Circles of Support

When the pandemic struck, due to social distancing restrictions, I was stopped in my tracks from meeting people in my new community. For the first time in more than a year I am finally able to gather with a group of women whom I was just getting to know and enjoy – the Mary Martha Circle.

We had been reading from a book, taking turns selecting a chapter about courageous women in history who made a real difference and telling the group about their good work.  The women featured in the book often put themselves on-the-line for their faith beliefs or did something which a woman of their time ordinarily did not do. Take for example: Catherine Booth , co-founder of the Salvation Army and others such as the early missionaries of the 1800s. They traveled and lived around the world in the worst conditions to help out in undeveloped communities. Then there are more contemporary women such as Madeline L’Engle, author of A Stitch in Time. She wrote very boldly about her faith and beliefs in science.

The Mary-Martha Circle has been meeting for decades in churches of several denominations in different parts of the country. These two Biblical Women, Mary and Martha, very different from one another, were painted by Vermeer in 1650.

I’m so happy we are resuming our meetings. I enjoy learning about women who believed in something so strongly that they listened to their hearts, reached for their dreams and followed their calling.

Looking for a group to inspire and support your quest to become the best you can be? Check with your local faith leaders to see if there is a Mary-Martha Circle in a community near you.