"Life Together" is a small book by Dietrich Bonhoeffer which, as the introduction states, "comes out of his own experience of the deep meaning of Christian community..."
At the Thomas Center for Senior Leadership where Kathleen and I are living, we are experiencing community in a new way. Our fellow residents are living independently but they are also trying to create their own times and ways to be in community with each other without overt staff direction but rather gentle guidance and support. (Staff is a General Manager, Resident Assistant and Chaplain). It is an experiment with growing joys and pains and we are glad to be a part of it.
Bonhoeffer's book has chapters titled "The Day Alone" and "The Day with Others". We are experiencing that balance here. Scripture reflects that balance in these two verses: "For God alone my soul in silence waits" (Ps. 62:1) and "Let us not give up the habit of meeting together" (Heb. 10:25). Even the most extreme extrovert or introvert needs both solitude and the company of others.
While there are scheduled times here for weekday coffee hour (10 am) and dinner (6 pm), other community times and moments of "two or three gathered together" happen as the Spirit creates them. And as the picture above shows, we don't have to stay in our rooms to experience the day alone...this path is just footsteps away from the Thomas Center front door.
John
P.S. Beyond experiencing the balancing of life in community, we are being made aware, in a new way, of our mortality. More about that soon.
We are soooo glad you and Kathleen are among us!
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