As the summer comes to a close and the earth turns away from the warmth of the sun, life takes time to pause and reset into the new season. With this new season comes new goals, hopes, and plans that we are inspired to pursue. It can be a time to be intentional, a time to become reconnected, and a time to find community amongst the shift in life transitions.
“Amidst all of the uncertainty of this season, something beautiful is growing here, and one day you will look back and see that all along, all by grace, you were blooming.”
-Morgan Harper Nichols
Finding connection in the midst of the season can seem easy with the world we live in today, where someone is just a swipe or text away. But, finding deep connection can be harder to come by. Connection is a part that we crave and essential to who we are. It allows us to find belonging and it makes us feel like we a part of something bigger. Connection provides support and enables us to collect the wisdom and knowledge from those around us.
With connection, we find community. Being a part of community provides stability and encourages individuals to grow and thrive. Our communities lift us up and provide strength and courage where it is needed. They allow us to be a part of a collective group that inspires us to go beyond and achieve our goals and passions. Most of all, our communities inspire change in both individuals and groups. They come together and bring people from various walks of life. These individuals inspire and influence others and encourage them to grow and thrive.
But, the most important connection you can have is with yourself. Self-love can come in many forms. It is vulnerability, grace, and care all at once. It is about prioritizing yourself and forgiving yourself. Self-love can be being gentle with yourself when you’ve had a not-so-great day or when you have faced hard situations. It can also be simply doing things that bring you joy and providing self-compassion for the parts of you that the world might not know about you yet, those things that make you who you are.
As we shift from summer to fall, we think about ways to reconnect. When we find connection, community, and self-love, we can continue to feel the abundant care and love of those who support and inspire us to grow and bloom into the person we continuously work on becoming.
Here at the Refuge Center, we want to inspire to be abundant in compassion, connection, and love while creating a community to lift you up and empower you on your journey to become who you have always wanted and are working to be.
“May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you.”
-1 Thessalonians 3:12
Written by Masters Level Intern Taylor Musarra
References:
Griffin, M., Embracing human connection. (n.d). Purposed Fused. https://www.purposefused.com/embracing-human-connection/
Important of self-love and improving your mental health. (2022, November 18). Samvedna Care. https://www.samvednacare.com/blog/importance-of-self-love-in-improving-your-mental-health/
