Finding Connection
So, again, it’s been a while since I last connected with you (maybe there are a few of you who still check this thing every once in a while). The start up of this school year has felt particularly crazy, but now I think we’re getting back in the groove and can breathe a little more easily.
Lately, I’ve been thinking about what keeps people connected to each other – as I’m working with seniors very closely this year especially. These young men and women are prepping to get out of high school, leave their homes, and go to a country that they probably have had very little exposure to, in order to go to college or work. What’s going to keep them connected to their friends, their family, their faith?
Jean (and me a little too…though I have to catch up a bit) has been reading a very intriguing book called Hold On To Your Kids. 
Among other things, it talks about how we as parents (and teachers) really need to forge (and continue to build) points of connection with our kids, students – and to make sure that they are getting their main messages from us, rather than their peers. Not that peers are bad…but…why look for answers from someone that probably doesn’t know any more than you do? I would encourage you to read it, if you’re at all interested.
But, it got me thinking about connection points between kids and adults, between friends, between parents and kids. And, being out here in Nairobi doesn’t really help me to connect very well with those of you across the ocean – it’s hard to get together yknow? And, yet, when we lived in Canada, I can remember finding so very difficult to connect with people – even those in my family in the same city, and those I called my closest friends – and we lived only minutes away. Here, at least on campus, we have an opportunity to connect a little easier with those we work with…but, it brings up the question again. Why, if we need and seek connection with others, is it often so hard to make this happen?
I’m hoping that this year, you’ll be able to connect in a real and positive way with those you’d like to have as part of your lives: your kids, your friends, your parents, your co-workers, your pastor, your grandmother. I’m hoping that we can do the same out here – whether that means occasional expensive phone calls, easy-going emails, hanging out around the fire late at night, or taking my kids out for lunch and a game of pool. If we’re seeking connection, what’s holding us back from jumping in there and holding on to those we love?