Thirty-four years ago, our first-born twin, Erin, died suddenly in her sleep. The medical examiner cited Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), which meant there was no apparent cause of death. We were devastated.
It was our community that kept us going. It was our community who surrounded us and held us in prayer, who held space and spirit for us while we were so preoccupied with our grief, and who welcomed any energy we had to give as we learned to return to life.
Our community bears our memory along with us, and sometimes, even after all these years, we share the memories we hold for each other in moments of humanity between us. And it is the rhythms of the community, the baptisms and funerals, the weekly Eucharist and its remembrance of Jesus’ life and death that remind us of God’s eternal promises to us.
This message is an excerpt of “Carried by community” by Catherine Malotky in the April 2019 issue of Gather magazine. Today is the second Sunday after Pentecost.
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