Community Spirit

There is a movement afoot within the community, a surreptitious shared sense of mission, a wild undercurrent of action.  When I light up my computer screen, I hear excited whispers rushing across the network, a gaggle of voices plotting and planning.

The “community” I’m referring to is, of course, that of book bloggers, and recent events reminded me how powerful community spirit can be. Last week, awareness of a need arose, a need to lift up the work of a beloved and admired author/blogger/friend. Within moments and throughout the ensuing days, a chorus of voices has been rising up, spreading words of introduction and admiration. Ideas and plans have sped through the air like beams of light, plots have been hatched to send word about this book far and wide and it is being passed around like a coveted delicacy on a fine china plate.

Don’t take my word for it…go and see for yourself.  Go here, and here, and over here too.  This blogger, and then this one, and still yet another one, joining voices in a chorus of support for a wonderful writer and her latest book.

As often happens with all reading, themes arise and seem to perpetuate themselves, popping up everywhere you look. And thus it is today, with the idea of community appearing in my reading, in books, in the news, in the internet world.  Early this morning, awakened by pounding rain, I surrendered any hope of further sleep and got up with my book.  I opened to Madeleine L’Engle writing about the small village where she and her husband lived. “A note about our village, our beloved village which can always be counted on to come through in time of crisis. Let any threat come from outside, and everybody, old and new, Republican and Democrat, white-collar worker or blue, will band together.”   Later, scanning my blog-roll, I read Jeff Goins piece about Finding Your Tribe, the people you hope will “hear you, listen to you,” the people for whom you can “make a difference.”

And then I read this lovely post by the author who has been the recipient of just such a community effort, who has obviously found a goodly tribe and made a difference in their lives. You have to know that someone who  generates such spontaneous affection and loyalty and support is doing something right, not only in her chosen craft, but in her work as a human being within her community.

So as happy I as am for Beth Kephart, and all the publicity for her newest novel, You Are My Only, I’m even happier that she has inspired a community to come together in such a spirited way. It’s another stellar accomplishment for her, and a gift to the rest of us as well.

It’s what community spirit is all about. Carry it forward into every corner of your life.

*this just in…Publishers Weekly agrees with all the rest of us.