Thankful for My Villages

Caroline Godin reflects on her various villages and communities in her life and is thankful for each of them.

In a world of isolation―though not as bad now―we need our villages more than ever. Yes, villages, plural. Most of us have more than one. I have my neighborhood, my martial arts crew, my family, my First Responder Coaching group, my Church family of course, and my writing village. (Those weren’t in any particular order.) Our villages help us in the capacity they’re built. I wouldn’t go to my martial arts crew for writing advice, or my neighborhood for life coaching, but there’s one village I am always grateful for―primarily for Who started it: my Church.

The Church, founded by Jesus Christ Himself, may not have trade-specific experts on hand for every parishioner, but every parishioner can come right to the Founder for help on any trade or topic. Imagine that!? The Master of all Creation is available to us at any moment, in any place, for anything!

I’ve come to Him for parenting help. I’ve come to Him for work advice. He even here’s my fitness woes, and there have been plenty. He’s not tired of hearing from me (though I would be!), and I’m grateful to keep coming to Him.

Okay, is coming to church going to up my push-up count? Well, when my resolve was low, I prayed. What about when I lost my job last year? Absolutely! God got me through that, led me to a new place, and started me on a completely different path I wouldn’t have considered!

Fine, you might say, but how is God a village?

Well first, He’s a community; He’s the Community, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). From the foundation of Creation, we have the very soul of Life built from the Trinity. Through Him we have each other. Through Christ we have the Church. Through my little parish, I have a place to go every Sunday and days in between where I can practice my faith, nourish my soul, and teach my children about our Loving Father.

Further, it’s through God that I have my other villages and I’m grateful for each of them. I never know my impact on each of them, but I know they have impacted me. I try my best to make sure I’m putting the Spirit’s Fruits and Gifts to use so I can be Christ in the world to each of them (Galatians 5:22-23). If I fail or faulter, I have God’s Grace to get me back up. If something amazing happens, I have God to thank for letting me be a part.

My villages have been there for me through job loss, house hunting, child rearing, and sometimes chauffeuring these kids around town (Galatians 6:2). My villages gave me advice when I needed it, celebrated with me, and sat in the trenches with me. They’ve given the best hugs, played the best games, and had some great campfires with my family and me. We’ve shared so much over the years, good and bad.

My villages have also been pruned on occasion (John 15:2). Sometimes a village isn’t feeding me right or isn’t working out for my family. If my faith tells me a village isn’t right for me, I need to listen to it. People can have a strong impact on others whether we realize it or not, so it’s important to make sure we’re surrounded by good people. Our villages need to lift us up toward heaven. Otherwise, it may not be a good idea to be part of that village.

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Our villages need to lift us up toward heaven. #catholicmom

Either way, I am thankful for my villages, all of them. Even those I said goodbye to because it was part of the learning process. Oh, it’s not just for November that I’m thankful; I’m thankful for them all year round. But as we start to look at the upcoming season of giving, I’m starting to think of ways to give back. I’ve got an attitude of gratitude and it’s a great way to start the upcoming season.

Copyright 2022 Caroline Godin
Images: Canva