bread", spending time together around a meal, with foods you like, and some you dislike, because a food one doesn't care for is a subtle reminder we're all a bit different, overlapping conversations with smiles and laughter blending into one, as stories are swapped and tales are told.
Lynden is a place where these relationships matter. When a stranger in our midst asks "tell me about Lynden", we tell them Lynden is a community of faith based, family oriented, relationship centric people, a somewhat sterile way of saying that many, though not all, who choose to call Lynden home share similar traits for which we are all thankful, and while what or whom exactly we have faith in may differ, we are supportive of one another because we know we can practice our faith, because others may practice theirs, and that just as "it was not good that man was alone", the relationships we form, be it within our families, mixed with those under and over achievers, those wise souls quiet as a church, or those loud opinion makers, families are representative of our community, which is once again a way to say "We're all a little different". And our friends, whom of course can be so, so very special, because we choose to interact with on another, be it over a summer grilling session in the backyard, or a large gathering, that includes family because they can be friends, too, where the more elaborate spreads occur, and perhaps a jar or two is brought from their dark hiding place, for medicinal purposes only, you know.
It's perhaps why a few back Lynden, generally speaking, couldn't get onboard with a certain set of so-called "rules". Those relationships, be with God, our family members, and especially our friends, reign supreme. Those gatherings and interactions, large and small, be they at church, a football game, a take-out meal with a few couples, or the aforementioned full-out food and festivities B.S. filled holiday gathering, why that's what makes life worth living for many of us, because some how when one mixes a calorie laded belt-busting meal with people who care for one another, well, love not just blossoms, but explodes and grows.
Which circling back to our original statement, we hope that somewhere in the next month or two, you're able to gather with a friend or two, or more, so that love can cover you, like a big heavy quilt on cool winter evening, nearly smothering us in warmth.
Should you find yourself giving some thanks in the days to come, if you call could just toss being thankful that communities like Lynden exist, and how thankful we are to call Lynden home, or the community you all call home if it shares traits like L-town, it not only would be appreciated, but appropriate, for when love can show, love can grow, and we all know this planet can use some love!
God bless, and may this holiday season bring smiles and laughter to your soul, and wrap you in His, and our, love!
