Over the past few months I have heard a particularly expansive yet interconnected array of voices.
Women from at least eight countries and across two continents embraced Discover The Power of Your Story™ opportunities in the first two months of this year (in the States and East Africa) by joining Love Is A Mountain retreat circles: determined to create a difference in their own lives and communities.
On the Kenya leg of this journey; I was also invited to talk with a diverse group of students at the United States International University (USIU) in Nairobi who responded positively to questions I asked them about ‘purpose’ – questions they found challenging, yet very engaging as they considered their individual and community lives and responsibilities.
I had in person conversations with a matron and her staff about the lives of motherless and abandoned children that have passed through their Lagos, Nigeria based facility over the last several decades. I’ve seen so much improvement, yet the underlying issues still appear so endless.
And finally, the news – locally and internationally – crime, war and devastation: constant reminders that all is not well and we’ve still a long way to go.
The combination and rapid succession of our own experiences and exposures poses some interesting questions for all of us. How do you interact with both the joy and the pain of those around you? What impact do these voices have on the tapestry of our individual lives? How do we stay connected and yet balanced in our attempt to ‘hold it all’?
One thing for sure; whatever the language spoken, beliefs or circumstances – I realized that most of these voices are seeking change and intentionally placing some form of prayer, hope, dreams and expectations into the ‘wind’ … and they all make us remember that there is a sameness even amidst our seemingly diverse concerns and needs.
Listening,
