“Will you be my boyfriend? Check Yes or No,” I wrote at the young age of 12 on my wide ruled piece of notebook paper. I ripped it out as delicately as I could, folded it up true write-and-tuck style, and slid it into his locker. Pre-cell phones, this was how we chatted with our friends. We took a pen to paper and folded our notes up in all kinds of cool ways (the “pull here” tab was another favorite). We felt like origami masters when we slid them into the recipient’s locker. This is how we built community.

There’s nothing like nervous anticipation in that awkward pre-adolescence phase when it comes to waiting for the “Yes or No” response.

The fear of others seeing our rejection forces us all into becoming timid recluses.

After I sat down on the bench, I slid my hands into the pocket and pulled out the note while squinting my eyes, afraid of the answer. I slowly opened it. He had checked the “Yes” box. I immediately showed it to my friends on the team and bragged. I was, exactly like you would expect, a giddy little middle-schooler. With that simple origami note, with that simple checked box, we began a relationship.

Several decades later, extending invitations hasn’t gotten any easier.

How can we intentionally build the neighborhood, church, and community we desire? Read the rest over at Blessed Is She.