Editor’s Note: We hope you enjoy this encore presentation of a piece we ran last year. The free printable is still available, so we hope you will download and enjoy it! We’d love to hear how you employed your own invitations during this Back-to-School Season! Send us a note at [email protected].
Back to School. It’s the season for new schedules, new teachers, new classrooms, and maybe some new friendships – not just for students but also for their families. That’s our story! When our (Linda’s) family moved back to Ohio after 13 years of living in Pennsylvania and Mississippi, I was excited to be closer to family. I also looked forward to the friendships we would discover when we arrived in our new neighborhood. But I wondered how we would meet people. Turns out that God used our children’s school to forge those connections.
Our first connection came when I chaperoned our daughter’s second-grade class field trip. The moment we got on the bus, I met another new mom, Elyssa. She and her family had just moved here from New York, and our daughters became fast friends. Elyssa’s and my shared experience as the new moms in town provided us with a connection point, too. And that new friendship is now 18 years strong.
Sue and I met in a similar way. Our sons were in the same homeroom, and we each signed up to be room moms. As we talked during a class party, we learned of our own shared experiences, including our love for Jesus. Soon Sue was inviting me to a Bible study, and her husband invited my husband to a men’s group. As we attended the studies, we met more people from our area, and we quickly found a community of friends and a new church home. We will be forever grateful for God’s guidance through our return and resettling in Ohio, and we also praise Him for the dear friendships and connections He provided to us. Those friends continue to spur us on along life’s journey, as we pray we do for them. The blessings of connection are tremendous!
As this year’s return to school swings into full gear, we imagine your children or grandchildren will be meeting new friends, too. Maybe some of them will be new to the area or at least new to the school. Maybe others will be from families you know, but you are being nudged to get better acquainted. But how? We’d love to help you discover that answer! We have developed a fun (and free!) printable for you to download called Back-to-School Hosting Opportunities. This one-page sheet is filled with fun ideas on ways to connect with new and longtime neighbors as the school year begins and throughout the year. You can download the printable by clicking here. As always, may your family’s school year be sublime!
— The Sublime Soiree © August 2024
