“You live somewhere only because your neighbors let you,” my dad always used to say.
I went shopping this week. On the way I passed rows and rows of houses. Little carbon copies of each other. All brick and stone. A community. At least that’s we usually call it, right? Clusters of homes in one place equals community.

That got me thinking.

Is community really just people’s houses? Or is it more?

    History says: people have lived together in communities for millennia. A geography peek proves millions of people live that way today, too. But is community just the houses, or the people in them? And does it get in my way – or help me along?

    I don’t give the folks around me enough credit. Just for putting up with me… But they are my community. Their influence has more impact than I’d like to think. As I’ve matured and left my juvenile itching behind, I appreciate them a bit more than I used to. I think…

    What would life be like without friends and family? I’d be lonely. No girlfriends, no sports buddies, no parents to remind me when I’m veering off course. I couldn’t handle it.

    Can’t community be more than just my bio family? What about the folks who think like I do? Friends who challenge me to be a better person?

    I want my community to help make me a better person. Folks who look out for me. Who love me enough to be honest. What else is there to friendship, anyway?