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Not Lost, But Found
To be seen. To be heard. To be genuinely acknowledged as having something of value to contribute. A sincere flow of humanity and humility between you and another or group of individuals. I just spent the better part of five days feeling more human, what I believe it is to be human, than I have in many years. Decades.
I was with a diverse group of graduates, of which I am not one, from leadership programs at Gonzaga University. I’m guessing late 20s to early 70s (I’m 63), black, white, Asian, Jewish, Mormon, Catholic, Protestant, maybe an atheist or agnostic thrown in for good measure. Though it took place at St. Andrews Benedictine monastery, in the desert of Valyermo, CA, religion was not the focus. Community was. How we define, build, and nurture community. What prevents or derails community, and in part why we all need and long for… Community.
To help prepare, the group had been encouraged to read David Brooks’ bestseller How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen. I read it through and listened to it read by the author. I highly recommend it. It was the perfect preparation.
The Gonzagans (I guess that’s what they’re called) and everything that is St. Andrews, the desert’s stark beauty, the hospitality of the monks, the rhythm of their days, welcomed all of us into their community and that precious space. And, for the time…