My workplace hosts five Call and Connect support group. Four of them meet over Zoom, but one of them — the OG group — started many years ago as a conference call.
And this particular community of adults who live with epilepsy still like that format. Once a week, they call the same phone number and love to be on the same line all together. You might be surprised how a once-per-week phone call could turn into a robust sense of community.
These folks playfully grumble if anyone calls them a “group.” “We’re a family!” they say. And they are. They call each other throughout the week outside of the group time to check in on each other. They’ve gotten together in person to do fun things. They’ve gone over to each other’s houses to fix each other’s appliances. I’ve witnessed all of this in my six years with them.
They also love to give verbal hugs.
When someone is having a difficult week or if someone has a special celebration, someone will eventually say, “Let’s give [name] a family hug.”
“Okay, one, two, three!”
“Mmmmmmmm!”
“Squeeeeeze!”
“Eeeeeeeeee!”
they all say verbally over a phone line.
I’m about to go to go on a trip for a while (more about that soon) and as I was about to end the call today, I heard,
“Hey, let’s give Renee a family hug!”
“One, two, three!”
“Mmmmmmmm!”
“Squeeeeeze!”
“Eeeeeeeeee!”
I felt it too. A lovely send off.
Community Care is the Best.
— Renee Roederer
Smuggling Grace 