'It takes a village'

"It takes a village." That's our new motto. Last week seven of us, all college pledge class sorority sisters from the late 60's, went on our annual vacation to Palm Beach, Florida.

This was a perfect choice for this group of almost-senior-citizens whose logo is the pink flamingo. Embarrassing to our kids. All the more fun for us.

As college students, we used to make fun of travelers like us. Picture women in one-piece swimsuits and floppy beach hats tugging to help each other roll in and out of beach chairs. Visualize an entire group taking turns blowing up a single air mattress, and trust me, getting on those floats has become fodder for some of our best photo shoots. It's a miracle we all haven't drowned.

When we evaluate each other's strengths we find that it does "take a village" to make this event work. Cathy and I are the designated drivers ... the other five aren't allowed to even start the rental car. Cathy is also our money person. She calculates tips and divides the bills. Diana is our organizer -- she puts the trips together ahead of time but then relinquishes that roll as soon as we arrive at our designated spot. Raising two fingers to the back of her head lets us know she is now the Indian, no longer the chief. Dizzy (don't even ask) is never without her camera which somehow manages to add twenty pounds and several wrinkles to each of us. She makes the coffee, shares her sunscreen, and loves to serve.

Keller loses at whatever game we are playing. Dominoes. Farkle. Pitch. It doesn't matter. She is the first to remind us, "A village is only as strong as its biggest loser." She holds the record for the lowest limbo any of us can do without needing a chair or table or traveling companion to lift us up, and she is the first one to dance when Diana blows her whistle, trusting we all will follow. And follow we do -- no matter where we are. We have converted more than one fine-dining establishment into a scene for the jerk and the swim. We are always 18 in our minds, even though our bodies defy that thought.

Colleen makes us laugh. A lot. She has the ability to tell a story like no one else I know. We all agree that we never crack up like we do when Colleen shares her life, largely because of the many predicaments she gets herself into. Everyone needs a Colleen.

And then there's Wally who constantly reminds us of what we should look like, were we into holistic medicine, thirty-mile bike rides, and weekly mountain climbs or scuba-diving trips. The first thing this friend asks when we get together is, "Where's the workout center?" How should we know?!?

Every year is not without incident. At last year's destination, Hilton Head, the soloist at the local piano bar wasn't alone for long. "Patty and the Pointless Sisters" turned into his background singers. He loved us, or so we told ourselves. The year we took a cruise, several people of all ages said we were the highlight of the dance floor. Our children would have jumped overboard.

Jesus was all about relationships. "Love your neighbor as yourself." He always found time for people, recognizing they were more important than money, power, or fame.

Our village of seven has found the importance of Jesus' example. We cry together. Pray together. Take care of each other when we ail.

More than once we've been proud to say, "I've got your back." My husband says he fears for the one who tries to tangle with us. And now, as we age, we are moving into a new era. Stories celebrating our grown children have now turned into heartfelt tales of caretaking for parents with Alzheimer's, breast cancer treatments, financial setbacks, our own aches and pains, and eternity.

As Tom Holladay says in his new book The Relationship Principles of Jesus, "You can thrive in your career, acquire wealth and reputation, even experience tremendous impact in your ministry. But if your relationships are languishing, nothing else matters."

We "sisters" are already planning next year's trip to Mexico. We think it's time we take our village to another country. Our kids think that's the best idea we've had in a long time.