Creating Connection

As I write to you today it has been a cold, snowy week. Several days of missed school, fun keeping driveways cleared, and animals fed in frigid temperatures. Gotta love January! It’s funny to think that our first weekend in January was close to 60 degrees. What a great day for our first Connection Group. We couldn’t have asked for better weather for our Bless the Birds event. I bet the birds were glad that we got some new feeders made just in time for the cold snap. We have enjoyed watching our birds during the past several weeks. Many of them are familiar friends we see each day when they come to call. We get anxious when we haven’t seen our regulars for a few days. Then all of a sudden, their back, like the 3 blue jays that came by for peanuts today! I think if we’re honest we all long for consistency in some form. Like seeing the birds or our regular cashier at the gas station. I also think we all long for connection. Even little things like knowing how I like my coffee, or my favorite candy bar. These things are so easy to overlook in our busy, crowded, fast paced lives. Yet these simple things can add so much to our feelings of wellbeing, and self-esteem. So how can we slow down and focus on what’s important? How can we make sure that what we say matters reflects itself in how we spend the hours in our day? I don’t know about you, but I struggle to make these things line up. Sometimes it is so easy to push the things that I say are important to the back burner and instead let my life stay crowded with things that are inconsequential. To be honest it’s easier. Often the things I know I should take time for involve relationships and relationships involve work. Unlike clicking “play” to watch just one more episode, or scrolling through Facebook, relationships require me to focus my attention on another human being. A human being that may challenge my beliefs as well as my patience. A human being that has likes and dislikes just like me. We may not see eye to eye-corn doesn’t go with everything despite my husband’s persistent belief that it does. Instead we’ve got to work out our differences without a screen in between us. It may get messy. We can’t just “unfriend” one another or turn down the volume. I think our modern-day society has made us lazy when it comes to relationships. We want others to listen to our thoughts, but often are unwilling to listen to theirs. How do we change this? How can we practice these skills before we find ourselves in the heat of it? I think one way is to choose to spend time together doing something fun. Put down the device, make others your priority. Give them your full attention. Look them in the eyes. If the “eyes are the window to the soul” what are yours saying? Are they conveying the special, uniqueness of that individual? Do they express your joy, and delight at being able to send time with that person? Do they say, “I’m here, I care?” To often our relationships suffer because we fail to communicate these things. So, go find some fun! Create your own-whatever it takes to spend some time together. Talk with your eyes. Really see the person you’re with. Let them see you.

“ 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:24-25

One thing we like to do as a family is play games. Not video games where we’re still looking at a screen, but good old-fashioned board games. Games that give us the opportunity to make eye contact and talk about what’s important. Games that let us joke and have fun together. Turns out playing games is good for you. Click the link below if you’d like to learn more. If you’re in the area sign up to join us for our next connection group. We’ll be spending the afternoon playing games, eating soup, and keeping warm. Why not stop by-you just might create a connection!

8 surprising health benefits of board games