I sat at my desk feeling grateful as I read the emails and Facebook posts in response to last week’s blog about the death of our little red squirrel.

When I wrote the blog, I thought I was simply sharing a story about loss, but given how much better I felt after reading the mail, I realized something important. I was responding to an unconscious need to experience the healing power of community.

While there’s individual work to be done in order for us to grow like going to therapy, reading books, keeping a journal, or working with a coach, there’s equally important work to be done with others.

We need mirroring.

We need deep listening.

We need comfort and reassurance.

God knows we’ve all been wounded by some kind of community at different points in our lives.

A boss humiliates you in front of fellow employees and no one says a word.

You’re banned from a religious group for not following the rules and loved ones leave you behind.

Family members gang up on you when you speak a truth they don’t want to hear.

You go through a divorce and lose half your friends and family.

Or, you’re bullied on social media because you’ve dared to be different than members of the herd and everyone piles on.

Tribes can be nasty sometimes. Just look at the political atmosphere here in the United States with all the mud slinging and sarcasm and emotional brutality.

It’s a sensitive person’s worst nightmare.

While a community has the ability to hurt, it also has the ability to heal. An enlightened tribe that understands the power of love, compassion and acceptance, can create a miraculous shift in energy that changes everything.

Last week, I thought I was writing about loneliness and the pain that goes along with being a deeply sensitive woman, but the truth is I was reaching out into the virtual ethers, looking for my tribe, for people who care about nature, our planet, and all sentient beings.

And you showed up.

Notes from around the world told stories of people praying for dead animals found on the side of the road, feeding stray cats and dogs, rescuing injured birds, and even picking up worms on the street after a rainstorm so they wouldn’t get squished by cars.

When I finished reading the mail, I felt grateful to be a member of such a conscious, compassionate community of people who brave the elements of a harsh world each and every day.

Thank you for being part of a tribe that just might pull this spinning-out-of-control planet back into some kind of cosmic, right alignment.

Soon please .

P.S. – You might want to take the time to read through the Facebook postsfrom last week’s blog. You’ll meet extraordinary people who are sure to restore your faith in humanity. 

This Week’s Video

This week’s video is a sweet story about a dad and his daughter. You can watch it here. Thanks, Kelly!