Community Connections

Bright lights. A smile. An invitation. These are the types of people I love to run into. The kind who make you feel like you're welcome. Over the past couple of weeks, I've had e-mail correspondence with Donny Smith who is the Executive Director with NeighborWorks Community Housing Services of Wyandotte County. Throughout our e-mail exchange, he's made me feel like I matter and that he would actually like to speak with me in the future. When we met, he was friendly, he took my coat and made me feel welcome at the Friday networking event that CHWC hosts. 

Root: a part of the body of a plant that develops, typically, from the radicle and grows downward into the soil, anchoring the plant and absorbing nutriment and moisture.

In case you're wondering, (because I was), the radicle is the primary root, the big branch, the life-giving root where the rest of the roots grow from. Of course, as someone nurtured in the Christian faith tradition, I think of the vine and branches analogy. The understanding of life primarily flowing from another, our interconnectedness, our inability to sustain ourselves without connection to the radicle. 

Radicle. The main root. Not to be confused with "radical" or is it? After doing some rummaging through the papers and perusing through the library stacks, I discovered these two are related. Cousins, even. While there are several definitions offered for the latter, I like this one: radical-forming a base or foundation. 

For years, I've lived as if the most rad thing I could choose is to keep my options open, free. Able to travel. Not so much according to the definition, radical & radicles are about forming bases. Home bases. Growing downward into the soil. I'm guessing this guy would calmly nod "yes," if I asked his opinion. 

So in order to grow roots, I must find radicles which provide life sustaining nourishment. For today I'm grateful for two places that just feel this way when you walk in the door: The Keeler Women's Center and Community Housing Services of Wyandotte County.