Building Community

Our story starts with the famous (but not entirely effective) Super Grover 2.0 from Sesame Street. My boys love this character, who is sort of clueless, but we, the parents, love the tag line after the announcer says:  "Super Grover 2.0!....He shows up!"

This, in effect, is the answer to a lot of things in life, not just building community.  Showing up.  We have joined a new congregation.  A friend of ours is the rabbi, and it is a small, vibrant, intellectual place.  We believe in its mission in our community and think its future is bright.

So, in late 2012, when the rabbi asked if one of us would serve on the board, we wrestled with how we could manage that.  Board meetings happen on week nights, when it is all hands on deck here to do the night time routines, bathe two toddlers and get them to bed.  How would we manage?  We finally decided I would volunteer, and we would pay a babysitter to help the professor every time.  Unfortunately even this solution has not been ideal, and I sometimes come home to find the professor worn out with wrestling twins to bed on his own long after the sitter has gone home. (We still struggle with sleep here)

Some of my friends these days find time to do runs and walks to raise money for cancer, and others do long bike rides and ask for sponsorships.  Right now, the New Shul is my only extracurricular activity, and we are paying for childcare so I can volunteer. There is not even any exercise involved!  However, it is a cause we believe in supporting for our future, and for the boys'.

People who are living far away sometimes ask me what they can do for us, to make this twin thing easier.  This article does a good job of explaining the stress of twin childbearing and parenting-it is hard to say what would make it easier, other than growing another pair of arms....but in thinking about it, the professor and I realized something.  Right now, we are just trying to show up like Super Grover, whenever a twin, a student, etc. needs our help. Sure, we appreciate lots of moral support from afar, and that helps!  thanks! In Winnipeg though, This congregation is one of our local supports.  So, if  you did want to help out, say, to celebrate the boys' upcoming birthday or our anniversary or spring time, perhaps consider this: Think about donating here.

We are grateful for any amount you choose to give.  Thank you for honoring us by considering this.  We are grateful.  We won't be running a marathon or biking for 2 weeks to prove our support, but we have just gone through yet another week caring for sick twins while we have all been down with a stomach virus.  Does that count? :). Joanne