Community as My Extended Family

Today, I was reminded of the importance of a community. 

I'm very grateful for my family - my dad, mom and older brother. Each of them are so important to me. But growing up, I didn't have any younger siblings. I didn't have any sisters. All my grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins were in Japan. Those are relationships I didn't really get to experience, 

As the baby girl of the family, I grew up mostly getting my way and getting what I wanted. But God had other things in store for my future. 

I started getting more involved in my religious/spiritual community in high school. There, I had the opportunity to interact and build relationships with lots of different people - men and women older than me, boys and girls younger than me. Through forming bonds with elders, I learned what it means to be a younger sister and niece. Through investing in young children and younger peers, I learned what it means to be an older sister. 

These new relationships allowed me to grow and expand my heart in so many ways. This was the value of a community to me - it became my extended family, and the place where I could learn to live for others.

-Maruko Breland