Gathering

gath⋅er  /ˈgæðər/
–verb (used with object)

1. to bring together into one group, collection, or place.

2. to bring together or assemble from various places, sources, or people.

4. to pick or harvest (any crop or natural yield) from its place of growth or formation.

5. to pick up piece by piece.




We all excel in different expressions of gathering. Take, for instance, pictures. Some women are excellent gatherers of pictures. They are always ready with the camera, looking for that shot. They don't stop there! They take those gathered shots and actually follow through, from downloading to developing to displaying. Thank goodness for Stephanie Harlow, who yesterday saw me camera-less at our children's preschool musical. She glanced back, and with gathering eyes took stock of my situation and offered to capture some pictures of my daughter, who by the way, seemed to think that the Baptist church stage was her American Idol moment.

I am thankful for Stephanie, who excels in that area.

Some women gather children. Their own offspring or not, it doesn't matter. They love children and children love them. They are the ones who welcome children with open arms, whose faces light up when a new baby enters the room. Cathy Allen is a gatherer of chidren. It is hard to picture Cathy without a nursery smock, diaper cloth, or baby over her arm. Children and babies run, walk and crawl to her, and her face betrays the truth: she gets even more joy from children then they get from her loving care.

I am thankful for Cathy, who excels in that area.

At Hope, we want to create places for gathering. Regardless of your areas of challenge of strength, whether children or pictures or friendships or tennis or leadership, we want to be a place you can gather; a place that feels safe. A place that feels like home.

As a community of women, let us strive to provide gatherings of every definition: A coming together of women from all stages of life into one group. A place of harvest: where we find ourselves growing. A place where a woman can even feel picked up, piece by piece.

On the left side of the blog, you'll see a listing of gathering opportunities coming up in 2010. We hope you'll gather with us.

"For wherever two or three gather as my followers, I am there with them"--Jesus