Soliton

Do you know what the word Soliton means? I didn't until May. The definition is quite mathematical and complex but one of the related articles is called Freak Waves. Now that I like. Basically think of dropping a pebble into calm water...ripples are created....if other pebbles are also dropped in the water their ripples will intersect and cross over one another. That's soliton. Basically it's a disturbance.

Enter the Soliton Sessions held this weekend here hosted by the Bridge. The conversations centered around hospitality and welcome and how we can be that in a world where so many choose isolationism.

I had the opportunity to listen to practioners from the UK, Northern Ireland, Philly, Texas, Minnesota....all over really. What's cool is these are now friends....our solitons intersecting across valleys, fields, oceans.....

The beauty of a gathering like this, to me, lies in the diversity of the people you come in contact with. And the way these people will love one another, taking the other in for who they are, who God created them to be. Letting go of things we can't control....in fact one of my favorite quotes came from a friend from Ireland in a prayer...."live in freedom in the place of no control".....the times that I have done this have been some of the most fulfilling times of my life. It's when I try to step in and become my own Master and Commander that I fall flat on my face in desperation.

I will share more experiences from this weekend later...right now there are kids to bathe and get tucked in....but I will leave you with just one for now....

One of those guiding the conversation this week is for peace (we all are really though aren't we?) and from what I gather an opponent of the war and the role the US is playing in the Middle East....there is another member of our community here who is in the Navy and will be deployed this week....here's the beautiful thing....the peace activist praying over the Navy man.....the paths they've chosen are different but those paths have intersected and the ripples of those 2 men will be felt by many. So my question is....why not just embrace the one with which you have differences....doesn't really matter the differences does it? I need to do it....I'm not good with certain people in my life....I feel the differences are too huge but they're really not are they. If I really look into the face of the other I should be seeing the face of Jesus in them. Am I looking hard enough? Are you?