My Tribe
As you go through life, you learn that there are many seasons. Those seasons are made up of places, events, feelings, growth and people. You may be lucky enough to find a few really close and wonderful friends, make connections that are fleeting yet meaningful, and find a partner with whom to share everything, even eternal love. And sometimes, when you are extremely lucky, you find a group of individuals who are “your tribe”.
Your tribe completes your life in a way that you didn’t know it needed. Your tribe fills your heart and invigorates your soul in a way that no one else has. This does not diminish your other meaningful and invaluable relationships. They are all extremely important and hold a special place in your heart. Your tribe simply holds a special place as well.
I’ve come to believe that you may not be able to find your tribe in any season of life. I feel they are meant to come to you, or you to them, when God knows you are ready or when you need them most. They are there to provide a connection you have yet to feel, a support you have yet to have been given, an inspiration you have yet to receive, a connection you have never felt, a respect you have never known. They share a love that is unexpected and yet accepted wholeheartedly, because your heart has been holding its place.
I’m not quite sure I am able to explain what makes these special people the ones that belong to you. You may all share a common interest or passion that is not fully shared by your other friends or family. You may all have a common need or fear. I do not know of all the possible reasons that some people go together so well. I can only speak to “my tribe” although I’m not quite sure I have the words to truly give our connection justice.
My tribe is a group of instructional coaches (for now, as many have several stops on their road of change-making) and that commonality does set the foundation of our connection. And yet, it does not even come close to being the reason we are so inexplicably intertwined.
Each person in my tribe has different family backgrounds, different locations of birth, various locations to have called home, and a plethora of life experiences. We are a range of ages, religious beliefs, and hold several political views. We have many similarities in personality and behavior, and yet, fill the numbers on the Enneagram Wheel. Some of us have had other careers, while others have always been in the field of education. We are adventure seekers and homebodies, dancers and wall flowers, poets and plain-speakers, athletes and leisure-seekers.
So what makes this group of women so special that they deserve to be called my tribe? I may know what makes each one of them special in their own right, but why are we so special together?
Perhaps it is the yearning to do our job well. We all want to know how to most effectively and meaningfully fulfill our roles as instructional coaches. We know that the job is more than what it seems to be, and we want to be all that we can for those we serve. Perhaps it is our awareness that many things need to change in the educational system and we hope to be a part of that change.
Perhaps, it is something that all of us are searching for, either knowingly or from deep within our souls, and that thing is different for each of us, and yet we have all found it in each other.
I may not ever know what “it” is.
What I do know is that “God works for the good of those who love him….” and he did that for my tribe.
He has sent each of us to one another to fill that special place in our hearts.
He has helped one of us out of deep grief. He has provided a place for one of us who has always felt “different”, regardless of the place or circumstance, to now feel connected and included. He has allowed one of us to use her gift to spread joy, love and ideas and help people connect and gain support in their journey of making change. He has given a feeling of understanding and unfailing encouragement and validation to all of us.
I thank God for sending me “my tribe” and for allowing us the ability to stay connected. I pray that you find your tribe and that you are sure to let them know how important they are in your life. I pray that your heart knows the feeling of having all its places full, and that you have a group on whom you can count, anytime, anywhere, any reason. I pray that this wonderful “season” of life lasts for the rest of it.
