Last Thursday night was a delight to my fast approaching geriatric soul! I think I've mentioned how much I love my small group girls. We share, we cry, we dig in the Word, we pray, we laugh, we eat! This summer we found ourselves with a couple of weeks between studies so in looking for an idea I ran across an excellent idea from IF:Table--a night with purposely mixed ages and backgrounds. So our small group (ie nursing home group) hosted a dinner for a precious group of girls we lovingly came to refer to as the Pre-School Small Group. The twenty-somethings. They are a hoot! After a homecooked meal with lots of laughter and get-to-know-you conversations, we gathered for the deep. We shared what we love, what we regret, what we pray for and a few hopes and dreams. Armed with a a few cards with simple questions (go to http://ifgathering.com/if/table/ for wonderful ideas) we launched what I believe may become a new tradition. This is what I've come away with.
1. They (the preschoolers) not only need us (the nursing home-ers), they WANT us! They are not intimidated by our "vast experience and sage wisdom." Nor are they put off by a few gray hairs mixed with a bad color job. They want us to pour into their lives and long for deep mentoring relationships. They want to learn things like how to sew and garden.
2. We (the nursing home-ers) not only want to spend time with them (the preschoolers), we NEED them! We need their fresh ideas and their creativity. We need their sense of humor and their understanding of the culture. We need them to update our iphones!
3. God has someone for us to mentor and He has someone to mentor us. Regardless of our age, we must be willing to learn and we must be willing to teach. Find a preschooler/nursing home-er who needs you!
4. We must be intentional if we are going to maintain these relationships! Do it on purpose. Make the call. Have coffee (or an organic green tea). Go shopping. Most of all, be brave and open up!! We have more in common than you think!
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