Finding Belonging in Unexpected Ways, pt. 1

Philo, September 2024

A story of belonging.

I stood at my kitchen countertop asking God to please provide a community for us to homeschool with when we moved cross-country from Oregon to Georgia. We never planned to homeschool, but circumstances due to the timing of our move led to that being the best decision at the time and I knew if I was going to try, I couldn’t try alone.

He led me via a Google search to find Heritage Homeschoolers. So I applied and before even selling our house in Ore, I found a community. What a kindness.

But here’s the thing. That wasn’t all He provided. There’s much to my story but one constant question is one of belonging. I grew up an only. Being an only black girl in my community was difficult. Add in being a transracial adoptee and it gets more complicated. So when God provided a community, of women who intimately knew what it means to be a Black woman, people with whom there’s an unspoken understanding, women who have walked the same difficult roads, women who also knew what it meant to be “an only”, but also women of joy + creativity + beauty, with them, I encountered healing.

This photo is from our Fall gathering that I hosted at Philo. And each time I look at this photo from that sweet day of connection and friendship, I smile. I think of the little girl who longed to belong, to be understood, to know that she wasn’t alone, who experienced racism but was only a child and didn’t understand how to deal with it. Whose hair was mocked. Who had to constantly prove she was more than the stereotypes placed on her. I look at this photo and I’m grateful that little girl who grew into a woman, found a place to belong.

I continue to think of ways to provide such a place for others. Reality is, even without this sweet group, I have a place of belonging in the love of Christ which is unshakable. It’s so abundant and tender and a precious gift. And it is from that love that Grace + Cherish and specifically Philo, exists. I can’t wait to share more opportunities for the onlies out there, the ones who long for community, to come and gather. But in the meantime, remember that in Jesus you already are dearly loved. May that fill your soul with gladness.