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[robsan (robsan]

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From: "Rob Sandelin (Exchange)" <Robsan [at] Exchange.MICROSOFT.com>
To: "cohousing-l [at] uci.com" <cohousing-l [at] uci.com>
Subject: Illness as a community measuring stick
Date: Tue, 31 Oct 1995 06:27:14 -0800
Return-Receipt-To: <Robsan [at] Exchange.MICROSOFT.com>
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One of the most important aspects of community life is being able to rely on 
each other when you need to.  When people care about each other, which is in 
my opinion a requirement for community, then helping each other in times of 
illness, death and other tragic moments is a natural.  Last year two 
community members died, one after a long illness, and another rather 
suddenly.  Right now a community member, a single mom, is just out of 
critical after having major cancer surgery.  Through these events we 
discover what the boundaries of our community really are - and by boundaries 
I mean, just how far we will go to help each other.

The boundary of each group depends on the relationships between the people 
and how committed folks are to that relationship.  This commitment will 
define how much "community" you really have.  If you want a yardstick for 
measuring the community level of your group, watch how people react to 
sudden needs for support.

Rob Sandelin
Sharingwood