Franklin Campus
The “Franklin Campus” is a circle of creative energy dressed up as characters. Take Les for instance, when “campus” convenes he plays the part of Uncle Festus; a loveable, corny mix, who is quite delightfully indelible. His wife a petite twist of the bold Maud and ditzy Golden Girl Rose…spends her time trying to get Uncle Festus to behave. It is a routine they spin around in with ease…
“No, really he didn’t mean that.” “Honest, that was a joke.” “He’s kidding.”
In the campus mix is a painter whose palet is life, a real estate guru who amplifies home, a spinner of tales who turns words into people, a cook who hypnotizes batter into dreams, a heart-hostess who beckons the world, a chef whose artisan touches creates cheers and applause, a drummer who ignites hope into the dance of a child, a ‘boss” who inspires allegiance and laughter, a mom who calls forth life in us all, a gentle giant full of goodwill, a Shakesperean musician, a photographer focused on the big picture, a visionary with a mission for a continent, a bundle of talent wrapped up in fun, a comedian who’s wide-eyed with wonder, a woman of courage dressed in practical grace, and the circle continues to widen.
Everyone needs friends. The more diverse the more flavored the experience. The potential for heart expansion is elevated when we not only open our doors to those around us but celebrate the unique design of their personal offering.
Have a gathering soon. Invite the characters in your circle of reference and allow them to share their story through the natural outflow of conversations over dinner or dessert.
Franklin: the town we live in
Campus: friends in the same neighborhood.
Tuesday evenings: we gather at each others homes (rotating) for Mexican dinner (ordered in-everyone chips in).
Do you meet regularly with a group of friends? Why? Why not?
I would like to meet regularly with friends, but in the city with everyone so spread out, it’s not as easy. I would like to have it at my house, however, we just cleaned out our storage unit. Now I have to clean out my house….the holidays are coming – good time to start!
The more I hear about the campus and all the creative people there, the more I think about “abandoning” Michigan, too. 🙂
But then I like my country solitude.
But that, and my husband’s job, limits regular mixed get-togethers with other than family.
But now my ladies Bible study? We can really get it on. Especially on food days. 🙂
I’m heading your way next month for a weekend with Tami. Might even involve a dinner somewhere on the campus. I’m excited. 🙂
Fun, flavor-full, good for the spirit, quite necesarry for emotional health. God help us all to find our tribe and celebrate its moving parts.
Wow!! Thank you for this you have inspired me to write out all the “personal offerings” of the lovely and diverse saints within my group. We will meet in just a few hours and I hope to read to them my own rendition of who they are in Christ and to my husband and I along with a quote from your blog. I love our group we are 4 couples a single gal and 14 children a total blast!! We need each other.
Beautiful descriptions of a beautiful thing. So glad you and Les (Uncle Festus) are a part of our renaissance tribe!
Randy
What a glorious, inspiring post. Can’t wait to come and hang out with you all again in February. Keep a spot on that sofa spare for me. And you have to make that fantastic dip again!
What a great perspective! You are a wordsmith par excellence! One of the greatest joys of 2010 for me was your addition to the campus. And it’s as if you’ve always been with us. What a gift you are to all of us. Love you, Sister!
It was such a joy to experience the campus first hand. You guys have a beautiful family that truly loves one another.
I love looking at our dear campus through this lens. God has blessed us with such amazing friends. I am so glad that you and Les are among them.
i feel so honored to be part of this amazing groups. it is consistently the highlight of my week. feels so good to have somewhere to BE and people to simply BE with. thank you for adopting me right in.
missed you last night, patsy! and uncle festus too!
I love inviting people over to the house. My husband, well, he’d be happy as a hermit. LOL. There we are–socialite and hermit–happily married now for 7 years. I’m getting the hermit out of his shell. Although, he’s definitley not a crab. He’s a gracious host, too.
[…] know that Tuesdays are the highlight of my week. Because Tuesdays mean Mexican food night with the Franklin “Campus.” And so Tuesdays mean good food and drink with a heaping side of a great conversation with some of […]
My husband drinks and so we don’t do any socialising together. I do quilt of the month at a shop and have friends I get together with once a month. I didn’t start doing this until I was diagnosed with Multiple Myaloma and had a stem cell transplant to go into remisson, which worked. Praise God!!. But I finally realised
that it was my life I was wasteing, by not doing things that I wanted to do with people that loved the lord as I do, I was not in Gods will.
I pray my husband will come back to serving the Lord but until then I am going to enjoy the life I have left. He may wast the rest of his and miss out on all the joy that is here, with the grandkids and church family. That is his choice.