Interlocking

 

Hello from my heart to yours....

 

"The person who tries to live alone will not succeed as a human being. 
His heart withers if it does not answer another heart. 
His mind shrinks away if he hears only the echoes of his own thoughts 
and finds no other inspiration."
~ Pearl S. Buck

 

Have you ever seen a sequoia tree? Chances are that since most of us on this email list are in Florida... we have not... These trees tower hundreds of feet in the air.. the tallest as of last measurement in 2008 being 397 ft.... they can withstand intense environmental pressures.  Lightning can strike them, fierce winds can blow, and fires can rage around them.. and yet, they remain firm and grow ever stronger through the trials... One of the secrets to their strength lies below the surface.... they reach out and interlock their roots with the sequoias around them.. each becomes empowered and reinforced by the strength of the others.

 

This little secret of the sequoia tree is the key to maintaining strong and loving relationships... people who interlock their lives in a network of other strong relationships can increase their chances of surviving the fiercest of storms.  We must all pursue Godly advice, healthy friendships and mentors of all kinds....

 

Fortunately, my life is interlocked with several groups... With this whole social networking phenomenon, I have come to realize that no matter how long it's been since I have seen a childhood friend... the love that was there 40 years ago.. is still there... the memories we all have of each other.. the fondness.. the energy we all shared... the good and the bad... all twisted and knotted together in our roots... have sustained years of separation.... we have unknowingly empowered each other to grow into adulthood.. each individually tall and strong... and yet each connected by our childhood.... but, now as adults, some of those roots have reached for others in a marvelous way and we are interlocked today more than ever... 

 

For 10 years now, I have come to know an incredible interlocking of faith with my Emmaus Sisters and Brothers in Christ... what brings us together is a 7 mile walk... and our belief that Jesus always walks among us even if we do not recognize him at first... many of us are not friends outside of this ministry, but what is constant is that when one Sister or Brother is in need... whether we know them personally or not... our interlocking roots are so powerful that we unite in prayer... we share in each others joys and sorrows.. and the amazing thing is that we are not limited to our own parishes... an Emmaus Sister or Brother is your sibling in Christ no matter where they are or what church they belong to.... 

 And just one more example... our families... I have written about my siblings many times... while we are all interlocked in one way or another... most of you know that of the 5, I have one that is interlocked so tightly that we stand next to one another in the forest... reaching out to the others... there's no rhyme or reason for it... it just is...

 

We have often heard the quote by John Donne...

No man is an Island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the Continent, a part of the main;....  

 

And this is it... on and on I ramble to say this:  extend your roots out... reach for those who will help you stand strong and tall like the sequoia and who you can help to stand taller and stronger... start at home.. with your spouse.. with your boyfriend/girlfriend...  with your children.. with your siblings... interlock yourselves.. pray together... create unbreakable roots... connect with your friends... your school communities... your synagogue ... your church... but be ever weary of people and groups that are detrimental to you  because they are out there reaching for you, too... have faith and trust in God ... because you are loved beyond measure and are a cherished blessing to me...

 

Hey... guess what? I just realized that all of you receiving and reading this email are interlocked, too... oh that's soooo awesome... see how easy it is...

 

May you always hear another's heart... and be able to interlock with that heart forever....

and may your weekend be blessed with all things good,

Elena