Good Morning Digital Neighbors! Hello Friends & Refugees, Phamily & Triggeratti! Happy Saturday Dawn Patrol, Early Birds, Fascinating People, Conversants, Lurkers and of course Joyful Bigots! (Bigot is a term of endearment over at Triggernometry) 😉

We had a New Parishioner Meet & Greet last night. We welcomed three new couples and an individual to our parish family along with about 20 members of the Welcoming Committee & members of our staff. It was a full house and a great evening. Few things can match enjoying the company of neighbors. Thanks to @kmeyer & @Berf for all of their work and the fact that they are two of the most enjoyable people to share company.

Digital Neighbors are pretty great too! Thanks to all who visit these various communities and get to know others. Some of us have developed post relationships as we share on these sites and offer our comments. That has lead to chat conversation in an old school manner like 1st generation social media of the 90's before it was even named as such. It has lead to ZOOM conversations were we can match voices to @handles as well as occasionally see a real person depending on the circumstance's and comfort level.

There is more civility, maturity and patience in the average Local's supporter. Members can only like things - a wish choice since they have no skin the game in the terms of the community life. They aren't supporting creators, so why should a random visitor be allowed to try to up-end the cart for the sake of drama and trolling a community when there are already plenty of places to do that on the inter-webs. Members who like what they see, and wish they could interact can become Supporters.

Supporters not only get to interact with the Host/Creator, but with one another. I have a number of people in my intention network of new neighbors that I see as friends. While a bit different than the flesh & blood people I bump into daily, in some ways because of our reason for being here, many conversations can take on a more meaningful nature because we at least have an idea of why we are all here. (Whatever Local's that might happen to be.) The Morning Coffee Talks I host are just a way to begin the day with some decent human beings, not all on the same page about issues, but all willing to listen & respect, to question & comment without getting defensive or petty. I hope you find such good people among the flesh & bloods you know and I hope your involvement at Local's affords you that opportunity if that is what you are seeking. Sometimes Digital Neighbors can become a refuge & haven if the flesh & bloods among you are incapable of civility without dogma. Sometimes the culture wars have cost too many relationships with family or friends, isolation & humanity usually does not end well for the individual or at times the neighbors. We don't need many friends or neighbors, but a few real & reliable ones sure can make a difference. On to the quote & photo!

The underlying message of the Neighborhood is that if somebody cares about you, it's possible that you'll care about others. 'You are special, and so is your neighbor' - that part is essential: that you're not the only special person in the world. The person you happen to be with at the moment is loved, too. - Fred Rogers

Montana - Glacier National Park (Beautiful state @eclecticRPT & @montanacurt)