Two people are better off than one ...

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Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. -Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

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After my first wife died people would often ask me if I was lonely. My feelings were never so much of being lonely as I had my two children living with me. Even so I had a deep sense of being alone. Loneliness is one of the most difficult things to deal with yet the sense of being alone is even more challenging. This is where many find themselves as they grow older. I know that it is difficult for many of our friends to hang out with us since my wife Ann has been disabled.

I love the way that Solomon paints a picture of community in these verses. Earlier this year I thought that I was having a stroke and our friend Kelly from church brought me to the emergency room - it was such a blessing to have that support. Last year we came back from a difficult summer in Chicago to find that our church had stocked our place with groceries - words cannot describe my feelings. Knowing that you are not alone in the world is a wonderful blessing.

Help us Lord to open ourselves to a spiritual community and to the love of others.

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