Mother's Day, girl tribes, and the "soul" purpose of community

The sad, ironic truth about my post today is I am talking about "girl tribes" and I don't have one recent shot of me and some of my gal pals. That's not because I haven't seen some of them - but we are usually too busy enjoying each other's company to grab a shot together.

It's a terrible fault of mine - I generally forget to take most pictures with me and other people I care about...

But, today is Mother's Day and while there are a ton of emotions wrapped up into this day (both positive and negative), I pondered over what to say and share. On my "calendar" this would be a natural day to have "Soul Care Sunday" but it feels a little out of place.

So instead, I want to talk to all women. Regardless of whether you hold the title of "mom" my guess is that you play a role in this thing called motherhood - either supporting a mom, loving on someone's kids, missing your own mother, or dreaming of your own kiddos one day.

And this is how I want to encourage you. There is a something I learned around community and soul care. It is nothing that will shock you. But the big learning was not just that we need each other in community, it was in asking myself how my girl tribe relationships serve me.

I know, feels a little selfish, right? But, today is Mother's Day so it is the one day of the entire year that we get to think about ourselves for a moment - so I want you to stop and think about this. You need your people. You know who I am talking about - those women that are there for you through the good and bad and you feel more whole after leaving them. Its a relationship that you walk away from with that person and your cup has been filled either with joy from deep connection or just from a really good time.

But not all of our relationships look this way. Heck, you may be in a season where you don't have a "girl tribe" and those times are really hard. I actually had to redefine "girl tribe" for myself, personally. I've always longed for that "group" of women that we all pal around with, trips, parties, suppers - but I'm going to be honest - a cohesive tribe has not been my norm and it used to pain me. Until I realized I have a really robust and large girl tribe. They may not all be connected to each other but they are connected to me and each and every relationship serves a valuable purpose and those that am I am closest to, my time with them feeds my soul.

I have women of all ages. Single, married, with children, without. Some that are empty nesters and some with completely different political views. Some that have a different faith than I do and some that are my complete opposite. Some that have a different skin color, different culture, different bodies. My girl tribe - well, its a beautiful representation of all that is and should be and in every relationship and each person gives me something special. Spending time with that person may just allow me to check out and enjoy them - laughing, telling stories, or just shopping together. With others, they challenge or encourage me, go deep and talk about faith, connect on a"kindred spirit" level, and even cry with.

And time with those individuals in all those forms usually leaves me feeling full and refreshed. But here is the catch, I don't always prioritize this kind of time with these women. Why? It's all the usual excuses - time, demands, I don't want to bother them (I know they are busy too), life. And as I have pursued this idea of soul care, I've come to realize that girl tribes are an important part of me caring for my soul. The key is prioritizing it and creating balance between the "good time" friends and the ones that I need to good deep with me.

And lets not forget our responsibility back to them. We serve a valuable purpose in their lives as well and with any relationship there is always a give and take... so today, on Mother's Day, why don't you give a shoutout to your girl tribe and let them know how much you appreciate them - because we all are better because we have each other!