Communities of Care
A network of people that love, care and support you.
Originally posted by Cultivate Vibrance, November 8, 2023. To read the full article click here.
A few years ago, I very suddenly and tragically lost my mother. It was the most dark and painful time of my life. I had also contracted COVID from caring for my mother and had to be in isolation in my mother’s basement, away from family, friends and loved ones for 10 days in the height of my grief. It literally felt like my world was falling apart and I didn’t know what to do. So I did all I could, which was cry out to God in prayer and text my “Community of Care” for help and support.
My “Community of Care” included family, friends, church family, my counselor and my spiritual director. They each in their own way with what capacity they had stepped in and covered me and my family in support and care. My brother and sister in law shipped medicine and food to my door to sustain me and bring me comfort. My church family surrounded my husband and children with emotional support and food for over a month.
My friends pointed me to God daily, prayed for me when I didn’t have words, they even shipped me an air mattress and pillow because I didn’t have a comfortable place to rest. My counselor had emergency sessions with me to help me regulate and process such a sudden and traumatic loss. My spiritual director helped me to process my pain with God and held space for my grief. I don’t know how I could have made it through that time without each of those people and the many others I didn’t mention. Every handwritten card, flower, monetary gift, text, voice note and phone call sustained me moment by moment in such a gut-wrenching time.
A “Community of Care” is a network of people that love, care and support you in various ways. Typically, people would include family, friends, church family, etc. in their community. But these communities also include medical/mental health professionals and spiritual leaders that care for you physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually such as your various doctors, counselors, pastors, and spiritual directors.
One important thing to note is that there are people in your life that may love you and care, but due to the season in their life, may not have capacity to come alongside you as they would like, so it is important to try to have a network of multiple people that can be supportive when others can’t be. There is also a beautiful mutuality in “Communities of Care” because it is not one-way, we are there for one another and supporting one another in whatever ways we can.
