Longing to Belong

By Rev. Beth Long-Higgins, VP of Engagement and director of the Center for Abundant Aging  •  March 05, 2026

At various points in my life, I have felt that I didn’t belong. Usually these were times following transitions of moving to a new place. And the feeling of not belonging is often related to the feeling that the people around me saw me as someone or something that I was not. Whether they assigned preconceived notions about my person or lumped me into a group that was not to the acceptable standards of the thinking of their peers, the feeling of not belonging is never pleasant.

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